Travel Times Editor Emer Roche joined Dee Burdock (American Holidays), Donna Kenny (Tour America), and Tony Lane (Visit USA) Stateside, to savour the best on offer in Boston and beyond.
The gang arrived into Logan Airport on Sunday evening and made their way straight to Boston Harbour for a city cruise aboard Seaport Elite II. It was an extremely warm welcome from the Meet Boston team, kicking off the pre-FAM ahead of the Discover New England summit in New Hampshire.
The following day was bright and clear. A perfect day to walk around Beantown. There’s been a lot of talk about ‘walkable cities’ over the past few years but Boston is the real deal in this regard.
Starting with a stroll through Boston Common, the group paused to look at the bronze statue commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King.
Titled ‘The Embrace’, it’s a 20 foot tall sculpture of arms locked in a hug, the pose borrowed from the famous photograph of the couple when MLK won the Nobel Prize in 1964.
A quick dash through the beautiful Boston Public Library was followed by the Boston Observation Deck, giving 360 degree views of the city from atop one of the highest buildings in New England. As it was such a clear day, it was possible to see as far south as Weymouth and beyond.
A quick uber brought the group to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. A Venetian palace in the middle of Boston, this space was originally the artist’s home but is now a museum displaying her impressive, eclectic collection of art and textiles.
The sunlit garden is full of exotic plants and flowers. Fascinatingly, 13 paintings were stolen during an art heist in 1990 and the crime remains unsolved. The FBI is still investigating leads while the museum is offering a 10 million dollar reward for leads to recovering the pieces!
After a dash down Newbury Street the group enjoyed a seafood lunch in the Banks Fish House on Stuart Street. You can’t visit Boston without eating a lobster (lob-stah!) and 11 out of the 12 members of the group went with the ubiquitous option! Fresh lobster meat doused in butter and lemon on a brioche roll, it was delicious.
The group then took time for a cocktail reception in the Raffles Hotel – the first of the chain in the US. The beautiful hotel in the historic Back Bay area is elegantly curated to feel like an opulent residence. The timing of the reception was outstanding as it coincided with the solar eclipse 2024, thanks to Tony who had brought proper eclipse glasses from Ireland the group got to experience the stunning sight from the rooftop of the hotel.
The evening ended in the Boston Public Market where the group was treated to various samples of different local food. Stacy Thornton and Kerri Cronin spoke on behalf of Meet Boston, thanking all attendees and suppliers.