A Boston Weekend

I spent the weekend in Boston as a tourist for the first time. We cashed in hotel points from years of work-related travel and hunkered down at a Hyatt Regency with the kids. Because temperatures were in the 90s and the humidity was obscenely high, most of the weekend was spent with fountain-soaked children in both Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden when not in the hotel pool.

As much as I like the small town we are currently living in, the weekend proved that I would quickly leave it behind for the city if money and a quality public school permitted. I was reminded of just what an international city Boston is, with people from all over the world vacationing, studying, and living there. There is an undeniable pulse that you can’t find in the country (in addition to certain smells) and I want to make sure my family is exposed to it regularly, not just the occasional weekend.

The city has changed so much during the eight or so years I was away. Most profoundly, of course, is the sinking of the Central Artery and the parks, playgrounds, and walkways that took its place. But there is also just an amazing amount of development in terms of the number of buildings being built and those being restored.

The city puts on a good show when traveling with kids. From the playgrounds, fountains, carousels, entertainers, and special events there is so much to do and see that appeals to small people, particularly my kids who are still highly suspicious of the forest we live in, seeming to prefer an urban jungle.