First Solo Trip Ever - Boston! 快閃波士頓！(Part 1)🦞☘️
- Hitomi
- Mar 13, 2020
- 6 min read
Being a backpacker and taking a solo trip have always been the top items on my bucket-list. I am so happy to declare that I MADE IT!
One week before the trip, the thought of watching an NBA game popped up to my mind. On east coast, one of the best NBA teams has got to be Boston Celtics (see, as a girl who knows basically nothing about basketball could tell its name, it gotta be REALLY famous). I planned to visit Boston in April at first but then realized the game times in April either crash with school schedule or that NBA is gonna end after April 15th. The only possible time to make it was the first weekend of March. So, as you see, here I came! Booking hostel and bus tickets all of a sudden is not recommended — everything’s expensive as hell. 💸💸💸
1st Day: Primark 👉🏻Trinity Church👉🏻Boston Public Library👉🏻Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum👉🏻Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)👉🏻Fenway Park👉🏻MIT👉🏻Prudential Center
Primark
It has been one of my fav sellers since my summer programme to UK! I didn't expect to meet her again in the States! It wasn't on my schedule but spending an hour here wouldn't hurt~ I like it very much that they sell a variety of cheap and stylish products, from clothing to daily necessities. Some of them are even movie/TV series themed. They just got everything in a 3-stories store <3
Primark Downtown Crossing,10 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02110 (Right next to Downtown Crossing Station)
Trinity Church
I am not a Catholic but I just love visiting churches for they are beautiful architectures that bring me peace of mind. Located between tall modern buildings, this old church offers free guided tour on Sundays, or you can take an audio tour (included in your admission ticket) during open hours. I paid $8 for admission ($10 for general admission) and spent around an hour there. The audio guide is easy to use, you just have to point it towards the sensors and it will automatically play the audios. Outside the church, you would find a statue for the Turtle and the Hare. Funny enough, there's a rubbish bin between them and I don't get it. Also, nearby Trinity Church you will find Old South Church. I didn't check that out though.
Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116
Boston Public Library
Right opposite to the Trinity Church stands the third largest public library in USA -- Boston Public Library. The two sides of the library make a great contradiction with each other where one shows a historic design while the other side is designed in a modern way. The inside is so beautifully built that many tourists would stop by and spend at least an hour or two here. I envy the residents here that they gotta study in such a place. No wonder Boston is the cities of top universities.
Boston public Library, 700 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
This is the most gorgeous museum I have ever visited! A garden inside a house, I mean, how brilliant! This private art museum exhibits collections of Isabella Steward Gardner, who had travelled around the world and created her museum more than a hundred years ago. You could see people getting in line every day to visit the museum. I waited for around 10 minutes until I could purchase my ticket for $10 ( $15 for adults; free if you're called Isabella!). I took a blank card and borrowed a pencil inside the museum and sketched a bit (don't judge my drawing). You could find guides in every rooms introducing the furnitures and artworks. Make sure you put the guides back before you leave the room. This museum was theft once and the paintings have never been found. There is a small greenhouse next to the ticketing counter which you can consider visiting before you leave.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115
Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)
A 5-minute walk from Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, you will find the iconic MFA. I am not an art person but there is no reason for me to miss this spot. This museum is one of the biggest museums in the States and it showcases more than 450k art pieces. It is $23 for students but I got a free ticket YAY! (Free admission on the first weekend of every month for Bank of America cardholders) I didn't really look at every exhibitions carefully but I did stop by when something interested me. For example, when I saw my mum's favorite painter Monet's artworks, I stopped to take pictures for her. I wanted to take a rest at the museum's cafe but by the time I was there, the museum was about to close:(
Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
Fenway Park
Well, I know basically nothing about baseball so I only passed by the entrance of the park. If you are a fan of baseball or Boston Red Sox do take a visit!
