NEW YORK, NY.- In Boston, oft beset by slush and cynicism, summer brings a deep sigh of relief as hunched shoulders finally relax and beer gardens pop open like tulips. Mayor Michelle Wu, 39, in her first term and the first woman and person of color elected to lead the city, has brought an ambitious environmental agenda and new ways of looking at the urban landscape. The result is a destination steeped in history, as ever, with reinvented outdoor spaces for drinking, dining and recreating, and more change in the air. Waterfront redevelopment has spread farther and wider, spawning new harbor-adjacent art spaces and breweries, while a forward-looking focus on water transportation means more ferries and water taxis to get you where you’re going, while enjoying sparkling views and salty breezes.
ITINERARY
Friday
4 p.m. | Soak up music in the park
Kick off the weekend in the oldest city park in the United States, the Boston Common, where a new summer performance space run by Emerson College, UnCommon Stage, features free live music in a beer garden pouring classic drafts from the Boston mainstay Harpoon Brewery. When you’re ready for a stretch, amble over to “The Embrace” and debate the merits of the Common’s newest and most hotly debated public monument, a large, semiabstract bronze work paying tribute to the love between the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, in the city where they met. Then drop in across the street at Bakey, a fragrant pastry showcase with Danish Israeli roots, to stock up on chocolate, almond or raspberry babka ($6) for the morning (or a late-night snack).
6 p.m. | Find your groove
In the city’s Downtown Crossing shopping district, Temple Place has become a lively restaurant row of late, dense with clever concepts like the Wig Shop, a cocktail lounge tucked behind a storefront that remains a dead ringer for the wig shop it once was. Steps away, the new Temple Records is a tribute to the “listening bars” of 1950s Japan, with a custom sound system and an eclectic collection of vintage vinyl. Sip a pale green Off Minor cocktail (gin, Midori, basil, yuzu, absinthe, $16) and snack on addictive karaage fried chicken ($16) while trying to identify the album in rotation. Hidden a floor below, Sushi@Temple Records feels like a secret hideaway, a 22-seat wooden sushi bar serving tiny cups of sake and delicate cuts of sea urchin, eel, sea trout and caviar (plates from $7 to $25).
8 p.m. | Luxuriate in glamour
For a glimpse of sumptuous old-world Boston, reinvented for a modern audience, there is nothing quite like Yvonne’s, a bar and restaurant that occupies the former Locke-Ober, which endured for 137 years. The grandly appointed space retains its mysterious glamour, with whimsical touches like the portrait of Bill Murray, dressed in epaulets, that hangs above the fireplace in the library bar, and the Rubicon, a gin, chartreuse and rosemary cocktail ($16) that is briefly set aflame. This is a room to dress up for, to see and be seen in; just don’t forget to try the lobster ricotta dumplings in black truffle butter ($32) and the seared Halloumi with orange-blossom honey and crispy chickpeas ($16).
Saturday
9 a.m. | Head to Fenway Park
Whatever your level of baseball fandom, a pilgrimage to Fenway Park feels necessary in Boston, whether it’s to watch a Red Sox game or soak up the history of the sport’s oldest, smallest ballpark on a Fenway tour ($25). You’ll get plenty of New York Yankees trash talk in this hourlong expedition, plus colorful backstories on the Curse of the Bambino and the Green Monster, the towering outfield wall that boasts the oldest manual scoreboard in baseball. If sports aren’t your thing, opt for another neighborhood gem, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, in a Venetian-style palace. Afterward, stroll a half-mile down Brookline Avenue to the Time Out Market, a cavernous food hall stuffed with local favorites, including Cusser’s three-way roast beef sandwich (with BBQ sauce, mayo and cheese, $13) and butter pecan crullers ($5) from Union Square Donuts.
Noon | Amble through the past
Disneyland for history buffs lies on Beacon Hill, a short ride from Fenway on the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Green Line. Wander through the Granary Burying Ground, established in 1660, a shady oasis beside busy Tremont Street, to pay respects to Founding Fathers Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere, all of whom are buried here, along the city’s 2.5-mile-long Freedom Trail. Hike uphill past the Massachusetts State House to find the African Meeting House, the country’s oldest surviving Black church building, and the Museum of African American History ($15). Downhill on Charles Street, browse the unusual and beautiful jewelry at December Thieves, and explore Beacon Hill Books & Cafe, a Tasha Tudor illustration come to life with its steep staircases, reading nooks and fireplaces. Afternoon tea is served on Sundays ($65).
2 p.m. | Catch a ferry
No Boston neighborhood has seen more recent transformation than East Boston, or Eastie, long a home to new immigrants and Logan Airport, and now morphing into a trendy waterfront playground. Change has brought parking woes and identity angst, but also a complex vibrancy. A seasonal ferry ($5 round trip) runs every 30 minutes from Long Wharf, near the New England Aquarium, across Boston Harbor to East Boston, or take the MBTA Blue Line to Maverick station. Stop by Carmella’s Market, an authentic Italian corner store, for oversize meatball or chicken cutlet subs ($10 to $13) and picnic in Piers Park for the stunning skyline views across the harbor.
