Boston Holidays

Today, Boston is a centre of learning with major universities including Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They're just two of the famed institutions that draw students in from all over the world. It's a centre for financial services and it's a leading centre for making inner city rejuvenation projects work.

Holidays to Boston, USA are easy - there are many flights to Boston from all over Europe and the airport is close to the city. Just look up Boston flights on Holiday Supermarket and you're away.

For the visitor there's plenty to see. Because of its size and importance there are many major public institutions like libraries, galleries and museums. Old Boston is fascinating place to walk around and the many parks and municipal gardens are a delight. Getting around is easy on the excellent transit system called the 'T'.

You have to see places like the John F Kennedy Presidential Museum. You shouldn't miss tours like the Freedom Trail and the many Cathedrals in Boston are testament to Boston's Irish Catholic roots.

It's also home to one of the largest craft beer breweries in the States - the Samuel Adams Brewery. Chic shopping streets are easy to find, and hard to leave. The city art gallery holds one of the best collections in the States and the food, especially the crab joints that you'll find all over the place, make dining a genuinely fun experience - think pitchers of beer and a plate full of crab (fried, steamed, grilled, chowder).

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The budget options - head downtown for good grub, like that at The Paramount. Mostly a sandwich place, but light meals too, and breakfast is to die for. It's at 44 Charles Street, Beacon Hill. No Name Restaurant is at 15 1/2 Fish Pier on the waterfront and serves up seafood in a bustling old warehouse. Good stuff, but you may have to queue.

Mid price options - if you fancy tasty crab and lobster without the upscale price head for The Barking Crab at 88 Sleeper Street, Harbourside in the Financial District. Crab, lobster and clams in a variety of renditions for $20 and up. Plus a selection of micro brewed beers. Yum and double yum.

Splurge - no fear of getting away cheap in Boston. Possibly the best restaurant in town is O Ya at 9 East St in the Leather district. The place oozes charm and exquisite flavours as the Japanese eatery does its stuff for the lunch a dinner crowd. It tends towards a dozen small courses (degustation) style eating, which just enhances the whole experience as you get to try many of the dishes.

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Summer averages about 20-24C while winter goes to zero. Winter is rain and snow given the city's latitude and proximity to the Atlantic coast.

Spring and autumn are nice with longer days, less rain and warm (ish) temps. The downside of a stiff Atlantic breeze though during most seasons, though, is that temps can be dramatically lower than just a few miles inland.

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Fenway Park - if there's a national sport it's Baseball, and Fenway Park is home to one of the famed teams in the league, the Boston Red Sox. If you're here when there’s a home game, do check it out. The stadium is impressive and the game is thoroughly exciting, especially if the Sox are going off because the crowd goes wild. Book online before you come though - tix are hard on the day.

Hop On Hop Off - if you want to see the city from the comfort of a trolley car, climb aboard the Boston Hop on Hop off Trolley tour. It does a circuit of most of the main attractions, or you just stay on board and get a good look-see at the city.

Old City Hall - America does its grand public buildings very well. Marbled, monolithic monuments to money and power. Boston's old city hall is now office space but it's a marvellous piece of architecture with a fascinating history of 'firsts'. It was the site of the first public school in the Americas and educated Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson among others.

Museum of Fine Arts - this is Boston's oldest and largest public art institution, and therefore one of America's. Noted for its outstanding collection of Impressionists, the Asian collection and the Egyptian collections are equally impressive.

JFK Presidential Museum and Library - America's most famous president was a Boston boy and the museum is an eloquent tribute to his achievements and American history at a point in time which saw the Cuban missile crisis develop and Cuba invaded in the Bay of Pigs. Tumultuous times that put today into perspective. (We really were just days away from someone pushing the button on nuclear holocaust.) It's a striking building and full of excellent exhibits and memorabilia.

Freedom Trail - this tour is all about the American Revolution and traces some of the more famous sights and scenes of great import. The sights aren't far apart and it's a comfortable walk around highlights like Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, The North End, Paul Revere's House, USS Constitution and more. It's a great way to see plenty of Boston in a short time.

The must see - North End is a district of old Boston with historic homes and an eclectic collection of restaurants and boutiques, It's a wonderful place to just roam at will; window shopping, cruising the cafes and watching Bostonians at work and play.

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