Boston ticked all the boxes for
our perfect mum and son bonding trip.
Education
is a hot topic in our house with the Junior Cert Exam looming for my son next
June. I'm a believer that nothing broadens a young mind better than travel and
use this mantra to justify taking him away from his books for a few days.
Boston
is a city that has grown into itself culturally and aesthetically since the big
dig twenty years ago. When the clever city planners decided to put the busy
highways in tunnels under the city, they left a beautiful mile-long stretch of
parkland running through its heart and dedicated it to Rose Kennedy, the
ex-president's mother. Across from the financial district on what used to be a
parking lot is the city's rejuvenated district and our hotel for the next two
nights, the Envoy. A smooth glass exterior surrounds a very cool and hip place to
stay, with one of only three roof top bars in the city. Our room is spacious
and trendy just like the rest of the hotel and one of my favourite features is
the usb charger in the wall! With a huge shower and Netflix on the smart TV my
son, Mark, gives the room the thumbs up too. Breakfast in the Envoy is a real
treat and we opt for the Lobster Benedict and Maple Pancakes both mornings. See
www.theenvoyhotel.com
We
spend our first night in Boston at The Charles Theatre to see The Blue Man Group.
Each performance involves a variety of media entertainment including art, music
and mime. It's perfect for kids of all ages. The show moves quickly and there
isn't a dull moment, especially at the climactic ending when giant size
balloons and confetti fall on to the audience. For more information see www.blueman.com/boston.
We wake
early next morning and head for the Boston Tea Party Ship for our first lesson.
Our guide, Mr Condy, wears full period costume from this key time in eighteenth
century American History that eventually led to the declaration of American
Independence. Mark nods nonchalantly as we are invited to partake in a meeting
with Samuel Adams who protests about the taxes on tea. "We did this in
history a couple of weeks ago," he says. We move from the museum on to the
schooner 'The Beaver' where the kids get to throw the box of tea overboard in a
re-enactment of the Tea Party which involves shouting 'huzzah' and banging our
feet on the deck. I hope that this period of American history is now firmly
etched in Mark's memory before his exams next summer. See
www.bostonteapartyship.com for more details.
Travelling
with a teen I sense it's time to do something more active. At Urbanadventours on
Atlantic Avenue, we are provided with helmets, water and bicycles. Our guide,
Greg, takes us in a small group of five around the rim of the North End. We
cycle past the new flagship Converse world headquarters, and the TD Gardens
where the city's Basketball and Hockey teams play. Boston is a maritime city
and the Charles River meets the Atlantic at a damn which was built to maintain
the water level of the river.
It's lined with an incredible array of trees that
turn every colour of yellow, gold, burnt orange and red in the autumn. The
pathway is flat making it easy for me to keep up with Mark and bringing us past
college boat houses and more reminders of the city's foundation on education.
As we
pull up at Fenway Park, Greg tells us that Baseball is a religion with most
Bostonians. The effigies of four famous Red Sox players stand at the stadium
gates and I ask Mark if maybe he's going to be a sports star. He just grunts at
me! We set off again along the city's Emerald Necklace − a green area in the
centre of the city where locals tend to their vegetables and sit in private
allotments rented from the city.
Before
the tour is over we ride past the Museum of Fine Art which houses the largest
collection of Impressionist paintings outside of the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. Reluctantly
we pass by as Mark didn't take art as an option but even he's impressed by the
graffiti and street art. In the distance, the John Hancock building is
decorated with a gigantic art installation by French artist JR. A man stands on
the edge of a pontoon and looks like he is about to jump into the blue
skyscraper which amuses passersby.
I'm
saddle sore by the time we reach Boston Common but Mark has enjoyed every bit
of this excursion. We dine in the North End after returning our bikes and step
into little Italy. Antico Forno is a well established restaurant and perfect
for kids with everything from pasta, pizza and speciality dishes that include
fresh seafood.
Next
day we set off on The Freedom Trail, a self guided trek through the city's
historic buildings and sites marked out by red bricks along the footpath, we
deviate as we come to Quincy Market food hall. Mark salivates as we pass the
food stalls and we settle for a bowl of Boston Chowda − spelt phonetically −
this delicacy is a favourite for locals and visitors. Faneuil Hall has been a
market and meeting place since the mid 1700's but these days top brands like
Abercrombie and Fitch and Urban Outfitters can be found nearby. The Freedom
Trail is a great way to walk through Boston and The Paul Revere house, the
oldest in the city, is worth a stop off. Paul Revere was made famous by
Longfellow's poem describing his historic ride from Concord to Boston to warn
the revolutionaries that the British troops were coming.
Mark
is showing signs of 'history overload' so I decide that it's time to catch up
on Science. We take the T, Boston's over and underground train system to our next
stop, The Museum of Science. Currently Disney Pixar are showing a new exhibit
that will inspire any young animator or film maker, while a budding meteorologist
or pilot will be enthralled in the west wing.
Harvard
University is only a fifteen minute ride away and at the risk of being a pushy
mum I insist that we take the 'Hahvad Tour' (again spelt phonetically), given
by current Harvard Students. Our guide tells us secrets about the naughty rites-of-passage
carried out by the college fraternities and advises us not to touch the toe of
the John Harvard statue which is frequently rubbed for good luck by tourists as
it's more frequently used as a toilet at night. At $9.99 this tour is good
value and a great way to walk through the college grounds.
 |
| Quirky Russian chapel in Salem |
I
take Mark to Salem for our last night. This quirky bewitched town, where even
the cop cars sport witches emblems, is only a thirty minute train ride from
Boston. Made infamous by the witch trials of 1692 where twenty innocent people
were put to death for witch craft, Salem has been a source of intrigue for
writers for centuries. We stay at the Salem Waterfront Hotel which has a small
and cosy swimming pool. It is also next to the delicious Fin's restaurant which
offers incredible seafood.
Next
day we take the Trolley Tour to get our bearings and pass the House of the
Seven Gables, made famous by author Nathaniel Hawthorne. It is impossible to
avoid references to the Witch Trials so we go to the Salem Witch Museum to get
the full story. Re-enactments of the trials can be seen at the Witch Dungeon
and even on the main street. Everything is close by in this pretty town with
fine examples of federation houses and brownstones − each labelled with a date
and name of the original owner. This is America where the smell of apples and
cinnamon resonates through the wooden eaves of the buildings.
Don't leave Salem
without eating in Turner's restaurant which also has an interesting story and
great food.
There
is only one more thing to do before we leave this centre of mystic and magic. My
son has his palm read and is told to keep up the guitar lessons as they will
make him famous some day. Delighted with the news of my son's impending fortune
we return to Dublin with my mind at ease and consider that maybe he isn't going
to need straight A's in the Junior Cert after all!
Fact box
Flights
Aer Lingus, the smart
airline, operates two flights per day from Dublin to Boston with fares starting
from €249 each-way including taxes and charges. Flights from Shannon operate
daily with fares starting from €209 each-way including taxes and charges. For
more information visit aerlingus.com
Packages
Tour America
4 nights in Boston from only €599pp. Price Includes: Return flights with all taxes & 4 nights 3* accommodation. Based on 4 sharing. Travel January 2017. Reference 511489. Visit www.touramerica.ie or call 01-8173562. or Cork on 021 242 9222
