“GET OUTTA TOWN!”

Boston: A Five-Star Get-Away

by Barbara Barton Sloane


If you’re suffering from lingering cabin fever, a sure-fire cure awaits. Boston is one of America’s favorite cities and an appealing get-away just a few hours drive away. This town is distinguished by its 21 vibrant neighborhoods where pride and cultures from all over the world are celebrated and cherished, making it truly world-class. In Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood, you’ll find great shopping with all of the top department stores represented. In the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, there are over 40 push cart eateries and 17 restaurants. Newbury Street offers world-renowned shopping in some of Boston’s most chic and fashionable stores. The Prudential Center is a glamorous, sky-high mall with an endless array of restaurants, shops and more.

America’s Walking City – Freedom Trail
One of America’s first walking tours, The Freedom Trail is a perfect introduction to Colonial Revolutionary Boston. The Trail takes you to 16 historical sites in the course of two or three hours and covers two and a half centuries of America’s most significant past. There’s also a Boston Harbor Walk, a Walk to the Sea and a North End (Italian restaurants! Yum!) Walk.

If you prefer to do your walking indoors, Boston is Museum City with art from Ancient Egyptian to Contemporary. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is modeled after a 15th century Venetian palazzo surrounding an interior courtyard garden, and housing one of the most remarkable art collections in the world, including works by Rembrandt, Titian, Raphael, Botticelli, Degas and Sergeant. The Historic New England Museum is the oldest, largest and most comprehensive regional preservation organization in the country. The Museum of Fine Arts has ground-breaking exhibits, and has one of the world’s largest Asian art collections

What’s Going On
The Transatlantic Volvo Ocean Challenge Race will berth in Boston for 10 days, April 27-May 16, 2009, and will offer visitors a spectacular international dockside “village” at Faneuil Pier. The Tall Ships Sail, July 8-13, 2009, is one of America’s Top 100 events. The tall ship the U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle will lead the Parade of Sails on Wednesday, July 8, and other tall ships from all over the world will participate in this event.

Bedding Down in Bean Town
Boston overflows with top-of-the-line luxury hotels. The Liberty is just a year old and your stay here will be a comfortable and singular experience, to say the least. You see, The Liberty was, in its former life, the storied Charles Street Jail. It’s been converted into a 300 room luxury hotel located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. Dining at this hotel is quite special, as one of the 3 on-site restaurants is The Clink where bars have been left on the walls. This will hopefully be the closest you’ll ever come to dining in a jail. The food is good and the atmosphere is unique. (www.libertyhotel.com).

For an intimate and very inviting sanctuary, there’s none better than The Four Seasons Hotel Boston. Situated just opposite the Public Garden and historic Beacon Hill, it is the only New England hotel to be the recipient of both the Mobil Five-Star Award and the AAA Five Diamond Award. The hotel continues to rank in Zagat Survey as No.1 in Boston, and one of the top 50 US hotels. Its Restaurant Aujourd’hui is one of only two AAA Five Diamond restaurants in Massachusetts and dining here is a truly five-star experience. Walking through its high glass doors and entering the sleek new black granite lobby, you just know you’ve found a luxurious and restorative retreat. (www.fourseasons.com).

On a recent trip to Boston, I also visited the modernist 60-room Fifteen Beacon Hotel located, naturally, on Beacon Hill. The artwork throughout the hotel includes works by some of the country’s most renowned artists, and each room is individually designed so that no two rooms are alike. A fine feature: the building’s original cage elevator and its cast-brass railing dominate the hotel’s lobby and provide guests with a taste of “Old Boston.” The lobby’s walls are mahogany and sitting besides its cozy fireplace radiates a very warm welcome, indeed. Fifteen Beacon’s restaurant is called Moo and is a modern steakhouse. (www.xvbeacon.com).

Boston has much to offer if you have children in tow. There’s the Boston Children’s Museum with something to keep kids of every age interested and engaged. For small tots, they have a Play with Clay and Messy Activity programs, for older ones, Music and Movement and Orgami making. The Museum of Science offers, for kids grades 1-6, an Overnight Program with interactive activities, a Theatre of Electricity and a Lightening Show.

Renowned for culture, world-class educational institutions, and championship sports as well as enjoying its place at the very forefront of American history, Boston can accommodate and entertain you as few other cities can! (www.BostonUSA.com).