This past July, I had the opportunity to travel to Boston with my dad during one of his work trips, where he was scheduled to speak at a conference. Having never visited the city before, I was eager to tag along—not only to explore a new place, but also to enjoy a much-needed break from my job designing kitchens at Lowe’s. It was the perfect chance to mix a bit of adventure with some well-deserved downtime.

Day 1: “I think I’ll go to Boston”

I spent the Tuesday night over with mum and Dad prior to the trip given that we had a very early flight on Wednesday morning. Luckily for us the new terminal in the AVL(Asheville) airport had just opened and was looking fantastic. The flight itself left much to be desired, but we were seated next to a native Bostonian who kindly recommended a lovely pizza place in little Italy (Ernesto’s).

Day 1: Hotel & Seaport

Given that the first day spent in Boston was after the flight up, the day was half productive in the sense of walking around and seeing the sights. Dad had a work event to go to shortly after our arrival at the airport, which left me up to my own devices for the rest of the afternoon. This time I spent a little resting at the airport and the rest walking to & around Seaport. Seaport is a newly developing tourism & financial district that used to be part of the industrial district. It was truly interesting to see a prosperous tourism center on one side of the street, and high rise apartments being constructed near the water. I expect that in a year or two Seaport will be a prime holiday location given the surrounding amenities and the walkability of the area with its proximity to downtown Boston. We wrapped up the day with a rare treat at the hotel resturant, a Brazilian steakhouse that served New Zealand Lamb that was cooked to perfection.

Day 2: My Castle for a rain coat

Unfortunately for me the day I had planned to go, and sight see around Harvard & MIT it decided to rain for the bulk of the day (this after 3+ weeks of no rain in Boston). As such I took the day to unwind and properly relax, as I figured walking around and public transportation would make for a miserable day. Unfortunately for me, the pool in the hotel was closed for maintenance. I was able to plan out the rest of my itinerary for the last two days.

Day 3: The Start of a fully planned Day

Friday was definitely the day where I went, did and saw the most, as well as the day I had the foresight to bring the camera along. I began the day with a walk along through Seaport, stopping briefly at a local place called Stubby’s for breakfast. There were a few museums/ art galleries along the way that I considered stopping at to look through Ultimately I had decided on the WNDR Museum. I did stop and take some pictures of the Skyline and the ships at the Tea Party Museum before I crossed the river.

Day 3: Downtown Boston

Once across the bridge I was in downtown Boston, dwarfed by towering buildings of new and old. I did feel a bit touristy taking some pictures of the various streets and buildings but given that I was on vacation I figured I was allowed to be a bit silly. The Streets in proper downtown were new and modern, with plenty of entrances/exits to the subway system. Once I made it to the Macy’s I ran into a surprise encounter where they had closed off one of the streets to have a farmers’ market esq event with crafts from local small businesses.

Day 3: The WNDR Museum

After getting turned around a bit I was able to make my way into the WNDR Museum. The reason I ended up picking this particular museum instead of the many others & art galleries was largely due to the form. My background is primarily digital focused (videography, graphic design) and the idea of a interactive museum sounded perfect for me. The museum is very family friendly, and really good for all ages given the people I saw there. I would definitely recommend going there with other people though, as I feel like my personal experience would have been better if there was someone to marvel and “WNDR” with me at the exhibits. I ended up taking more videos than pictures for in the museum, and as such I will make another post in the coming days to go over the museum in depth. My favorite exhibits by far were the visual/digital exhibits, but I was able to do something romantic at the museum.

Day 3: Boston Commons

Once I was done touring the museum I headed across a block to get to the Boston Commons. There were plenty of carts around selling frozen lemonade for people’s refreshment, and there were several tours of people getting the guided tours to fully learn the history. I mostly took my time there to enjoy the wind, the sun, and the ever-pleasant feeling of not having to rush around anywhere.

Day 3: Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros

After the commons I ran some errands and headed back to the hotel to rendezvous with dad. Following a short break we made our way to Fenway Park for my first Major League Baseball game. We were delayed a bit due to having to store my backpack and only take in the camera bag. Fun Fact, the Seating in Fenway Park have never been updated! (It was a tight squeeze)

The Atmosphere was fantastic, and I was able to take lots of pictures. It was a relatively low scoring game, with the Astros getting a home run in the top of the 2nd Inning. There were no more runs for the next 5 innings, but there were a lot of foul balls being hit into the stands, and players themselves getting hit. The Red Sox’s finally got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the 7th. Shortly after this was the longstanding tradition of “Sweet Caroline” which is typically played at the start of the 8th inning. More images and video’s will be shared in a post I do just on the game, But here are a few that I liked for the game.

Day 4: A very full last day

Saturday was our last day in Boston, and we made the most of it. Our first destination was an F1 Arcade that Dad really wanted to go to. We both had a blast (despite racing games being not my strong suit) with Dad winning the last match in the final lap.

After we were finished at the races we made our way over to Little Italy for a local recommended Authentic Pizza Place, Ernesto’s. Given that this was our brunch, we were both quite hungry and ended up ordering a pie to split. We were lucky enough to grab a “window” seat. I certainly recommend you visit them if your itinerary allows it.

Once finished at Ernesto’s we walked over to where the USS Constitution & The USS Cassin Young were moored (a pleasant 20-30 min walk). Once through security we had a quick look at the museum before heading into the USS Constitution. It was fascinating to see a piece of floating history almost as old as the country but figured out quickly that I wouldn’t have had a pleasant time as a sailor on the ship.

Final Thoughts:

Boston was a blast, and there was so much I didn’t get the chance to see in the time that was available, Dad and I both agreed that a return trip was added to our bucket list. Good food, authentic people, and a city full of history and vibrant life.

Peter’s Recommendation: Pick a section (or two) of the city to spend the day in that has points of interest, the city is very walkable, and it would be a shame to miss out on that simply traveling to and from all of the major locations you want to visit.

Travel Tips: Have an itinerary plan for a rainy-day scenario, to go and do/see something that will keep you out of the elements in case the weather does turn sour. Bringing a light raincoat would be advisable but planning ahead for things to do will save you a lot of “activity” time on the day to do things.