Boston & Fall Foliage
October 6 - 10, 2008
Why Boston? It's our idea of an almost perfect city
- small-town sensibility with big-time attractions: history, theatre,
music, big league museums, fine dining, tempting shopping, and a grand harbor.
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New England's famous fall foliage |
If we’re lucky, we’ll be dazzled by brilliant fall foliage. A
cautionary disclaimer: 2005 was a terrible year for fall foliage, much of it
caused by wind-swept
rains in October. Hopefully, 2006 will be a better year. But even
without its red, yellow and orange colors, Boston will not
disappoint.
I love New England; two of my sons live there, and Boston is a frequent
weekend retreat.
Our Itinerary:
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Boston's Public Garden |
Day 1
Arrive in Boston, and transfer on your own to our hotel. Each room has a
kitchenette which you will find convenient for snacks, cold drinks, etc. The
hotel was a former nursing residence. It’s small and friendly, with a good
location.
You’ll have time to take a stroll on Charles Street, a low-key haven of
interesting boutiques and casual restaurants. It is just around the corner
from our hotel.
According to the group's arrival time, our activities start with the Boston Duck
Tour. The “ducks” are renovated World War II amphibious landing vehicles
that travel on land and sea (the Charles River). We will see Boston’s most
interesting sights: Boston Common, the Public Garden, the old North Church, fashionable Newbury
Street, Quincy Market and more.
Early dinner on Charles Street.
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North Bridge in Concord, site of "the shot
heard 'round the world" |
Day 2
We travel to Concord where, along with Lexington, the American Revolution
started. Minutemen turned back the British at Concord’s North Bridge, firing
"the shot heard 'round the world." In addition to Concord’s historic
importance, we will focus on Concord’s literary heritage. We will take a walk
around Walden Pond , and explore the homes and landscape of Louisa Mae Alcott,
Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. We will
also take a detour in Concord to a local farm stand managed by a friend’s son
who is passionate about organic gardening. You won't find better tasting produce
anywhere. Sampling and brief talk.
We'll have our own Boston Tea Party, harking back to the famous Tea Party in
1773 when colonists dressed as Indians dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest
the tea tax. We'll review this historic event and celebrate by having an
up-to-date elegant "high tea" at the Four Seasons Hotel.
Evening option: Tickets to traveling Broadway show or the Boston
Symphony led by its famous artistic director, James Levine. Tickets not
included in your tour price.
Day 3
Morning free. You may want to visit Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts, one of
the largest museums in the United States. The museum has frequent special
exhibits, and is well-known for its collections of Egyptian artifacts,
Impressionist paintings, and Asian art. Or, if you love bargains, you may
want to visit Filene’s Basement. It’s a must stop for me whenever I’m in
Boston.
Afternoon: Visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a re-creation of a
Venetian palazzo with an impressive art collection. Concert in the museum’s Tapestry Room.
Then we will visit the North End, Boston’s famous lively Italian neighborhood
with interesting food stores and boutiques. Early dinner in one of
its many Italian restaurants (not included in tour price).
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H.H. Richardson's Trinity Church |
Day 4
Private walking tour of Boston’s Copley Square visiting Trinity Church, one of
Boston’s architectural gems by the architect Henry Hobson Richardson with murals
and stained glass by John LaFarge, and the Boston Public Library, a
Renaissance-style masterpiece designed by Charles McKim that features John Singer
Sargent murals. Then on to the
Boston Athenaeum, one of the most impressive private libraries in the United
States.
Afternoon free.
You may want to visit the Copley Place Mall with branches of dozens of the
world’s best stores, or stroll down chic Newbury Street with its mixture of art
galleries, boutiques, and restaurants.
Farewell dinner, a traditional New England clambake.
Day 5
Leave for home. If you leave at the end of the day, this naturally gives you most
of another day to enjoy Boston. Or, you might consider a day trip to
Salem, a 35-minute train ride from Boston. Salem is the home of
the infamous witchcraft trials, the House of Seven Gables, and the amazing
Peabody Essex Museum.
Cost
$1,825 (USD) includes 4 nights hotel (single occupancy, no single supplement),
continental breakfast, lunch in Concord, 3 dinners (includes high tea at the
Four Seasons Hotel), Duck Tour, private tour with
transportation to Concord, private Copley Square walking tour, and concert
at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The price does not include
airfare, airport transfers, lunches (other than lunch in Concord), dinner in the
North End, coffee stops,
wine and alcoholic beverages, personal expenses, transportation between
activities in Boston (by subway or, if you prefer, shared costs of taxis). |
