Boston, Massachusetts is a city known for its grit and harsh winters as much as it’s known for its innovation and education. I recently went to Boston for a long weekend with my daughter, Liz, to attend the graduation of one of the young ladies she mentors who was graduating from Boston University’s dental school. While I’ve visited Boston many times over the years, it seems like each time I go, I enjoy the city more and more. It’s quite unique, with more than 50 colleges and universities in the greater metro area. There are few other cities where you see so many young people in different college sweatshirts right alongside locals wearing shirts of all Boston’s amazing sports teams. When my daughter lived there, the Red Sox won the World Series, the Patriots won the Super Bowl, and the Celtics won the NBA championship. What a time to be a Bostonian!
If you have a short stay in this wonderful city, here are my suggestions for things to see in Boston to get a nice overview of the place.
1. Visit the Boston Common and Public Gardens
The famous Boston Common and Public Gardens is definitely one of Boston’s must-see places. Make sure to stop by and see the statue of the ducklings based on the classic children’s book Make Way For Ducklings—set in Boston. In the Public Gardens, take a quick swan boat ride and be on the look out for swans, ducklings (of course!), and turtles.
2. Explore Beautiful Newbury Street
Next, take a leisurely stroll down Newbury Street. This part of town is great for grabbing a coffee, people watching, and shopping. The matcha at Blank Street is not to be missed, and it reminded me of authentic matcha in Japan! A new favorite find in Beacon Hill was Beacon Hill Books, a three story book store with the cutest children’s area I’ve ever seen. Be sure to take lots of photos!
3. Don’t Skip the North End
You can’t miss the North End, Boston’s historically Italian area. We had an amazing lunch at Casarecce, but there are so many great restaurants, you can’t miss wherever you choose. There are some with big names and great food, but don’t feel beholden to a long line and wait when you could walk a few feet and have food just as good and be seated right away.
Stop in Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry, rival bakeries across the street from each other. Mike’s is the more famous of the two, while Modern is just as good, lesser known, and much less busy. We had a taste of ricotta stuffed chocolate chip cannolis. I have my favorite—go and see for yourself which is better!
4. Step into the Stunning Public Library
When you think about visiting a new city, you probably don’t see yourself visiting the public library. However, you just can’t skip the Boston Public Library! Once inside, head up the lion-flanked staircase and look up to see the beautiful fresco-like murals on the walls. If you need evidence of the huge number of students in Boston, head into Bates Hall and see all the students studying! It almost makes me want to go back to school… almost!
5. Take a Walk Through Chinatown
If you need one more thing to do in downtown Boston, be sure to visit Chinatown. While it’s not the largest Chinatown in the United States, it’s still vibrant and densely populated. On this mother-daughter trip, we didn’t get a chance to eat in Chinatown, but we did see some beautiful murals. When Liz was a student in Boston, she ate many a meal at Penang, which has a Malaysian inspired menu, and Bánh Mì, a small take out Vietnamese restaurant. She moved from Boston in 2010 and both restaurants are still there and thriving. You can see all the reviews posted in their doors and windows.
See You in Boston This Summer!
Summer is the perfect time to see Boston or visit Massachusetts as a whole, just make sure to pack comfy shoes! You can see so much of the city in a short amount of time, much of it on foot. With my recommendations, you’ll experience different areas of the city, get a great overview, and I bet you too will want to return sooner rather than later! Check out more photos from my trip and stay updated with my travels on Instagram.