Mini guide to Boston, Massachusetts
Scritto da ckhaclar2483 il 22-02-2012
Boston is America%u2019s revolutionary town %u2013 for centuries it was the cultural and academic epicentre of the United States. This grand old dame of a city has daring museums, world-leading universities and some of the most progressive politics in the country.SeeThe ICA is Boston%u2019s showpiece contemporary museum of art %u2013 a striking glass building jutting above the waterfront. As well as housing installations and sculptures, the building%u2019s theatre regularly hosts performance art showcases (100 Northern Avenue; closed Mon; admission %u00a310).The Freedom Trail is two-and-a half miles of revolutionary history. Beginning at Boston Common, the tour concludes at the USS Constitution %u2013 a frigate that fought off the British in the wars of independence. Take in the views from the Bunker Hill Monument.Boston%u2019s 34 Harbour Islands are a welcome retreat from the urban hubbub. Visit Georges Island%u2019s Fort Warren or Little Brewster Island%u2019s Boston Light lighthouse. Seasonal ferry services run from Boston Long Wharf North (ferries from %u00a39).Cambridge is home to two academic juggernauts %u2013 Harvard University and MIT. Leafy, caf%u00e9-lined squares and stately mansions belie the area%u2019s history as a hotbed of progressive politics. Harvard operates free tours of its campus.A Venetian-style palazzo houses the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, with a remarkable art collection including works by Michelangelo and Rembrandt. Also, if your name is Isabella, you get in for free (280 The Fenway; %u00a38).Eat and drinkProviding a master class in baking, Flour implores its customers to eat dessert first %u2013 cakes, brownies and cookies could well distract those popping in to lunch on gourmet sandwiches and pizzas at its canteen-like tables (12 Farnsworth St; cookies from %u00a31).Oleana, a pan- Mediterranean restaurant that%u2019s situated in the neighbourhood of Inman Square, takes its inspiration from the cuisine of Greece and Morocco. The innovative range of meze options lead the charge on the menu (134 Hampshire St; meze dishes from %u00a33).Giacomo%u2019s Ristorante is a worthy ambassador for southern Italian gastronomy. Its no-frills dishes nonetheless arrive in generous portions %u2013 try the zuppa di pesce, a dish involving shrimp, scallops, calamari and lobster (355 Hanover St; mains from %u00a39).The diminutive Ten Tables only has a handful of covers. The emphasis is on the kitchen, which makes the most of seasonal produce, with seafood given prominence %u2013 try the pan-seared bluefish with roasted Jerusalem artichokes (597 Centre St; mains from %u00a313).Sportello bills itself as a modern reinvention of a classic diner, serving up sophisticated soups and salads at lunch, with decadent polenta and pasta dishes in the evening (348 Congress St; mains from %u00a313).SleepBeacon Inn is spread over two 19th-century brownstone buildings in Boston%u2019s leafy suburb of Brookline. Rooms are named after a Boston landmark, personality or neighbourhood. Dark-wood panelling, Persian rugs and ornamental fireplaces all add to the old-world charm (1087 & 1750 Beacon St, from %u00a370).An Italianate mansion located in the bohemian Jamaica Plain area, Taylor House has been lovingly restored in more recent times. Three guestrooms are decorated with bold, contemporary art and furnished with polished wooden floors and sleigh beds (50 Burroughs St; from %u00a390).Despite the name, you don%u2019t require any membership to stay the night at The College Club %u2013 a guesthouse run by an all-female graduate society (but open to male visitors). Bay windows and spacious rooms are typical of the Victorian houses in this part of the city (44 Commonwealth Ave; from %u00a395).Dating back to 1882, the Newbury Guest House occupies three interconnected townhouses on Boston%u2019s historic Newbury Street. Period rooms come with moulded ceilings and carved mantles (261 Newbury St; from %u00a3100).A swanky hotel in a downtown high-rise, Omni Parker House is hands down Boston%u2019s most historic hotel %u2013 Charles Dickens lived here for two years, Malcolm X worked in the kitchen, Ho Chi Minh was a pastry chef and the Boston cream pie %u2013 the official state dessert %u2013 was invented here (60 School St; from %u00a3130).When to goAutumn is the time to catch New England%u2019s legendary autumn foliage in all its glory. Harborfest in July is a week-long Independence Day celebration, while October heralds the Head of the Charles Regatta.Getting aroundMBTA operates buses within Boston %u2013 routes can be confusing, so check their website%u2019s journey planner (standard fare %u00a31). Boston%u2019s subway system is America%u2019s oldest, with four lines extending into the city%u2019s suburbs (from %u00a31.25).Getting thereVirgin Atlantic, Delta, American Airlines and BA fly to Boston%u2019s Logan International airport from Heathrow (from %u00a3360). From any of Logan%u2019s terminals, take the free shuttle bus to the airport subway station %u2013 trains reach downtown Boston in 30 minutes (%u00a31.50).
