This was my first ever trip to Boston. It kind of happened by accident or rather under a weird circumstance. I had never considered visiting Boston in my life because I never knew what it had to offer except Harvard University and Fenway Park (both in which I didn't visit). I was going to follow my boss there to keep her company while she attended a conference. Soon after booking our flights, the conference was cancelled and she had to back out while I was left with a non-refundable ticket to Boston. Now what? I decided to make a trip of it.
I had nonchalantly asked a friend of mine to join me and she actually accepted! I was thrilled. The lonesome trip to Beantown was now an adventure for 2!
We ended up staying in a hostel called HI Boston, right in the heart of Chinatown and Boston's Theatre District. This had been my first experience in a hostel and I was more than pleased with how it turned out! I was definitely weary about staying in a hostel because I'm not too crazy about sharing a room with multiple strangers. Thankfully the hostel offers private rooms for 2 people and that's what we went with. The facilities were immaculate and you could tell it was perfectly catered towards young people. A more enjoyable and comfortable experience than a hotel in terms of friendliness, services offered and overall look.
Our first day there, we made our way out around the neighborhood to explore what was near by. We were pleased to see how close we were to the Boston Common and the Public Garden. Absolutely gorgeous!
Our second day consisted of Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, comic book stores, the New England Aquarium, and dining at America's Oldest restaurant, the Union Oyster House and the infamous Cheers bar. (Nope, no one knew our names)
The third day we tried to take it as easy as possible because we had worn out our legs already from the previous day and a half, despite trying to use the 'T' as much as possible. It got progressively hot and humid each day we were there, but thankfully being close to the ocean, it helped cool us down every now and then. As soon as we woke up and had our breakfast, we headed towards the harbor to take a ferry to Spectacle Island! It's a fairly barren island with a 5 mile hiking trail and a tiny beach. We didn't do too much walking because it was terribly hot and barely any shade.
After making it back towards the mainland, we headed towards Mary Baker Eddy library to visit the breathtaking Mapparium, in which we were not allowed to photograph. But seriously google it and you will be amazed! It's a 3-storey high, stained glass globe with the map of the world from 1935, which means a lot of countries or certain provinces from different countries, did not exist! Although we were not allowed to photograph this work of art, I am making up for it by sharing some architecture from around the area.
The rest of that evening consisted of shopping, walking past the State House—to which we witnessed a Palestinian x Isreali protest of all things—Beacon Hill, stumbling upon a hidden gem of a nice restaurant for dinner, and ending the night off by walking along the Charles River Esplanade for a nightly gaze at the skyline.
Come our final day, we decided to stay close to the hostel by walking around Chinatown, again because of the heat and also because we had to make sure we left for the airport on time.
Thankfully we did make it in time and didn't have to wait long. Unfortunately I spent most of my time being so preoccupied that I only ended up shopping for me. I was one of those people who bought souvenirs for everyone in the airport (shame!). Also, the fact that I'm not from the US, means having left over USD is not useful, so I did my best to spend it on little gifts for people.
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN SEEING ALL OF MY PHOTOS FROM BOSTON, CLICK HERE!!
In all, I was amazed by Boston! It definitely surprised me with its beauty and architecture. The city is also very pro-green, which I love! I can definitely attest that Buffalo, NY (my usual US shopping destination) is not the same. I don't know how many people would consider it to be a destination spot or not, but you should definitely have it on your must-see list if you're hitting up New England.
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