Oh Boston, how I love thee

Just got back from Boston last night. Could there be a more gorgeous town on the East Coast? I'm just 30 minutes outside of Manhattan (yes, yes, I'm a Westchester mom, so sue me), yet I am totally in love with Boston.

We first went to Boston in late February, but it was so cold that we coulnd't walk around at all, and ended up spending time at the hotel pool and around various kids' hangouts like the Boston Children's Museum, as well as driving around to see famous Boston spots from the car - not what we had planned. So I have been gently suggesting (some might say "bugging", but we woulnd't would we?) to dh that we go back once the weather got warmer, because it really seemed like a lovely town.

So a few weeks ago my lovely husband surprised me with hotel reservations in Cambridge for Memorial Day weekend - he's a total pearl, I know. Told ya he's the real Prince Charming!

Anyway, we were there for 2 and half days, and I would have loved to stay another week! Yesterday afternoon we were walking around in Newbury Street, after having spent an hour or so chilling at the Boston Common so the girls could run around a bit; they were enjoying an ice cream and I was enjoying the lovely brownstones turned into cafés and boutiques, and dh asked "So - have we gotten Boston out of our system?" to which I replied "Of course not - this is a great place".

And it's true! A city with such character, nice architecture and monuments, cultural hot spots like awesome museums and galleries, great boutiques and stores, great restaurants, and still easy to navigate both on foot and by car - what's better than that?

Also, they have lots of stuff for kids: this weekend alone there were: a kyte festival, an outdoor entertainment festival, Earth Fest 2008 (with an entire section dedicated to kids) and of course the standbys liked the Children's Museum, the playground at Boston Common, movie theaters (Kung Fu Panda is running!) and so on. We were lucky enought catch the Outdoor Performer Festival - all around Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market all you could see was crowds gathered around some very talented dancers, singers, contorsionists and other entertainers, and even more food stalls, balloons and market stands than usual. It was really fun, and the girls had a blast!

If you are ever on the East Coast, a visit to Boston is a must.
If you are travelling with children, here are my recommendations:
1. try to visit in late spring or summer
2. get the Boston Eyewitness Travel Guide, which is the best I think. I adore bookstores so I didn't complain after sitting on the floor of the Travel section in Barnes & Nobles for a few hours browsing through the city guides, but I woulnd't recommend it to everyone - you might get sick of it and grab the first one you see. This is definitely the best one, I also got one for our trip to D.C..
3. A few days before your trip, visit Boston Mamas, where you can find lots of child-related resources for Boston and surroundings: a Calendar of activities, shows, etc happening during your stay, including stuff to do if the weather isn't nice or if you just want to lay low; listings for great stores, boutiques and fabulous restaurants and bakeries; and if you are actually moving there, Boston Mamas is the perfect place to find local parents, so you and your tot can make new friends!