After a year of staying in New York and taking only 3 days off to spend with my family, I finally decided to venture outside the island of Manhattan. When I moved to NYC, I thought I would be shooting off to the Hamptons, to Boston and other surrounding destinations at the drop of a hat. Little did I know that I would spend most of my weekends living my best life in bed. So, when Thanksgiving came around, it gave me the opportunity to make the most of the four-day weekend, something that only comes around once a year if you live in the US.
After spending a beautiful home-cooked (not really, but it was a pretty decent delivery) Thanksgiving dinner with the Irish crew in NYC, I set off on a mini Massachusetts excursion.
Where I Stayed
I booked The Langham Hotel, one of the swankiest in town. As you can imagine, I was pretty pleased with myself. I actually got a really good deal on Hotels.com, but don’t forget taxes when you consider the fee per night.
It was money well spent but still on the expensive side. At The Langham, they had a 24/7 gym with a pool so after watching TV for an hour each morning from the comfort of my own bed, I headed to the gym which I had to myself. IN.MY.ELEMENT.
How I Got There
New York is about a four-hour drive to Boston so pretty doable. When my Dad moved to the USA from Carlow at 18 years of age, he always told us stories about getting the Greyhound Bus across The States. As a kid, I was enamored by the idea of traveling across the US on a Greyhound Bus. So I decided to replicate old tradition and do what my father did in 1978.
I left Port Authority Bus Terminal at 10 AM and was in Boston for lunchtime. I booked the tickets online and all-in (including taxes and fees) was around $100. That said, I booked a late ticket and it was also express so a little more expensive. Nonetheless, I still recommend this mode of transport.
The bus stop in South Station leaves you very close to Boston center. I was about a seven-minute walk from my hotel and everything else is within reach of a small Uber trip.
Going to Harvard
I jumped on the Red Line train, which is the Boston version of the Subway. It was super easy and just $2.75 for a one-way trip. To get to Harvard, get the train headed to Alewife station and just get off at the stop called Harvard. Simple!
Obviously, you can do tours around the campus, but I just walked it alone. There were no scheduled tours because of the Holidays but you can check in online and plan your visit here. It definitely lived up to expectations and the autumnal weather made it extremely picturesque. The day couldn’t have been more perfect.
Boston Common
On my last day, I was leaving on the 2.30PM Express Bus to NYC. So I didn’t have much time to play around with after I spent time enjoying the white fluffy bed and my “private” gym time.
I managed to squeeze in a blog shoot with Candace Andrews which meant I also got to explore Boston Common too.
After taking to Instagram stories to ask for some recommendations on what to do, you guys shared so many cool things I would have needed a week! I wanted to be sure to include them for future trips
Things to Do:
- Faneuil Hall: Faneuil is like a collection of market buildings, filled to the brim of stores, crafters, and restaurants.
- The Freedom Trail: The best way to accomplish as many sights as possible in any city is to do it by foot. The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile, red-lined route that leads you to 16 historically significant sites throughout Boston City.
- Charlestown: Charlestown is one of the oldest parts of Boston
- JFK Museum: A memoir of John F.Kennedy and those who followed him.
- The Mapparium: A 3-story stained-glass globe illuminated by hundreds of lights. The Mapparium displays a world map, reflective to the world in 1935.
- The Prudential Centre: Think of it as a big shopping mall with restaurants and upscale department stores. The unique aspect of the Prudential Center is that it has the Skywalk Observatory, Boston’s only sky-high vantage point for sweeping 360-degree views of Greater Boston and beyond.
Restaurant Recommendations:
