BOSTON: SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW
When Boston (meetboston.com) was founded in 1630, King Charles I was on the throne of England. Today, as you walk through the city, reminders of the past are everywhere. Take The Old North Church (oldnorth.com), which celebrates its 300th this year. It played a famous role back in 1775, when lighted lanterns in the steeple signalled to Colonists that British troops were on the move. Next day, when the two sides met, shots were fired – and the American Revolution began.
But there's more to Boston than historic sites. The city has long been a hub of creativity and invention. Discover more on the new self-guided Innovation Trail, whose mobilefriendly website (theinnovationtrail.org) links sites of worldchanging discoveries, from anaesthetic and the telephone to Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.
In fact, Boston is the world's top biotech city, thanks to universities, such as Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And, if you ever wondered what ‘biotech' really means, let alone AI and genetics, head for the new MIT Museum (mitmuseum.mit.edu), which explains all to science – and non-science – buffs.
But everyone can enjoy Boston's harbour. Great fun is getting out on the water on a Boston Harbor Islands Lighthouse Tour (bostonharborislands.org). As well as a fabulous view of the city skyline, you visit Boston Light, which first signalled to sailors in 1716. That makes it America's oldest lighthouse.
But there are 44 more on the new Massachusetts Lighthouse Trail (visitma.com/lighthousetrail) that stretches from Cape Ann, north of Boston, to Cape Cod and the Islands in the southeast.
As the Gateway to New England gears up for its own 400th the list of ‘new' and ‘revamped' increases. Later this year, View Boston (viewboston.com), on the 52nd floor of the Prudential Building, will provide an unbeatable panorama for the ultimate selfie, as well as a bistro and sunset cocktails.
Unveiled on the Martin Luther King federal holiday weekend back in January, The Embrace is a massive 22-ft tall bronze sculpture on Boston Common, America's first public park. The entwined arms reference the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr and his wife, Coretta, who met and fell in love here in the city in the 1950s (kingboston.org).