Humor Travel Life
At this point in my life, I can say I’ve been to my fair share of major U.S. – from New York and LA to New Orleans, Chicago, Miami, and more – they all have their unique charms. But I hadn’t yet found that city that I felt could also be a fantastic place to live. Enter: Boston.
Boston was actually on the list of places I wanted to see back in 2018 when I was living in New York. I had made it to Philadelphia and Washington D.C. but never had the time to get to Boston. However, Boston was still on my bucket list and after living in LA again, I was craving true autumn weather, so I figured seeing Boston in October would be a great idea. Of course, you can’t really go Boston in October without also seeing Salem, which is about a 40-minute train ride north. So my plan was to do a long weekend, with half my time exploring Boston and the other half in Salem. To help save some money on lodging, I stayed at the HI Hostel in Chinatown, a centrally located spot with easy access to the subway and walking distance to other parts of town. After arriving Thursday night, my plan was to see Boston all day Friday, go up to Salem Saturday, and back home Sunday. As far as weather goes, I don’t think I could have picked a better weekend to be there. It was in the 60s and sunny, which made the city sparkle even more. I started my Boston adventure early in the morning by walking over to Boston Common, a well-known park in the city. Even as early at 8:00 a.m., the city was buzzing. I watched as local Bostonians brought their dogs to the off leash area of Boston Common, with the dogs surprisingly oblivious to the squirrels running around nearby. As someone who has a dog who loves to chase squirrels, I kept thinking how she’d go nuts at the sight of so them. Right by Boston Common, you’ll find Beacon Hill, a historic neighborhood filled with gorgeous brownstone buildings and gas lamp street lights. I slowly began to image a dream life with my husband where we lived in one of those brownstones and on weekend mornings we'd take our dog to go get coffee and play in the park nearby. Ahh, the life! I soon snapped back to reality as I made my way to the Freedom Trail. This is a route in the city where you can see different historical buildings. I recommend starting at the visitor center in Boston Common since they also have a bathroom there you can use for free. Along the Freedom Trail, I saw the Massachusetts State House, the cemetery were John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Samuel Adam are buried, and the Old State House. Eventually the Freedom Trail took me across the bridge to Charlestown, another beautiful neighborhood with picturesque homes similar to Beacon Hill but these were more vibrant in color. Charlestown was also where the Freedom Trail concluded at the Bunker Hill Monument just outside the residential area. The Bunker Hill Monument actually looks identical to the Washington Monument. Fun fact: you can walk up to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument for free, but there’s no elevator so make sure you’ve got the stamina for it. At nearly 300 steps high, it was definitely a work out. And here I thought all those LA hikes had me in shape for stuff like this… I do recommend going to the top if you can because you get great views of the city and harbor. Inside, it feels reminiscent of climbing to the top of an old castle or church in Europe. This is also a good spot to go the bathroom; their museum is across the street, and you can walk in to use the bathroom if you need to. I then walked back over the bridge to Boston’s North End neighborhood, which is also known for their Italian restaurants. The North End was also where I saw the Paul Revere House. It was $6 cash to get in, but they have a $10 minimum for credit card purchases. So if you just go by yourself, make sure to bring cash. I didn’t even up going in since I didn’t have cash on me, but I enjoyed seeing the outside of the house at least. From there, I walked to the USS Constitution, a recommendation from my cousin, Lena. It’s an old ship from the Revolutionary War era and is free to visit. They even had present-day military members on the ship. I then took the subway to Harvard Square. I loved how easy the subway was to navigate in Boston. Plus, it's clean and you don’t have to pay again if you change lines. Harvard Square encompasses Harvard University but also the surrounding dining and shopping in the area. Harvard is the oldest university in the U.S., and the campus is certainly very pretty. After experiencing some slight intimidation at being surrounded by all the academics, I took the subway to Newbury Street, a popular shopping area in Boston. While I can appreciate a good shopping trip, I only brought a backpack, so the only thing I bought there was dinner. I don’t know if I’ll actually get the chance to live in Boston, but whatever they’re doing there seems to be working well because it’s a really great place. It was walkable, felt safe, and was kept really clean. But perhaps what made it even more appealing was going there in the October. This Angeleno got to experience a true New England fall, and it did not disappoint. Comments are closed.
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About the author
Jill Zwarensteyn is a writer and comedian who has been featured on Amazon, truTV, The New York Times, Matador Network, BUST Magazine, Sleep Advisor, Tiplr, ARTRPRNR Magazine, YourTango, Thought Catalog, GoMad Nomad, Mashable, The Daily Mail UK, the Cannes Film Festival, LaughFest, Women's Lifestyle Magazine, and the Funny Women Festival LA. Archives
December 2024
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