I wanna Be in BeanTown

My best friend from college is a Boston native, my dad lived here for a few years in my teens, and I’ve had friends and family here most of my life. Aside from being home to some of my favorite people, there are plenty of reasons I try to visit every year. Who could resist New England charm, an abundance of historical activities, more museums than most anywhere else in America, and natural beauty beyond compare? I made arrangements to come stay with Andrea for almost three weeks so we could do some quintessential New England fall fun activities. We both worked all week and hit the road on weekends, but I still managed a little fun in Beantown. I grabbed some favorites from past trips to help you plan yours too :)

Andrea was my art adventure buddy for the great European Excursion. She loves Monet and Van GOgh every bit as much as I do. I had planned to join her for the massive MFA 150th Birthday Monet & Boston exhibit last summer, but missed it in the lockdown. They extended the exhibit but reduced the amount of paintings from the permanent collection on display, and I was able to just make it when I arrived. The MFA has an amazing collection, and even if Impressionists don’t bring you the same joy that they bring me, they have an incredibly diverse collection and it’s a wonderful way to spend a few hours wandering.

I didn’t make it there this trip, but my absolute favorite museum in Boston is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. We watched the interesting (but entirely too drawn out) documentary , “This is a Robbery,” about the most expensive art theft in history there, and I’m told this podcast is even better. Thirty years later, the crime still hasn’t been solved and the empty frames remain on the walls. Modeled after a 15th century Venetian palace and filled with a feisty female’s private collection of art and antiquities, it is serious #spoiledspinster goals. Its been several years since my visit, but the house and garden haunt my dreams.

Speaking of gardens… I’m a sucker for the Boston Common, those public gardens have been a favorite spot of mine since I started visiting as a little girl. I’m so grateful that Andrea always humors me with a quick visit.The swan boats, the Make Way for Duckling statues, and even a little field trip across the street to Cheers are tourist musts. If you can swing it, a trip to Fenway and a duck boat tour should also make your list. A stroll down Newbury is shopping paradise, and the Prudential Center is a pretty impressive workout for your wallet too.

I’m not a huge tea drinker, but Andrea and I really enjoy the ritual of high tea. It’s fun to put on a dress, sip something sassy, and oh and ahh over a beautiful room and fanciful food. High Tea at the Ritz is iconic, but so is the Library Tea. The Boston Public Library is STUNNING, and their Map Room and Tea Lounge are just as lovely. Every single thing they served us on the seasonal menu was delicious, and I would gladly go back to keep sampling their literary inspired cocktails. They reminded me a lot of the ones I had at The Library Bar in Fairbanks. I could have stared at the architecture and dreamy details for days.

Speaking of architecture, the townhomes and mansions of Beacon Hill and Brookline are divine. Seriously, you can’t walk a block without passing something historical, beautiful, or both. I love to just walk and window shop this remarkable real estate. While walking down Commonwealth Avenue Mall to Fenway Park one evening, we stumbled upon the only surviving Louis Comfort Tiffany exterior at The Ayer Mansion. I’m dying to get in for a tour there, because pressing our faces to the glass and admiring the art glass within was the kind of enticing tease that keeps me checking the schedule for an elusive tour date year after year.

It’s been many (many) years since I did the historic Freedom Trail and the Paul Revere House. I was shocked by how young my siblings look in these photos from a family reunion trip (way back in 2009!) I was always a fan of Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall, and used to insist on going every time I came to town. While the Mayflower II (replica and museum) is quite cool, Plymouth Rock is unbelievably underwhelming, so please manage expectations accordingly. Approach the grand monument protecting what probably should have been called the Plymouth Pebble with the understanding that this is the size rock you might find impressive in corn country not Colorado, then your reaction might be marginally less depressing than the ones of dismay you hear as people take it in for the first time.

For girl that cares as little about sports as I do, I am always up for a visit to Fenway Park. My heart smiles whenever I see the CITGO sign and the Green Monster. I went to a game as a kid and again for a friend’s birthday after college, and I was giddy and gleeful the entire time. I may not know much about baseball, but I know it is an incredibly special experience to be in America’s oldest ballpark. While the rest of America hates on the Patriots, without question, my absolute favorite thing to do in Boston is head to Gillette Stadium. Granted it’s for a Kenny Chesney concert not a football game.I don’t think it’s officially summer unless I make it to a Kenny show, and I don’t consider Labor Day the official end. The summer season must begin and end with Kenny, and catching the last show of the tour in Foxborough is the sweetest summer end. There is magic in the air at that final show. It’s hard to tell who enjoys it more, Kenny or the crowd. Whenever I felt the mystique of music waning, this concert always perked me right back up.