3:30 p.m. | Absorb some art
Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, in the Seaport neighborhood, runs a summer outpost in East Boston called the Watershed (free admission), in a former pipe factory. (A water taxi links the two sites.) An exhibition by British artist Hew Locke, “The Procession,” through Sept. 2, explores memory and identity in an installation of 140 life-size sculptures of masked figures. For postshow contemplation, Downeast Cider House Taproom is steps away, offering four-flavor flights ($15). Or, if the wait there is too long, walk 15 minutes to Tea by the Sea, a spacious waterfront cafe with loungy leather couches, jewel-toned velvet footrests and an extensive menu of bubble teas, smoothies and revelatory delights, including mango coconut milk slush (drinks $5 to $10).
6 p.m. | Party aboard a tall ship
For sunset views and lawn party energy, there is Tall Ship, a floating oyster bar moored at East Boston’s Pier One. A lively seasonal venue favored by a youthful crowd, with cornhole, live music and a water shuttle ($4) to other harborfront hot spots, this is not the East Boston of old. But that neighborhood is still here, too. For dinner, try one of its gems: Rincon Limeno, in Day Square, serves Peruvian food in a friendly, unpretentious atmosphere. The ceviche is beloved by locals, but seafood-averse diners will find their own favorites, like the hearty Tacu Tacu ($25), a heaping plate of fried rice-and-bean cake, topped with steak or chicken, perfectly spiced and smothered in sauce. Sip a silky pisco sour on the back patio before catching the train back to your hotel.
Sunday
9 a.m. | Bike beside the bay
Begin at Columbia Point in the Dorchester neighborhood, where the soaring white profile of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum rises above the blue backdrop of Dorchester Bay. Rent bicycles from the BLUEBikes station in front of the Campus Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston ($10 per day; check bikes before you go to make sure they’re working). Slip behind the JFK library to pick up the Boston Harborwalk, a near-continuous, 43-mile “linear park” that traces the city’s waterfront. Pedal along, listening to the waves, the gulls and the planes descending toward Logan Airport; stop to hunt for shells or shards of sea glass at beaches along the trail.
11 a.m. | Indulge in a ritual
A ride of about 4 miles takes you to Castle Island, in South Boston, another peninsula with walking trails, beaches and a rich military history; free tours of Fort Independence, which dates to the 1600s, are offered on weekends. No Castle Island idyll is complete without a stop for sweet and salty sustenance at Sullivan’s, a beloved Southie landmark serving burgers, hot dogs, lobster rolls and ice cream since 1951. A public front porch for the city’s summer nights, the scene is equal parts chaotic and laid-back: children shrieking; dogs chasing balls; planes preparing for landing just above your head. Keep one eye on the sly Southie sea gulls, who will divebomb your french fries ($3.75) when you least expect it.
Noon | Toast a landmark
Beer arrived on the Mayflower, and helped to fuel the American Revolution, so it’s no surprise to find a bevy of neighborhood breweries in Boston. Drop your bikes at the BLUEBikes station on Day Boulevard and catch an Uber to Dorchester Brewing, with its sunny outdoor deck, Skee-Ball and in-house Museum of Bad Art. Don’t resist the juicy brisket sandwich ($15) from the M&M BBQ counter inside the taproom. (Ask for a fork.) More exotic fare, including jerk jackfruit sliders ($13), is a short walk away at Comfort Kitchen, a Black-owned cafe acclaimed for its globally inspired menu.
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KEY STOPS
Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox, offers daily tours full of colorful history.
Yvonne’s serves elegant food and unusual cocktails in a dazzling reinvented space.
The Boston Harborwalk, a “linear park,” traces Boston’s waterfront.
The ICA Watershed, a seasonal satellite of Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, brings free exhibitions to harborside East Boston every summer.
WHERE TO EAT
Bakey is a bakery with Danish Israeli roots, across the street from Boston Common.
Temple Records pays tribute to Japanese listening bars and serves sushi downstairs.
Time Out Market Boston, a food hall near Fenway Park, showcases a range of Boston favorites.
Carmella’s Market is an old-school Italian market in East Boston for giant takeout subs.
Downeast Cider House offers four-flavor flights of cider in its tap room near the waterfront.
Tea by the Sea is a spacious harborside cafe offering bubble tea and smoothies.
The Tall Ship is a floating oyster bar with sunset views in East Boston.
Rincon Limeno, a neighborhood favorite, has a friendly vibe and authentic Peruvian food.
Sullivan’s is a summer institution for hot dogs, lobster rolls and ice cream in South Boston.
Dorchester Brewing has a rooftop deck and tasty smoked meats from M&M BBQ.
Comfort Kitchen in the Dorchester neighborhood has won accolades for its global comfort food.
WHERE TO STAY
Yacht Haven Inn & Marina, on Commercial Wharf in the historic North End, has 10 spacious rooms, some with private decks overlooking the water. Rooms start at around $500.
The Verb Hotel, next door to Fenway Park, has won a faithful following for its funky take on hospitality, with turntables in every room and a lending library of 1,700 records in the lobby. Rooms start at around $300.
citizenM, a no-frills budget option, is close to historic attractions and the Italian restaurants of the North End. Rooms start at around $200.
This article originally appeared in
The New York Times.
