Boston’s Icy Welcome

by sarahcoggrave

Hostelling International provided my accommodation in Boston, just as it had in Chicago and San Francisco. As a hostelling chain, I cannot fault them.

Clean, comfortable accommodation, more hotel like in some respects, with a free buffet breakfast and all kinds of deals and activities on offer. Better value for money than the UK YHA any day.

It was a relief to arrive at my Boston hostel, in the early hours of the morning, after a nightmarish train journey the previous day (and night). Amtrak had kindly provided (sarcasm) multiple delays on what was already a long journey, and their failure to provide adequate refreshments on board had left me eagerly anticipating a delicious complementary breakfast at the hostel.

As a chilly dawn broke in Boston, I fuelled up on caffeine, bagels and porridge at the buffet, making myself a cream cheese bagel for later.

Boston was freezing. The sky was clear initially, so I set out for the river, marvelling at the huge piles of snow I encountered along the way.

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Architecturally this was a huge contrast to Chicago. The buildings were much older, many with a European flavour. Less industrial, and with a smaller, more intimate feel. Aesthetically much of it was more pleasing to the eye.

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However, like Chicago, the nearby water (this time a river, rather than a lake) was frozen solid. As was everything.

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Boat huts and small piers hinted at a very different riverscape during the summer…

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…as did the numerous outdoor benches and buried gardens along the Charles River Esplanade.

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At this early hour the riverside was all but deserted.

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Except for the occasional group of runners, braving the ice. I say runners rather than joggers, as these swift figures connoted student athletes rather than casual joggers. Boston is a little like Oxford or Cambridge (without the long history) in that it hosts some of the world’s top students and academic institutions – Harvard, Berklee College of Museum and MIT are all located here, plus many others in the vicinity. Part of the city is even named after Cambridge. Having spent three years living and studying in the UK version, I can testify that Boston’s namesake is quite different.

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In spite of its highbrow reputation, Boston still made me laugh – with its signs.

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However, like Chicago, winter had coloured the city and uninspiring mix of whites, browns and greys. I didn’t realise until the end of my trip, how powerful the seasons and the weather are in shaping a visit to a place – the lingering winter, the lifeless trees and the freezing temperatures all subdued much of both Chicago and Boston.

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No matter I thought, a museum or an art gallery would bring some colour into my experience of the city – so I headed towards Huntington Avenue, where several such institutions were located.

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Little did I realise how phenomenally expensive Boston’s cultural institutions were. With limited dollars left (this being my final destination of the trip), I had to choose, and so I opted for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Alas the museum didn’t open for another hour, and rain was beginning to fall.

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All too aware of my leaky boots, I sought refuge (and yet more caffeine) in a nearby coffee shop.

See also:

Amtrak: Not Fit For Purpose?

America

Europe

Japan