Boston Encounter

Exiting Kendall Square, the red-line train emerges from the tunnel into the daylight. It trundles over the Longfellow Bridge, offering up 360 degrees of river, sky and city.

The sun glints off the River Charles, framing the sailboats that float silently in the basin. The handsome Back Bay brownstones line up along the shore in an orderly fashion, while the backdrop is a haphazard assembly of skyscraper spires. In the east, the gold dome of the State House peaks out from its perch on Beacon Hill. And in the west shines the Citgo sign. The passengers on the T take a momentary break from their commute to marvel at their city.

If Boston is lovely to look at from afar, she is even more intriguing up close. These narrow streets recall a history of revolution and transformation: Puritans fleeing persecution and setting up their model society; patriots protesting tyranny and building a new nation; philosophers and poets preaching and penning to change their world for the better.

Today, Boston is still among the countrys forward-thinking and barrier-breaking cities. This is most evident politically, where it is at the forefront of controversial issues such as supporting same-sex marriage and universal healthcare. Its also visible in the changing landscape of the city; Boston and its environs are now home to some of the countrys most cutting-edge architecture and innovative urban-planning projects. Culturally, Boston is shedding its staid and stodgy reputation, with a flourishing contemporary art and film scene.

No single element has influenced the city so profoundly as its educational institutions. As in the past, Bostons universities and colleges continue to attract scholars, scientists, philosophers and writers who shape the citys evolving culture. Students arrive from around the world, an endless source of energy for the youthful city.

Now the train has pulled into Park St station. Elbows out. Eyes alert. Lets see what Boston is all about.

Bustling Long Wharf on Bostons waterfront
GARETH MCCORMACK/LONELY PLANET IMAGES

It used to be easy to forget that Boston is a coastal city. For so many years, the waterfront was an unsavory, unsatisfying urban stretch. It was hard to get to, cut off by the traffic-laden Central Artery and later the Big Dig construction zone. More importantly, it was pointless to get to. Who wants to hang out amidst abandoned warehouses and polluted waters?

Times have changed, all ye seafaring folk. Following a massive, multimillion-dollar cleanup in the mid-1990s, the Boston Harbor now provides a spectacular scenic backdrop to the city, and its 34 islands provide an exciting urban-adventure destination for day-trippers and city-scapers.

If you are sailing your own boat, your options are unlimited. The islands are your oyster. Otherwise, its easy to get out to Georges Island or Spectacle Island by taking the Harbor Express ferry from Long Wharf. Either of these can serve as a launching pad to visiting the other islands and they are also destinations in their own right.

Georges Island is the site of Fort Warren, a 19th-century fort and Civil War prison which is largely abandoned, with many dark tunnels, creepy corners and magnificent lookouts to discover. Spectacle Island is a bit more civilized. After a recent revamp, it has a brand new marina, supervised beaches and a solar-powered visitors center. Five miles of walking trails provide access to a 157ft peak overlooking the harbor.

Other islands offer other adventures. Catch the interisland shuttle to Lovells Island to lounge on the rocky beach and to run with the rabbits; or to Grape Island to hunt for wild raspberries, bayberries and elderberries. Explore the remains of Fort Andrews on Peddocks Island, or follow the trails through fields of wildflowers on Bumpkin Island.

True salty dogs can take a tour out to Little Brewster to investigate the iconic Boston Light, the oldest light station, which dates to 1715. Climb the 76 steps to the top of the light for a close-up view of the rotating light and a far-off view of the city skyline.

And if thats not ample reminder that Boston is a city on the sea... for more.

Two Boston Harbor Lighthouses at sunset Boston Light on Little Brewster Island and Graves Light MA USA
SHARON/ALAMY

We can thank Frederick Law Olmsted for transforming the marshy, mucky Charles River Basin into Bostons favorite urban greenscape. In typical Olmsted style, the Esplanade is a centerpiece of the city, accessible from Beacon Hill, the Back Bay and further west in Brighton. It is an enticing and easy escape from the city, a delightful oasis that is always abuzz with hikers and bikers, runners and sunners, picnickers and play-scapers.

Free concerts and movies at the Hatch Memorial Shell are highlights of summer in the city. Indeed, this is where Bostons Independence Day celebration goes down, with a week of festivities leading up to the Boston Pops playing the 1812 Overture and an amazing display of fireworks lighting up the city sky.

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Rowers ready to embark on the Charles River - Boston, Massachusetts
KIM GRANT/LONELY PLANET IMAGES

Step onto Copley Sq and into the Athens of America. Bostons most magnificent architecture is clustered around this Back Bay plaza, symbolic of the culture and learning that gave Boston its nickname in the 19th century.

Facing off across the square are two masterpieces, each representing a pinnacle of artistic design. On one side, the original McKim building, which houses the , was inspired by an Italian Renaissance palazzo. Through Daniel Chester Frenchs bronze doorways, the library is filled with amazing murals (not to mention books).

At the opposite end of the square, the crowning achievement of Henry Hobson Richardson is the elaborate Romanesque , its interior adorned with magnificent stained glass.

And here off in the corner stands Bostons tallest, shiniest skyscraper, the John Hancock Tower, designed by James Cobb. But instead of stealing the show, it gracefully reflects the gorgeousness of the church in its mirrored glass faade.