Cape to Milan

Work took me to Boston just in time to enjoy some unseasonably nice early-December weather. Like Brazil, these travels were again sadly Caroline-less.

Since I didn’t have enough time for proper sightseeing, I decided to skip the big tourist draws along the freedom trail and focus my exploration on the neighborhoods that really make Boston unique.

Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill is definitely such a neighborhood. Classic Boston through-and-through, and home to distinguished folks past and present, ranging from John Hancock to John Kerry, Sylvia Plath to Uma Thurman.

Beacon Hill is home to Massachusett’s capitol building, State House…

…and the Cheers bar!

Public Garden

Sandwiched in the middle of everything is Public Garden, an oasis in the hustle and bustle. It sits adjacent to the more famous Boston Common, and is sort of considered the same park, but I liked Public Garden better.

The park was designed by Olmsted, who designed Central Park in New York and Druid Hills in Atlanta (and whose sons designed Piedmont Park).

A statue of George Washington in Public Garden, with the Boston skyline in the background.

The view from Boston Common into downtown.

Back Bay

Another of Boston’s legendary neighborhoods is Back Bay.

The neighborhood is laced with leafy linear parks, which were especially leafy due to municipal leaf-blowing operations occurring as I passed through.

Alas, I didn’t really get enough time in Back Bay. At least if you miss something in a place like Boston you know you’ll probably be back someday. But when you’re somewhere like the Ilha de Mocambique, you’ve got to consider it your one and only shot.

Chinatown

Long time readers of this blog know Caroline and I love Chinatowns, having visited them in the Domincan Republic and Cuba.

The distinctly Bostonian Chinatown here is a lot more authentic–I had some great Dim Sum!–and vibrant. Sorry, Santo Domingo and Havana.

Cambridge

I was able to spend a day with my friend from high school who now studies at Harvard.

Cambridge is across the River Charles from Boston.

Although it feels a long way outside of town, everything in Boston is small-scale compared with Atlanta. It’s only three miles as the crow flies from downtown to Harvard; by Atlanta standards, that’s nothing.

The statue of John Harvard.

Harvard’s beautiful campus.