In The Neighborhood
Boston is America’s walking city, and whether you have a few hours or a few days, the city, and its surrounding areas, offers a variety of activities, sites and attractions that will make your experience in Boston unforgettable.
Copley Square and the Back Bay offer some of Boston’s most spectacular architecture, shopping and dining.
9:00 a.m. Literally steps outside of the Fairmont Copley Plaza is the Trinity Church; the Romanesque style church designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. Dating to 1877, the granite and sandstone structure, like much of the Back Bay, is built on wooden piling driven down to bedrock. Trinity Church features stained glass designed by Edward Burne-Jones, as well as interiors by John La Farge. Tours of Trinity Church are offered daily.
10:00 a.m. Books are just the beginning at the Boston Public Library. Designed by Charles McKim in 1887, this Italian palazzo-style structure was built by the highly skilled Italian artisans who immigrated to Boston around this time to build mansions in the Back Bay. The interiors feature barrel vaulted ceilings, Edward Abbey’s pre-Raphaelite murals of the quest for the Holy Grail and John Singer Sargent’s murals of Christianity and Judaism. The bronze doors on the McKim building were designed by Daniel Chester French, the sculptor most well-know for his Lincoln Memorial. A modernist structure, designed by Philip Johnson in 1971 houses the library’s circulating collection.
11:00 a.m. Stroll down the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, an elegant street modeled after the boulevards of Paris. A walk from the Public Garden to Massachusetts Avenue features a variety of mansions in several architectural styles, including Victorian, Renaissance Revival and Romanesque.
12:00 p.m. Newbury Street - Lunch at Stephanie’s on Newbury (190 Newbury Street). The best people watching location on Newbury Street; on nice days be sure to get a table on the patio.
Crossing The River – Cambridge
9:00 a.m. From the Fairmont Copley Plaza, take the MBTA to the “Harvard” Red Line stop. Pause for a coffee or light breakfast at Au Bon Pain on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and JFK Street – you’ll probably remember the spot from the film, Good Will Hunting.
9:30 a.m. In 1636, Puritan cleric John Harvard founded the first college in the United States, which today is one of the world’s most prestigious centers of learning – Harvard University. The heart of the university isHarvard Yard, and at its center is the famous John Harvard Statue – much like the statue of St. Peter in Rome, Harvard Freshman pilgrimage here to touch the left foot of the statue. Several buildings of note are Harvard Yard, including Holden Chapel, the scene of many Revolutionary speeches, University Hall designed by Charles Bulfinch, HH Richardson’s Sever Hall and Memorial Hall, a gothic building memorializing Harvard’s Union casualties from the Civil War.
10:30 a.m. Harvard University boasts some of the area’s more interesting museums. Our favorite is the Harvard Museum of Natural History (25 Oxford Street), which actually includes three comprehensive collections at one museum. The mineralogical galleries features one of the world’s premier meteorite collections, the zoological galleries include arachnid and dinosaur collections, and finally the botanical collections includes the Ware Collection of Blashka Glass Models of Plants, popularity known as the “glass flowers.” This unique collection features more than 3,000 exact replicas of plant species that are as scientifically accurate as they are beautiful.
12:30 p.m. A favorite lunch spot with locals is the Hi Rise Bread Company (56 Brattle Street). This is an excellent spot to grab a quick sandwich – everything is made from scratch and uses the freshest ingredients. There is regularly a line, but on nice days it’s the perfect source for a picnic on Cambridge Common or even on Memorial Drive along the Charles River.
Walk Through History
Boston is known as America’s walking city, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza is located in close proximity to everything.
9:00 a.m. When you leave the hotel, head down Boylston Street, toward the Public Garden. An English-style design by George Meacham, the Public Garden features the Swan Boats, a whimsical paddleboat ride in the garden’s lagoon that has been a tradition since 1877 [in season, ask for a Swan Boat Guest Pass at the Front Desk], and the Make Way for Ducklings Statue, based on the popular Robert McCloskey children’s book. As you exit the Public Garden and Cross Charles Street, you enter the less formal Boston Common. Acquired by Boston in 1634, for two hundred years this land was used as a pasture, military drill ground (British troops camped there during the 1775 occupation of Boston), and a gallows site. In the 19th Century, it became an area for open air civic activity and remains that today. Of special note is the movingShaw Memorial, dedicated to the Civil War’s 54th infantry, the first free black regiment in the Union Army lead by Colonel Robert Shaw. The Common also features the Frog Pond, a skating rink in winter months, and the Parkman Bandstand, the home of Shakespeare on the Common, a free theatre program, during the summer months.
10:00 a.m. Your walk along the Freedom Trail officially begins at the Visitors’ Center, located at the Tremont Street side of the Boston Common. The Freedom Trail offers a 90-minute tour or you can follow the trail on your own and see the sites at your own pace. The Freedom Trail features sixteen historic sites, all significant in this country's early struggle for freedom, connected by a 2.5 mile red brick line that not only links one place to another, but the past to the present. The sites on the Freedom Trail are not recreations or adaptations. They are real. Each one – from Boston Common to the Old North Church to the USS Constitution to the State House – has a role in the beginning of a nation, and each one connects us to the spirit of Boston's early patriots whose hearts were ignited by the spark of liberty.
11:30 a.m. Your tour of the Freedom Trail ends as at Faneuil Hall andQuincy Market. Take some time to check out the museum at Faneuil Hall and then do a little shopping in Quincy Market.
