Boston The Walking City – Part One
In the summer of 2019, my friend Joanne and I went to Boston overnight before she returned home to Canada. I wanted to show Jo what a beautiful city Boston was and how you can just about walk everywhere. Our hotel was in the Seaport District by the World Trade Center. We drove up to Boston from Cape Cod on a Friday afternoon and fortunately for us the weather was spectacular. After checking into our hotel room, we went downstairs for a cocktail in the hotel’s bar before venturing out. After a couple of appetizers and glasses of wine we set out for our evening walk. Lucky for us it was a perfect balmy summer night. We started up Seaport Boulevard and it seemed as though everyone was out enjoying the weather as we were. The outdoor restaurants, bars and cafes were filled with people. The Barking Crab which is on the river was in particular packed to the brim.
We turned onto the Rose Kennedy Greenway which is a park that runs a good distance along Atlantic Avenue and wraps a portion of that end of the city. Years ago, when Rte. 93 was moved underground they built this gorgeous park in place of where the expressway used to run.
Imagine our surprise as we walked through the park and saw a bunny in the middle of the city. I don’t know why I was so shocked but with so much hustle and bustle all around us it just seemed amazing to me. Halfway along the park, we came upon an outdoor beer garden. It appeared as though everyone had finished work and ventured over for a draft before going home. It was filled with people of all ages still dressed in their work attire. Men in shirts and ties and women in dresses and heals
At one point we cut back across Atlantic Ave and started the Harbor Walk. This is a walk which winds you out and about the various wharfs in the Harbor. Again, there were people everywhere.
We passed the Boston Marriott Long Wharf and cut through Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park and headed for the North End.
In the North End we walked down Hanover Street and just prayed we could find a place for dinner. Quite an undertaking for a Friday night in the Summer without a reservation. One of mine and my husband’s favorite places to eat in the North End is Lucia Ristorante. The restaurant is small but the food is amazing. We asked the hostel hopefully if she had a table for two. But to no surprise it was full with no availability until much later in the evening. We glimpsed at the bar and noticed the only two seats empty had a “reserved” sign. We asked her if the seats were taken and she said if we wanted to eat our dinners there then we were welcome to them. It was as though they were reserved for us. As I recall the bar area was only big enough for about 6-8 people. We sat down, had a glass of wine and ordered our dinner. I can’t recall at this point what we ate but as always both meals were Italian perfection.
After dinner we headed back up Hanover Street and I took Jo to the iconic “Modern Pastry”. You can’t go to the North End without getting a Cannoli or some other incredible dessert. We grabbed some pastries and then stopped in a small shop for a bottle of “Limoncello” to take back to the hotel.
From there we again crossed Atlantic Ave and back into the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The water fountains, swings and areas to relax were just perfect. We took a moment to sit down and just enjoy the beautiful weather.
We then continued our walk towards Faneuil Hall when the skies opened up and it began to rain. An actual downpour. We darted in and out of storefronts and tried to keep as dry as possible. Finally, we found a store on Washington St and popped in for a couple of umbrellas. Really not much help as at this point as we were already drenched to the bone. We continued up School Street by the Old City Hall which was now Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Another place for one to have a spectacular culinary dining experience. But that would have to wait for another visit to the city.
We continued onto the Omni Parker House and dodged out of the rain into the downstairs bar for a cocktail. We needed to dry ourselves off and relax before our walk back to the Seaport. Again, because the night had started off so beautifully the place was packed. We grabbed two seats at the bar and the bartender was kind enough to give us towels to dry ourselves off. After a cocktail or two the rain had stopped and we decided it was time to head back to the hotel.
You would never know it was almost 10 in the evening because the streets were still full of people. We cut back through the financial district and once again picked up Seaport Boulevard. We and it seemed everyone else were still out enjoying the night. Once back at the hotel we returned to our room where we indulged in our perfect Italian pastries and finished the night off with a small glass of Limoncello. This was a great way to finish off a spectacular night in the city. We went to bed before midnight so we could start our walking adventure of the city all over again in the morning.
A beautiful photo exhibit of our lovely City…Boston is also a favorite for me also and when anyone comes for a visit we also share the city of Boston with them. Your photos are lovely Liz and I’m glad you enjoyed it all in spit of the rain.
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We had such a great time and crammed a lot of walking in during our visit!
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