Our first night was already over by 5:30 a.m. That's what happens when you fall into bed exhausted shortly after 9 p.m. I was already used to the poor breakfasts at motels in the US, so I wasn't expecting much. I was even surprised to find fresh bananas and apples in the modest buffet. There were also fresh sweet waffles, toast, and cornflakes. So we set off for Boston earlier than planned.
So we used the time to find a few geocaches along the way. We also passed a sports complex with a football field. Two children's teams were preparing for their game. We watched them warm up for a bit when it suddenly started to rain. As the weather worsened, we took refuge in the car and headed towards Boston. Despite the bad weather, we got a good taste of Indian Summer along the interstate. To our surprise, it was warm and sunny when we arrived in Boston.
Boston – Harvard University
We started our first day in Boston at Harvard University in Cambridge. It's a really beautiful area. Lovely single-family homes and small churches. Nothing really hints at the big city so close by. We walked across campus, past the famous teaching and administrative buildings. The atmosphere is so much more like a university; you just don't find anything like it at our German universities. Or at least, it's simply different. The squirrels everywhere were so cute. Of course, we immediately took some posed photos with them!
Boston – MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
After that, we continued towards the city center and to the second campus, MIT. A very modern university with many different buildings. Not as old-world as Harvard, but still beautiful. We went to the Maclaurin Building, the most famous old building at MIT. To get back to the car, we had to go through the building, so we did. It was open, and with so many students, we didn't stand out (since we had only just finished our studies ourselves). But this needs to be emphasized: it was Sunday, and it was incredibly busy! The labs were occupied, the hallways were packed—at my university, it only looked like that during the week. I don't even want to know what it's like HERE during the week. We plunged into the hustle and bustle, and suddenly we felt like students again.
Boston – Bacon Hill and Freedom Trail
Arriving back at the car, we drove across the Charles River and found ourselves in the Bacon Hill area, one of Boston's more upscale neighborhoods. We did a little geocaching and then headed out for the Freedom Trail. After a few laps around Boston Common, we finally found a parking spot for... nothing... nada... because it was Sunday. We were so lucky! We thought parking fees would be skyrocketing here. So we set off at a leisurely pace. Our first destination was the Massachusetts State House. We parked right in front, so our walk started from there. Unfortunately, Sunday got in the way, as it was closed. No big deal, though; it was still beautiful to look at from the outside.
We continued, always following the red paving line, towards Park Street Church and right next to it, Granary Burial Ground. It was very impressive to find such an old cemetery in such a large, modern city.
King's Chapel was unfortunately closed for a private event, so we went straight to the Old Corner Bookstore, which was completely covered in scaffolding. We were really "lucky" with all the sights we saw. ;) The Old State House is Boston's old city hall, with the site of the massacre right in front of it. A beautiful old building with a great square surrounded by skyscrapers. Afterwards, we went to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. The whole hustle and bustle reminded me a bit of the Naschmarkt in Vienna. Food everywhere, just about anything you could imagine, spread over two floors.
As the day was slowly drawing to a close, we decided to continue the rest of the trail tomorrow. On the way out of Boston to our hotel, we stopped for a burrito at Chipotle. Highly recommended!!! Our hotel was the Element Lexington. What a hotel: ultra-modern, clean, and a huge room. A shame it was only for one night.
Are you still looking for a suitable hotel in Boston?
You can find a hotel to suit your budget via various online travel agencies such as Agoda, Booking.com, ebookers.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, lastminute.com, otel.com or Venere.com.
Your travelogue about the East Coast and Boston is truly interesting and personal. Since I also know Boston from my trip there in 2010, I know exactly what you're describing. I was also completely impressed by the city, and I think Boston is always worth a visit because it has its own unique charm.
Thank you! :)