12:30 p.m. No walk through historic Boston would be complete without lunch, including clam chowder, at the Union Oyster House (41 Union Street). Established in 1826, it is America’s oldest continuously operating restaurant. Set the stage for your afternoon, by visiting the famous John F. Kennedy booth, where President Kennedy sat when enjoying his favorite clam chowder.
2:00 p.m. After lunch head back to Park Street and take the Red line out to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The striking building, designed by I.M. Pei, a collection chronicles the 1,000 days of the Kennedy Presidency, and the life and times of one of the United States’ most beloved presidents. The Museum offers stunning views of the city and Boston Harbor and offers many areas for quiet contemplation.
For those interested in visiting additional JFK sites, the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site (83 Beal Street, Brookline) is a good supplement. JFK’s birthplace, the Beal Street Residence, features a guided tour of the house. After the tour, you may want to visit Zaftig’s Delicatessen (335 Harvard Street, Brookline) for Boston’s best matzo ball soup.
Arts Lovers Guide To Boston
10:00 a.m. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (2 Palace Road), located in the Fenway, is one of the jewels of Boston museums. Featuring a collection of more than 2,500 works, the museum is housed in a Venetian Palazzo, which was once the home of Isabella Stewart Gardner, 19th art patron and infamous member of Boston Society. The centerpiece of the museum is a stunning indoor courtyard, which blooms year round.
12:00 p.m. After experiencing the museum, the ideal location to relax is lunch in the Gardner Café. In warmer months, the café offers outdoor seating in the museum’s outdoor garden.
1:00 p.m. Most well known for designing New York’s Central Park, Frederick Law Olmsted, based himself in Boston and designed the park system know as the Emerald Necklace. The Back Bay Fens, sometimes called the gateway to the Museum of Fine Arts, is part of this green refuge. In your stroll enjoy the magnificent rose gardens, as well as the Fenway Victory Gardens, which are cared for by Boston residents.
2:30 p.m. After your stroll, you will conveniently find yourself near theMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston (465 Huntington Avenue), one of two encyclopedic museums in the United States. The MFA was originally built on the site of the Fairmont Copley Plaza, but moved to its current location on Huntington Avenue in 1909 (the hotel opened in 1912). The permanent collection offers more than 500,000 objects ranging from Egyptian antiquities to Impressionist paintings and American silver and furniture to Asian art.
[NOTE: on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the museum is open until 9:45 p.m. Passes to special exhibits may often be purchased at the Front Desk].
5:30 p.m. After your museum experience, head back to the hotel on foot via Huntington Avenue or Avenue of the Arts (the distance is about one mile). On this walk you’ll pass the New England Conservatory, theHuntington Theatre and Symphony Hall. As you cross Massachusetts Avenue, notice the Christian Science Center. With the juxtaposition of the dramatic reflecting pool and the 19th century Romanesque Mother Church, the architecture is fascinating.
Old and New Boston
8:00 a.m. Start the day at a Boston classic, Charlie’s Sandwich Shoppe(429 Columbus Avenue). The omelets are famous throughout the city, and are the perfect sustenance to get you started on your day.
10:00 a.m. Boston’s newest museum is the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) (100 Northern Avenue). Located in a dramatic building overlooking the harbor, the museum features a collection of contemporary works, as well as a rotating special exhibit.
12:30 p.m. After seeing one of the newest buildings in Boston, head over to one of its oldest neighborhoods, the North End. The narrow streets of this historic part of town have been home to European immigrants, most notably those of Italian descent. When strolling in the North End, highlights include the Old North Church (195 Salem Street), which played a famous role in Paul Revere’s midnight ride, andPaul Revere’s House (19 North Square), where the famous ride began.
The neighborhood is full of small cafes and restaurants. One of the North End’s traditions is Pizzeria Regina (11 ½ Thatcher Street). First opened in 1926, don’t be surprised to find a line out the door for people waiting for tables. It’s worth the wait, particularly for a pizza with the famous Regina Sausage.
2:00 p.m. You can’t leave the North End without a visit to one of its cafes and perhaps a goodies bag of pastries. After lunch stop by Caffe Vittorio (290 Hanover Street) for a cappuccino or gelato. If you’d like to take home a little cannoli for a midnight snack, visit Mike’s Pastry (300 Hanover Street)
For more of the North End, a great afternoon activity is a North End Market Tour with Michele Topor (make arrangements in advance with our Concierge, as these tours do fill up). A 30-year resident of the North End, Michele’s tour unlocks the secrets of the Italian cooking and takes guests on a guided market tour of several family run shops, pointing out favorite restaurants and cafes along the way. The tour is three hours long.
3:30 p.m. Take a leisurely walk from the North End and visit another historic Boston Neighborhood, Beacon Hill. Still one of Boston’s most fashionable neighborhoods much of the Federal style architecture was designed by Charles Bulfinch (who also designed the State House). At the center of this neighborhood is Charles Street, which is lined with antique shops, boutiques and cafes. There are gas lamps and picturesque flower boxes on each street off of Charles. Boston’s most prestigious address is Louisburg Square, which features Greek revival row houses, that now sell in the millions of dollars. Likely Boston’s most photographed street is also in Beacon Hill – Acorn Street with its charming cobblestones and perfect window boxes is not to be missed.