Fenway Park, 4 Jersey St, Boston, MA 02215
MIT
One of the top universities in the world! I spent less than an hour there as daylight was fading. I took a walk through the infinite corridor and left for dinner~
MIT, 77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Prudential Center
Where Skywalk Observatory is located. Since I am gonna get a view from the Bunker Hill Monument the next day anyway, so I didn't bother to pay for the observatory. However, I visited the shopping center after dinner at a supermarket nearby to grab a cup of coffee. As you walk to the center along Boylston Street, you will see the Boston Marathon Bombing Memorials. Do take a moment to recall the incident and pray for the victims.
Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02199
Food
Lobster is of course the first thing that pops up when it comes to Boston isn't it? You can actually enjoy a whole lobster in local supermarkets. I went to Star Market and chose my own lobster baby. You could ask the staff there to steam the lobster for you. This small lobster costed me around $12. You may get it cheaper if you're lucky.
Star Market, Prudential Center Boston, 53 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02199
Take a bowl of hot clam chowder at Boston Chowda (~$10 for small) in Quincy Market as you take a rest from the long walk on Freedom Trail (gonna talk more about the trail in part 2). You could try its famous lobster roll too (it's cheap when you make the chowder and roll a combo). I was too full at that time that I didn't get to try it.
Boston Chowda Co. , 1 Faneuil Hall Market Pl, Boston, MA 02109
Mike's Pastry is famous for its cannoli. You would see many people holding the boxes of the pastry along the way of Freedom Trail. Not a big friend of cream and excessive sweetness but I still took a short cut out of the trail and ordered a chocolate chip cannoli. I'd prefer to share it with someone else. Highly recommended for dessert lovers and be ready for the long queue.
Remember I said something about grabbing a cup of coffee at Prudential Center? If to say Apple is the brand of smartphones, then Blue Bottle Coffee is that among coffee. I chose the famous New Orleans-style Iced coffee with almond milk. So recharged from the long tiring day.
Blue Bottle Coffee, Prudential Center Boston, 800 Boylston St #25, Boston, MA 02199
Transportation
I took Greyhound buses from Syracuse at midnight to arrive Boston in the morning. Something terrible happened that I spent extra bucks just to get my ass to Boston TT It would be a lot cheaper if you go to Boston from New York City. The earlier you buy the ticket, the cheaper.
Boston is easy to get around. The MBTA subway is not hard to take, like those in London and Taiwan (Hong Kong's railway system is yet the best, the system only tho not the company). If you are spending more than one day in Boston, get a 7-day pass ($22.50)!!! I was spending 2 days there and I purchased 2 1-day pass ($12.75/pass) which costed me more than a 7-day pass. Seriously? The pass also includes bus rides offered by the company. No matter how far the distance you are traveling, a ride costs you $2.40 (if you get a CharlieCard, otherwise $2.90 per ride). So, if you are taking the transportation more than 4 times a day, trust me, buy a pass. It just makes life better.
Accommodation
Like other big cities, spending a night in downtown Boston is not gonna be cheap. I stayed in two hostels for the two nights. Hi Boston and Fenway Inn by Found are two relatively cheap hostels in the area. They both provide breakfast (I didn't get to taste the breakfast of Found since I had to catch a bus at 6 in the morning orz) and are close to tourist spots and stations. I found Hi Boston more pleasant to stay in but you will have to pay an extra $4 per night if you are not a member of the organization. The hostel as well holds activities for guests which would be a great opportunity for backpackers to meet friends. I didn't take photos of Found though.
Hi Boston, 19 Stuart St, Boston, MA 02116
Fenway Inn by Found, 12 Hemenway St, Boston, MA 02115
Remarks
Remember to clip your ticket at visible position (see my photos where I clipped it on my tank top) in museums that require you to and do store your bulky items like backpack and coat at coatroom. Reach out to staff when you have questions. They are more than happy to help you out.
Shopping haul alert! Tax free for any transaction of clothing!
Comments