Boston - Where Everybody Knows Your Name

We set off from New York horrendously early, departing for Boston, MA at around 7:30am.

Everyone was checking each other out and I wondered which of the bunch I would have my arms flung around in a drunken haze by the end of the week.

A few hours later as we were pulling into the city, I felt physically exhausted by the situation. It sounds awful but I was tired of explaining who I was, where I came from and where I was going, 50 times over. I felt really guilty about this but I think I was just keen to get past that initial polite stage. It turned out all we needed was a good night out. That evening we ate at ‘Dick’s Last Resort’ where the purpose of the waiting staff is to be as rude as possible to customers. They practically threw our drinks at us and I was genuinely scared whilst giving my food order! It was lots of fun though and followed up by a night of dancing and bonding at a local bar.

On the first day we had our group photograph taken in front of the Boston skyline and I felt really happy. I loved Boston. It was a huge shock to me because for some reason I was expecting a grimy city full of grey high rise buildings and seedy backstreets. It had none of the above. Everything was beautiful. The lakes, the architecture, the parks and the high streets have all been meticulously planned to combine that hustle and bustle feel of city living with beautiful open spaces for sunbathing and swimming. The people are brash but charming with a fantastic accent and the locals were fascinated to hear where we had come from.

The weather was glorious that day and after visiting the Cheers Bar (where everybody knows your name!) we wandered over to Boston Common to watch a battle re-enactment. Boston is steeped in history and I loved learning about the struggle of the Irish immigrants in the 1800’s, while things like the obvious fierce rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox just add to its fantastic character. All in all it was a great start to the tour.