Historic Boston makes for a perfect weekend. The city is so walkable (and has such great public transit), you will have sore legs. The historic city is home to five or more universities, so it seems in part like a college town on steroids.
Founded by the Puritans in 1630, it grew due to its great harbor and fishing. And it is where America started. The Puritans were an independent bunch and didn’t take kindly to the British taxation schemes and heavy-handed tactics.
Massachusetts is a civil rights and gay rights pioneer. Massachusetts celebrates 20 years of legal gay marriage. Gov. Maura Healey was the first elected lesbian governor in the nation while Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is the city’s first Chinese mayor.
Although Boston has just a few bars, a ferry ride away is fabulous Provincetown with its lively summer scene.
Happily, the Club Café Bistro and Video Bar is always hopping and has several events every night of the week. It also has not one but two cabarets, great dining, dancing, drag brunches, and more. It was founded in 1983 as a video bar and is still going strong!
Getting there
I took Delta (aka Republic, the regional carrier) nonstop into convenient Boston Logan Airport. Then I hopped on the free airport bus (the SL1) to my hotel in the nearby Seaport District (The Aloft). Once in Boston, you can walk, take transit, use the shared bike system to get everywhere.
What to do
Learn about the history of this city by taking a Boston by Foot Walking Tour. Took the history walk (aka Heart of the Freedom Trail Walk) which met in front of Faneuil Hall by the statute of Samuel Adams. A guide tells you the history of Boston and how our country came to be thanks to the independent and freedom minded people that galvanized all the colonies to rebel against the British and form the U.S. You will learn the correct version of history too. Did you know? Only five people were shot in the Boston Massacre. This summer they will also feature a history of LGBTQ Boston walking tour entitled Boston by Foot Walking Tour: Boston’s LGBTQ Past.
Nearby Faneuil Hall is the Old State House, the oldest surviving government building of the old British Colonies which was built in 1713. It also served as the birthplace of the independent government of Massachusetts.
Make your first stop the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. You will find it at 700 Boylston Street. It’s really more of a museum that’s used as Library. Don’t miss the murals especially on the 3rd floor. The murals surrounding staircase hall are the only mural work outside France by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, a French painter who was considered one of the greatest muralists of the 19th Century.
Another must is Boston Common and Boston Public Garden which are two great parks in the middle of the city. Then follow the 2.5 mile self-guided Freedom Trail with 17 revolutionary landmarks.
Take the Green Line subway out to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum near Northeastern University. This quirky museum has a plant filled courtyard and more. Enjoy the Raquib Shaw: Ballads of East and West. Nearby is the Museum of Fine Arts. And of course, Fenway Park.
Walk around the waterfront including the Aquarium which features sea lions.
Take the ferry to Provincetown.
Where to eat
I had dinner at the Boston Chops Urban Steakhouse Downtown which was great. If you don’t like steaks, try the salmon. You can even sit in an old bank vault.
Don’t miss the fast casual Eataly in the Prudential Center. Filled with Italian specialties, it also offers fast casual dining featuring everything Italian. You can’t beat their pizza, but they also have salads and more. Take home some gourmet pasta sauce or Italian cheese and wine.
The food hall behind Faneuil Hall (Liberty Market) has every type of Boston specialty dish you could imagine. I had a fresh carrot juice and salad while others enjoyed lobster bisque in a bread bowl. The seafood in Boston is fresh and local – indeed it was one of the city’s first industries that supplied cod to Europe back in the day.
Boston nightlife
I loved the Club Café Bistro and Video Bar. Located in the Back Bay neighborhood at 209 Columbus Avenue, this was a fun multi-purpose bar. They had two cabaret shows the Saturday night I was there. Plus they serve food, so dining is an option. There is something going on every day: drag brunches, karaoke, and more. Founded as a video bar in 1983, it has survived the retraction of bars in the city which some blame on gentrification while others note it is a nationwide trend. (However, D.C. has no less than five new bars.) Other bars in Boston: Jacque’s Cabaret – the drag bar, Cathedral Station: the sports bar, Bar: In nearby Dorchester, and The Alley Bar – downtown.
Where to stay
I stayed at the Altoft Boston Seaport at 401 D Street. The modern, new hotel has a Brazilian steakhouse in the building and a fun WXYZ Bar. Nearby is a liquor store and a Dunkin Donuts. South Boston is just a half mile south which also has restaurant and retail options such as the Foodie’s Market at 230 West Broadway (which has a hot food and salad bar) and you can take the #9 bus into Back Bay. Best of all, the Aloft is a value and has no annoying “resort fee.”
Sadly, many Boston hotels now tack on $35 dollars a day or more for a fee which is sometimes called an amenity fee or a destination fee or a resort fee. I don’t pay junk fees especially where they are buried as a footnote as “taxes and fees” on third party booking sites.
And just what is a “destination fee” — a fee a hotel charges you for the privilege of visiting their city? Do not stay at hotels with resort fees and tell those that don’t that is why you are there. Other hotels that looked nice (and didn’t tack on a junk fee) included the Inn at St. Botolph. The Sheraton was a value. Do your homework on hotels at TripAdvisor.com.
Helpful hints
Get around on the five subway lines or the bus system, known as the T, is a breeze.
South Boston is a different neighborhood from the South End. It’s confusing.
Boston is a city of neighborhoods. Both South Boston and the South End are great as is Back Bay and Copley Square.
Spirit Magazine is your LGBTQ publication.
Bay Windows is the newspaper although it is down to just a few pages.
Plan your trip and get info on the scene at https://www.meetboston.com/plan/trip-ideas/lgbtq-boston/.
Special thanks to Meet Boston for their helpful travel tips and recommendations!
Bill Malcolm is a syndicated travel writer whose column appears in publications and on websites throughout North America and on the travel blog at www.iglta.org.
