To date I have visited the United States of America just once. This occurred as a 40th birthday gift. When I was asked in the year prior to the trip what I would like to do for my 40th, my dream was to visit the USA. I had never had the finances prior to this to fulfill my dream and ever since I was a small boy (now I'm a small man) I had wanted to visit the US. I thought it would never happen until Connie initiated the idea which then came to fruition.
I wanted my destination to be a city where I could experience true Americana. I have never had any inclination to visit the usual tourist destinations of Florida; New York; Las Vegas etc. My city of choice was Boston, Massachusetts. I already knew this to be an American city with one of the longest histories, of which I was already interested in, and a perfect location for a 5 day break.
In late February of that particular year we embarked on the trip. There were no direct flights to Boston from Manchester so we chose to fly with American Airlines from Manchester via Chicago. The flight to Chicago was 9 hours with a quick turnaround for the Boston flight. We saw nothing of the city of Chicago (only from the air) but did experience the enormity of O'Hare airport. The internal flight to Boston was around 2 hours and we landed in a freezing, snow covered landscape in Boston in the early evening local time. It was dark, so the taxi ride to the hotel in downtown Boston didn't reveal much but my excitement was palpable. We checked in to the Lenox Hotel then retired for the night as we were shattered from the journey.
I will pick out a few highlights from the trip that may be of interest. On the first morning I awoke to sparkling sunshine streaming through the hotel room windows. I looked outside and saw the clearest, bluest sky I had ever seen. I couldn't wait to get started exploring the city so we were soon out on the sidewalk looking up at the skyscrapers. The sights before me literally took my breath away. I was so excited I couldn't speak! For me it was all very well seeing these types of buildings on TV but the sheer enormity and scale of the surroundings impressed me beyond my comprehension.
It was freezing cold and the sidewalks were snow and ice covered but this just seemed to add to the experience. On this first day we had our breakfast in Dunkin' Donuts and made our way to see Cheers bar (from the TV show). I had been told that Boston was one of the most "walkable" cities in the US and this is what made it all the more attractive to me. Once I had calmed down a bit we walked to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. We had lunch in a bar adjacent to the stadium and I had my first taste of Boston beer (Samuel Adams). I chatted to the friendly barman who gave us further tips on places to visit. We went on a guided tour of the stadium. It was off season so the pitch was covered in snow. I am no particular fan of baseball but one didn't need to be, as the guide was informative and entertaining making the tour fantastically enjoyable. I loved his Bostonian accent.
Later that day, we visited the bars of Boston which were lively and a mixture of young and not so young. The most pleasing aspect of all this so far was how "non-touristy" it was. The bars were mainly populated by local Bostonians, with the occasional Irish voice, so I was indeed now getting my wish of experiencing authentic East coast America.
Over the course of the next few days we went aboard the ship "Old Iron sides", visited Boston Aquarium, browsed the independent shops, had a wonderful lunch in Cheers Bar and generally took in as much as we could in 5 days of all Boston has to offer. We only had to take the "T" (underground train) once when we visited the outskirts of the city, the rest of the time we walked everywhere. I believe this is always the best way to experience anywhere you visit.
Possibly, the reason why this trip was so special for me was that, as a child, I had never been outside the UK or Ireland but had dreamt of doing so. I had visited Europe many times as an adult but nothing came close to standing on American soil for the first time aged 40. It was a truly unique experience and during my time there (apart from when getting inebriated in the bars) it made me feel like a child again. Unconditionally happy which no words can fully express.
If you want an authentic slice of Americana, head for Boston, Massachusetts !
No comments:
Post a Comment