Americas Destinations

Soaking up history and seafood in Boston

August 3, 2016
Boston

I just got back from a little vacation and while others are flocking to the beaches during this time of the year, my trip wasn’t the typical summer destination – but you know – with a bf living far away, your holiday planning becomes pretty straightforward 😉 Although NYC probably will never bore me, it was nice to see a different place which was easy to get into from Europe.However the start was a little rough because I didn’t expect to stand in line for passport control for almost two hours :/ By the time I got into the city I was so tired and pissed, that I was only able to catch some sunset and evening impressions before I fell into bed…

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1. What to see

The next morning though, I felt much better and we were ready to explore – first of all the beautiful campus of famous Harvard University. Clearly the spirit of knowledge has been around… As some of America’s most renowned universities like the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Harvard are located in and around Boston, it is a major student city.

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But my energy was draining fast. Suddenly it got so hot, that we were glad about every indoor air-conditioned space… However it was our only day in Boston, so we kept on walking.

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Lunch break at the financial district…

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Btw there’s a free observation deck on the top of Independence Wharf. It’s easy to get into and the view’s not bad for not spending a penny 😉

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So we passed Chinatown…

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…and we arrived in Boston Common, the first city park of the US. There was a huge artificial pond and especially the kids enjoyed it while it was so hot.

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From there we started the Freedom Trail, which takes you to 16 significant sights, however we were far from completing the whole route (at least my bf got me a guide book 😉 ) Temperatures rose to the mid-thirties (°C) and with the strong sunshine it became unbearable…

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We stopped by the Massachussetts State House to cool off and rest a little. Well, the interior definitely surprised us and we stayed longer than intended…

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The Faneuil Hall is a great market with lots of food stalls to choose from. Some give you free samples and the food court is quite nice!

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I really like cities which are surrounded by water and I didn’t know that there’s so much of it in Boston too. It made me feel very comfortable there.

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2. Where to eat

So where’s ocean, there’s seafood, right? And I’m not exaggerating when I’m telling you that Boston is a paradise for seafood lovers! Our first meal we had at the Boston based Legal Seafoods chain with a creamy clam chowder and seafood casserole – you can clearly taste that their standard of freshness is very high! Yummy!

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You’ll also find plenty of simple lobster shacks serving the freshest (=alive) lobster available. James Hook & Co is one of them and is serious in the lobster business. Not only you can buy fresh seafood but also grab a famous lobster roll, which was a completely new flavour experience for me: It was so fresh and sweet – I think now I know how lobster supposed to taste!

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The signature dessert is the Boston Cream Pie – a spongy treat with chocolate, pudding and almonds, quite different from the cakes I used to know from Austria, nevertheless tasty. Get the original at the Omni Hotel Boston!

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3. Where to stay

We stayed at the Boston Marriott Cambridge Hotel which was conveniently located right next to metro station and therefore a good base to explore. It’s a good middle-class hotel with an indoor pool and spacious rooms, some come with nice views. Click here to book. 


Did you enjoy the little tour through Boston? Then you might be interested into the following articles:

Greetings from the Cape

Eating our way through Seattle

Our short but sweet time in Vancouver

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37 Comments

  • Reply marestella August 3, 2016 at 6:04 pm

    ah so schöne fotooooos!
    clam chowder – so lecker – gibt’s sowas eigentlich in Wien auch? nein oder… hab’s in Kanada auch gelieeebt…

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 1:58 pm

      Gute Frage, ist mir leider noch nie wo untergekommen… Und wenn, wird das Original nur schwer zu toppen sein 😉

  • Reply barryaday August 3, 2016 at 6:16 pm

    “If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t legal” is a terrific slogan for my favorite seafood place. The first time I ate at Legal Seafood was in Boston.

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 1:59 pm

      Hehe yeah, they’re are pretty serious about seafood 😉

  • Reply PinaySkattebasse August 3, 2016 at 10:43 pm

    Sorry for the rough start. 🙂 Oh those food in the last part – makes me hungry now. I have not been to Boston. If I should visit one day, I’ll go the The Cake Boss bakery. 😀

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:01 pm

      Oh I didn’t know that one! Gosh, there’s so much more to discover…

  • Reply shootingvienna August 3, 2016 at 11:02 pm

    Never really thought of visiting Boston but it does look pretty!
    Oh yes the boston cream pie is a favourite of my bf 😉

    PS: Did not know how close Salem is to Boston!

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:03 pm

      Me neither, they even had witch tours to Salem which sound quite interesting! Actually I never heard about the Boston cream pie before, but yes, it’s tasty 😉

  • Reply wazwu August 4, 2016 at 4:20 am

    Isn’t Boston lovely in the summer?! Last time I visited, I was impressed by how much we were able to cover on foot. Glad you were able to catch some Boston cream pie during your visit!

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:05 pm

      It was a very hot day but you’re right, it’s a very walkable city! Mmmm the cream pie was an unexpected highlight!

