Boston Stopover: So What Would You Do?

OK, perhaps I’m slightly eccentric. But crikey, who isn’t?

What can someone do with a minimum of time in Boston? Well, PLENTY!

I’ve done this so many times that I feel as if I’ve worn some footpaths down with my own heels.

Here are some travel tips for passengers travelling from Europe to points inside the states.

Did you know that when travelling on a ‘published’ airfare, whether it’s a super-duper non-refundable, non-exchangeable, non-endorsable, non-edible airline ticket that you can actually stop over at your first point of entry for up to twenty-three hours and fifty-nine minutes?

So how does that work? Let’s say you wish to fly from London to hmmn…say Orlando, but you want to make your trip a bit more pleasurable.

Instead of booking your flight direct from London to Orlando, you book your flight from London to Boston, perhaps on the early evening flight on American, then the following day you carry on from Boston to Orlando. It’s as simple as that. However, there are rules to which you must adhere.

You must travel on the same airline throughout your journey. (there are higher fares that do allow you to interline…but why, unless you’re a frequent flier junky).

Your first port of entry, in this case being beautiful Boston, will permit you to arrive in a airport that is friendly and easy to clear customs. You can walk straight out to a taxi afterwards, or alternatively you can use the Boston underground to take an extremely quick and easy journey into town. My personal recommendation is to take a taxi to town and take the Underground back.

Set aside the argument that it will be late at night on your body’s internal clock when you arrive in Boston. Certainly you will have had a bit of sleep on the flight and besides, this is a marvellous way to quickly adjust yourself to your new time zone.

Hotels are plentiful and relatively inexpensive in Boston. I have my favourites ranging from deluxe down to economy. But the ultimate goal is convenience. So my preference is always to be near the Boston Common.

Once I check in to my hotel I head off for a late evening dinner. Top of my list in going to Boston is Legal Seafoods or Durgin Park. However, there are plenty of other options.

After dinner, I generally hit the sack. However, I’ve found some lovely live music entertainment in hotels like the Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Hyatt or Parker House. It makes a lovely compliment to a wonderful dinner.

Your internal clock is going to make you wake up around 5am. Don’t fight it. Just before 7 in the morning is a wonderful time to walk through the Common, down to the Swan Boats, Jemima Puddle Duck and all the magnificent gardens.

I typically have breakfast at the Four Seasons, overlooking the park. The prices are reasonable and it’s a lovely start to the day to begin your breakfast with fine china and silver service. The views overlooking the park towards Beacon Hill are magnificent. However, some of my friends grab a cup of coffee from the hotel and ‘walk with it.’

After breakfast I more or less follow the Freedom Trail up Beacon Hill to School Street, past the Parker House, and down to Haymarket Square; Brief shopping for the kids and plenty of historical sites.

My walk back is either over Beacon Hill or down Washington Street. Depending on what I’ve carried with me on the trip, I either take a taxi back to Logan Airport or the Underground. In the Summertime I occasionally take the water taxi to Logan. If you’re travelling with children or are a hopeless romantic, this is another experience that can make your stopover that much more enjoyable.

Having done this brief stopover I consistently find that I’m more refreshed and ready to face the day much better at my ultimate destination. And no doubt, the memory of my Lobster dinner has left me feeling exceedingly content!

The people of Boston are friendly and helpful and I find their accents fascinating. I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad encounter with anyone in Boston.

Oh, and if you’re considering presenting a ‘gift’ to someone at your final destination, why not pick up several live Main lobsters from the kiosk at Logan Airport? Your friends will love you for it!

Bon Voyage!