Boston: A Journey Through History, Culture, and Charm
When you land for the first time in the USA, you are met with two polarising contrasts, something I wasn’t prepared for. The first thing I noticed after landing at the Boston airport was how sterile everything looked. The general area and washrooms were devoid of any soul and structures made from steel gave a bleak, cold aura of an isolation centre. This being my first time in the country, I thought to myself “well, this is what I expected USA to be”. After the necessary immigration checks, I headed to get a taxi and started towards the heart of the city, that was to be my home for the next few weeks. In an unexpected and pleasant surprise, as soon as we left the outskirts, everything around changed. Through the rain drenched car window, hazy silhouettes of turrets and old charming stone buildings started to emerge. I thought to myself “well, this is not what I expected USA to be!”
Though on a work trip, I was determined to make the most of my time in Boston. After checking into the hotel, I started walking towards the central business district to locate the offices, so that I could gauge the distance for my daily commute. As I walked part the typical American fixtures of 7/11s, Macy’s, McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, the streets were interspersed with buildings in the Georgian, Greek Revival, Victorian, Art Deco, Gothic Revival, and Brutalist styles. The vast expanse of the Boston Commons seemed just at home amongst these old buildings and newer establishments.
The city is filled with history, arts, culture, and nature and there is something for everyone here. There are many things worth indulging in the city, even on a short visit. Here are a few of my favourites.
The Brattle Bookshop and the First Phone Call
In an alleyway, across from my hotel, this place was a delight to be found. It is a cozy bookstore with an abundance of titles to browse through. However, the most charming nook is its open-air display of old books right next to the shop. Lining the two opposite walls outside along with racks stacked in the middle in a neat display, there were books for any and all interests for as less as $5. Silently walking through these corridors of words can make you forget that you are right in the middle of the city.
In the street adjacent to this, look for a plank that tells the exact location of the very first phone call made by Alexander Graham Bell to Thomas Augustus Watson. All along the city there are tiny wooden huts that host “Little Free Library” where you can take a book in return for leaving a book. Another gem of a shop is the Svlgrave Newsstand.
Faneuil Hill Marketplace and Union Oyster House
This open market is a combination of flea market like stalls and brick and mortar stores selling a variety of knick-knacks along the neatly paved walkways. One of my favourite stores here was Christmas in Boston which had on display every type of holiday decoration. Baubles, Christmas trees, Halloween pumpkins, scary dolls, snow themes chandeliers, and almost real looking decorative food – you name it and they had it. I felt like such a child inside this store!
For lunch, I walked over to the much-famed Union Oyster House. Still retaining its cozy charm, this place has wooden interiors from the time that it was built in the early 1700s. Walking up a narrow flight of wooden stairs, flanked by union memorabilia and photographs, the landing emerges on the 1st level of the restaurant. I am led by the hostess through a couple of more stairs to a mezzanine floor seating. The room with its oval ceiling is etched in floral motifs. The lower walls have a dark wood panelling while the upper walls have a green and white striped wallpaper with a few historic photographs hung above eye level. If I was here, it was only for the Clam Chowder and Lobster Roll, both of which lived up to their name.
The New England Holocaust Memorial
Nearby Faneuil Hill stands 6 tall, narrow, square glass towers as a memorial to the holocaust. At the entrance of the memorials stands a stone laying out the timeline of events. The sides of the pathway are etched with some selected facts about the holocaust. At the base of each tower, the names of all concentration camps are etched into the floor. Walking under these glass towers is a sobering experience. The towers are etched with tattooed numbers of all the people who lost their lives. Looking at all those numbers, it starkly hits me how many lives were lost and the scale of inhumanity that occurred within the gates of those camps.
Boston Commons and Acorn Street
Undisputedly the green lungs of the city, the park is a delightful place with ornate bridges, rolling green slopes, red squirrels running across from trees to pathways and beautiful swans lazily gliding in its pristine lakes. In the quiet hours of the morning, this place almost seemed meditative and a little nook of tranquillity surrounded by the bustling central business district.