  • Reply Paleica August 4, 2016 at 7:35 am

    dass boston so nah am wasser ist wusste ich auch nicht. sieht jedenfalls nach einer coolen stadt aus. eine schulkollegin von mir wohnt da, sie macht ein phd am MIT. die großen unis würde ich auch zu gern mal besuchen. nur meeresfrüchte, das is nix für mich. ich nehm den kuchen 😉

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:07 pm

      Ok na verhungern würdest du dort auf keinem Fall 😉 Ist eine echt coole Stadt mit vielen jungen Leuten, das hat schon was für sich!

      • Reply Paleica August 11, 2016 at 6:25 am

        das kann ich mir vorstellen!!

  • Reply Julie August 4, 2016 at 8:46 am

    Oh I love Boston!! Admittedly I haven’t been in a really long time, but I went to high school not far from Boston so I was often there on the weekends!! Ahh, the memories! This was a nice nostalgic walk through Boston!

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:08 pm

      I’m amazed of how many places you’ve been to, wow!

  • Reply Tiffany. Yang August 4, 2016 at 9:34 am

    The boston cream pie looks really tasty! i love the interior of Massachussetts State House, hopefully one day I will get to visit soon! 🙂

    Tiffany
    http://www.thelookingglassbyty.com

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:10 pm

      It was a lot of marble inside, so only the best material was good enough for them 😉

  • Reply Kathi August 4, 2016 at 7:07 pm

    Ahh, da werd ich ganz melancholisch. Wir waren vor zwei Jahren auch in Boston und ich fands total hübsch <3. Wir haben in einem vietnamesischen Lokal richtig lecker gegessen: New Dong Khan – die Atmosphäre ist eher wie in einem Imbiss, aber die Gerichte sind fantastisch.
    Liebe Grüße,
    Kathi

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:11 pm

      Ich hab euren Beitrag über Boston gelesen! Manchmal sind die einfachsten, unscheinbarsten Lokale einfach die besten 😉

  • Reply SueT唐 梦 琇 August 5, 2016 at 2:53 am

    You did so much more than I did Julia. What a lovely time you had. Boston Common was covered in ice for skating when I was here – I loved Boston. Thank you for a lovely reminder. Lovely photos as usual.

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:12 pm

      Wow it must’ve been so different in winter! I can imagine that ice skating there would be a lot of fun too…

      • Reply SueT唐 梦 琇 August 11, 2016 at 8:47 am

        It was. Well looking at the skaters as I didn’t skate!!

  • Reply Somin Bach August 5, 2016 at 6:34 am

    I’ve never been to Boston before, but my sister’s been there many times because she lived in NY. She always tells me how beautiful it is there and how I should visit the next time I go see her. Making that a goal now. 🙂

    • Reply sileas August 10, 2016 at 2:14 pm

      Yeah it’s not too far from NY and perfect for a weekend trip 🙂

  • Reply Cavaforlunch August 5, 2016 at 9:33 am

    Boston looks so pretty! I’ve never been there myself, but my aunt lived there for a few years. Definitely on the bucket list though! xx

    • Reply sileas August 11, 2016 at 1:14 pm

      Nice, it seems like a very friendly place to live 🙂

  • Reply Christina August 5, 2016 at 5:05 pm

    Looks like you had a lovely time in Boston even though your start was very rough. all the buildings look so impressive, they always amaze me. Boston is definitely on my top list of places I want to see when travelling to the US.

    • Reply sileas August 11, 2016 at 1:16 pm

      Yeah, after all it was great! It’s like a small version of New York 😉

  • Reply Nat Worldwild August 6, 2016 at 8:14 am

    Boston habe ich noch nie ins Auge gefasst, aber es sieht so aus, als gäbe es eine Menge zu sehen!
    Ich bin übrigens immer wieder begeistert von deiner Food photography. Man möchte am liebsten alles sofort selbst probieren. Yummy!

    • Reply sileas August 11, 2016 at 1:17 pm

      Hehe, danke, das geht fast von alleine wenn es so lecker aussieht 😉 Ja Boston lohnt sich auf jeden Fall, vor allem wenn man an amerikanischer Geschichte interessiert ist!

  • Reply kmkucharski August 6, 2016 at 3:10 pm

    If you go again try the fall when temperatures are cooler and the autumn leaves gorgeous. Also visit Flour Bakery – there are several, but the original in the South End on Washington Street is the best – and that area is filled with tons of shops and restaurants – Toro is wonderful got tapas. Two things I really miss from living in Cambridge. Glad you got to see so much – the water is incredible!

    • Reply sileas August 11, 2016 at 1:19 pm

      I’m sure fall is amazing there! I’ll keep your tips in mind, thanks so much!

  • Reply Vivian August 8, 2016 at 3:03 pm

    Amazing pictures Julia! I really wish I could go to Boston and try all those seafood restaurants myself! xo Vivian

    http://www.twoward.com

    • Reply sileas August 11, 2016 at 1:21 pm

      Thank you, the seafood itself is worth traveling for 😛

  • Reply mooremisadventures September 13, 2016 at 1:59 pm

    Oh, how I love Boston! I was there in winter and loved the snow. I wish I would have tried the chowder (guilty vegetarian here), but I feel like it would be worth a cheat day 😋

    • Reply sileas September 15, 2016 at 1:50 pm

      I guess a cheat day, especially when you travel, is more than justified 😉

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