Boston was my first US city on this trip but, if not for the urgings of some friends, I might not have visited at all. I’m so glad I did.
I was meant to arrive mid-afternoon but the weather had other ideas and multiple flight delays and a missed connection meant I only arrived in the evening. So my first night consisted of finding my accommodation, buying a slice of pizza, wondering if I should have ordered two slices while I waited, collecting said slice, wondering if I should have ordered half a slice and going to bed. That still left me with with three full days to see the city.
The plan for the first day was a no-brainer: walk the freedom trail. I bought a map from the information centre and was on my way spotting historic buildings and sites as I followed the red brick path around the city. A pretty good way to see Boston.
On day two I spent the morning walking around Harvard listening to an audio guide I’d downloaded. In the afternoon I’d booked a tour of Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox. I just had to get there. With the wind picking up and the rain bucketing down, I’ll admit, I had some regrets about my decision to walk rather than just catch a bus there. But I did get there and the tour, while very wet, was a lot of fun. On the suggestion of the tour guide, I then headed into the traditional pre-game hangout: the Cask’n’Flagon. This is where things really got fun. Sitting at the bar I got talking to some Bostonians who decided that an Australian’s first time at Fenway Park was cause for celebration, in the form of rum. About 90 minutes later I was on my way to find my seat with a head full of Red Sox knowledge, a cap they’d insisted I wear for… let’s say luck and only mild concerns about negotiating the stairs to my seat. It ended up being a very low scoring game, a 1-0 win to the Red Sox over the Toronto Blue Jays, but it was enough to bring up 100 wins for the season and the home crowd was loving it.
On my third and final day I went to check out that other big university across the river, MIT. When the guide didn’t show up for the 10am tour, I decided I’d just have to show myself around. I have to say, I found MIT to be a more interesting campus than Harvard. Where Harvard had felt a little empty and difficult to see inside, MIT was buzzing with people and most areas were easily accessible. I rounded out the day by walking around the Back Bay area and checking out the Boston Public Library, a very impressive building.
The next morning was an early start as I made my way to catch a bus to New York City…
