Top Five Destinations of Boston

I?ve been to Boston twice now. On the first trip, I saw the bar where they shot the exterior for ?Cheers? and saw some statues of little ducks in a park that had some meaning. (Ok, I looked it up and it?s from a children?s story called ?Make Way for Ducklings,? so that?s pretty cool.)

The second time though, I got to spend a week. I got a feeling for the passions of the town. I got to see the friendliness up close as a person stopped my friends and I and asked us if we needed help to where we were going and not in a smart ass way. That?s pretty cool and really a big part of the beauty of this historic town. Here are the five things that I still remember from that trip to this day and that I would suggest to you when you make the trip.

See a Sox game at Fenway Park

Not listed: Laughing at depressed Boston fans

First of all,?Fenway Parkis the oldest ballpark in the major leagues, built in 1912 and the one thing I remember about it is that it didn?t feel old. The lines to get concessions were short even though the stadium was packed. There was plenty of room to walk around. When you stepped into your seat though and you could look across to the Green Monster, you realize that is the same wall where Babe Ruth, Joe and Dom DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Carl Yastrzemski and countless other stars of the American League played in that same shadow.

Enjoy the serenity of Walden Pond

I suppose there are quite a few connections between great books and nature. Jon Krakauer?s ?Into Thin Air? and ?Into the Wild? come to mind, as do ?The River Why? and ?A Walk in the Woods.? The precursor to all of these though is ?Walden? and?Walden Pond is the inspiration to that masterpiece. Strolling the path and reflecting on the writing is a perfect way to spend a quiet afternoon.

Eat a cannoli from Mike?s Pastry

I believe that some foods taste like heaven, though I have no clue what heaven tastes like. I just know that one of those foods is at?Mike?s Pastry in Boston?s North End. I had a cannoli there that still haunts my taste buds. I?ve tasted several since and none even come close. I look forward to returning and tasting heaven again.

Get a bowl of chowder from Faneuil Hall

In the middle of downtown there?s Faneuil Hall, built in 1742, 34 years before the start of the American Revolution. There are not too many cities in the United States that can boast historical buildings like this one. It was built as a marketplace and is still used as such, so why not sit down, get a bowl of chowder and imagine you?re living two hundred and seventy years ago.

Walk through the New England Holocaust Memorial

The New England Holocaust Memorial has to have one of the greatest ratios of the simplicity of the monument to the emotions that the monument generates. (I would figure the Vietnam Wall would also top this list.) Six towers, each represent a concentration camp of World War II and one path walks through each of the towers. If stops me short right now as I think about it. See it.

Any suggestions for things that I missed? Any additional recommendations for the area? Just let me know in the comments.