At a short 10 minutes’ walk across the park is Acorn Street, named as The Most Beautiful Street in America. With its quaint cobbled street, stone houses, walls draped in flowing greens, and flower pots adorning the windows, it is easy to see why it is called so.
Trinity Church and Charles River Esplanade
Right next to my workplace, the Trinity Church juxtaposes with the glass facades of the corporate buildings, still managing to fit in with the growing urbanism around it. When I visited, there was a service in progress, so I walked around the outer verandas with thick pillars supporting a conical roof. The air was cooler as it swished through the structure. After the service was over, I walked into a dimly lit church with rows of pews that opened up into a wide semi-circular altar. The inside of the church was lit with natural light filtering through the gorgeous stained-glass windows all around the upper walls, depicting stories from the Bible. A big golden cross sat the middle of the altar with the only source of artificial light focused on it. The clergyman walked over to me and handed me a pamphlet that detailed the upcoming events.
After spending some time here, I walked outside towards the park. People were gathered around a series of wall mounted fountain. I walked around it and came across a pink stone slab that was dedicated to Khalil Gibran, who had spent his time here in the city.
Across the park, I headed toward the Charles River Esplanade. It is a beautiful walkway along the river where runners on their daily run whooshed past, families gathered on grass making picnic, ducks walking about in groups, and kayakers lazily rowing in the still waters.
Whale Watching Cruise
This was something that I had planned for even before landing in the city. Through the New England Aquarium the tickets of this cruise need to be pre booked. The entire tour out to the ocean and back can take approximately 4 hours. The ship that would take us out to the sea was already moored at the wharf. A small café occupied the covered middle area of the ship. Outside, along the railings were benches for visitors. As we set sail, the wind picked up and the city line with its tall buildings, started receding. In about 20 minutes, there was only water as far as the eyes could see. We were headed towards the warm North Atlantic waters where the whales migrate to for the summer. An hour after sailing, the ship was brought to a standstill while the naturalists informed us about the safety guidelines and general facts about the whales.
We all sat in silence, our eyes trained on the wobbly waters to spot any sign of movement. Out in the distance, a small fountain-like structure formed along with a tiny rainbow and a big black humpback whale breached, collapsing in on the water with its tailfin the last to disappear back into the blue ocean. A collective gasp was heard on the deck followed with squeals of excitement from children and adults alike. It was one of the most magnificent creatures I had seen. Quickly in succession after that 9-10 more whales breached the waters, some very close to our ship. I tried taking some pictures, but realised that the distance will not give clarity with the lens I had, so I shut my equipment and sat down on the bench to just revel in the experience of the moment.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
A short subway ride towards Harvard University, I headed for this unique museum that used to be the residence of Isabella Stewart Gardner. This has now has been converted to a permanent museum display according to her last will. The central atrium is reminiscent of the Roman gardens, with neatly paved pathways, stone seats, and a fountain at the end which holds up a flight of stairs on both sides to the upper levels. The various rooms contain not only artwork from renowned artists from Asia, Europe, and Americas, but also installations of antique furniture, tapestries, pianos, textiles, and artefacts.
The museum is famous for the 1990 theft that saw some of the most priceless paintings being lost, which are not yet found. In the honour of the stolen artwork, empty frames still hang in their places. Among the most iconic paintings now lost are The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, by Rembrandt – his only known seascape – and The Concert by Johannes Vermeer.
The museum is also home to the only self portrait of Rembrandt and Europa by Titian. Every room is carefully curated and the ceilings painted in oil panels. One of the ceilings features The Coronation of Hebe. The place is teeming with some of the world’s best artwork and even hours here are not enough to completely cover all exhibits in detail.
Boston surprised me in the most charming way. The city has so much culture and experiences to offer which gets drowned in the cacophony of senseless media. I arrived expecting one version of America but left with another—one filled with charm, history, and quiet moments of reflection that will stay with me forever.
