Lonely Planet - 48 Hours in Boston: USA Trips Travel Guide Book

WHY GO From world-class cuisine and cobbled colonial lanes to vintage shopping and crazed sports fanatics, Boston brews a colorful recipe for chaos. Itll take more than two days to crack Beantowns shell, but this sampler of sights and sounds is a wicked good way to get acquainted (or reacquainted) with the city.

While calculating how to best spend your 48 hours in Boston, start your day with a hearty breakfast and an uncanny mathematical phenomenon at Paramount, on Charles St. One of the most popular brunch spots for many years and counting, this bustling little joint features delicious fruit spreads and gut-busting sandwiches, but is perhaps best known for its bizarrely convenient seating rotations. Despite the crowded atmosphere, tables always seem to clear out by the time your eyes start searching for a place to rest your bottom. They call it a science. Were pretty sure its good karma.

Bolster your early jolt of caffeine with a wobbly ride on the MBTA subway, known to locals simply as the T. Youll hear the most perfect Bostonian accents as conductors announce upcoming train stations (next stop Pahk Street!). Bostons T is the countrys oldest subway and has been in operation since 1897. Charlie Cards (plastic swipe cards available from any uniformed employee) are rechargeable tickets that save passengers $0.30 per ride. The cards were named after poor old Charlie, a local legend made famous by the Kingston Trio; back in the old days you used to have to pay to get off the T and dear Charlie was stuck onboard forever because he couldnt pay the fare.

Exit the T at either Haymarket or State St Station for a leisurely stroll around the cheery marketplace of Faneuil Hall. Constructed in 1742 as a market and public meeting place, this brick colonial building is topped by its signature grasshopper weather vane. Although the hall was supposed to be exclusively for local issues, the Sons of Liberty called many meetings here, informing public opinion about their objections to British taxation without representation. Three additional buildings in the back make up the bulk of the marketplace. Known as Quincy Market, these granite colonial structures were redeveloped in the 1970s into todays touristy, festive shopping and eating center with over 20 restaurants and 40 food stalls. Try out your Boston drawl as you order a hot bowl of clam chowda for lunch, or sample some of the other Boston staples such as baked beans or live lobster.

After spending a disproportionate amount of money at one of the markets homemade-fudge stands, walk off your meal with a stroll through Boston Common and on to the Public Garden, a 24-acre botanical oasis of Victorian flowerbeds and weeping willows drooping over a lazy lagoon. Take a good look at the natural splendor while noting that in the 19th century this stunning garden was a tidal salt marsh (like the rest of Back Bay). For the quintessential Boston experience take a ride on the Swan Boats, a local tradition since 1877.

Ask anyone around town and theyll tell you that the ultimate Boston experience would be incomplete without venturing to the North End and eating at an Italian restaurant tucked away along one of the areas cobbled, medieval-esque streets. The problem is that there are so many great little family-owned joints to choose from and, to make matters worse, Bostons other neighborhoods are speedily stocking up on their fair share of amazing eating establishments. To appease even the harshest of critics, save your trip to Little Italy for dessert at Mikes, home of the worlds most perfect cannoli. Try your best to ignore the bakerys gaudy decorative mix of mural-sized mirrors framed like Renaissance paintings and buzzing neon lights casting blinding rays upon sweet-toothed customers. If you cant resist the call of the cannoli until after dinner then pick one up on the go as you ponder the infinite dinner options around town. We suggest heading back to Beacon Hill to dine in the smooth, brick wine cellar at Grotto, or at celebrity chef Todd Englishs yuppie pizza paradise Figs, but why not stumble upon your own eatery that the guidebooks dont know about. After dinner head to the towering Prudential Center and take a ride all the way to the top for some cocktail clinking at the swank Top of the Hub. Drink in the views of the twinkling city lights below while smooth jazz melts over the ivory piano keys in the corner.

As the evening winds down, make your way back to Charles St for some beauty sleep before another busy day tomorrow. For 140 years, those staying at 225 Charles St had to be dragged in kicking and screaming in order to spend the night. Today, the wretched Charles St Jail has been transformed into the luxurious Liberty Hotel. The hotels decor playfully references the buildings prison past. The restaurant, Clink (chuckle chuckle), preserves some old observation cells and the exquisite lobby soars to a 90ft ceiling (it used to be an indoor exercise space). For views of Boston from across the river, try spending the night at Hotel Marlowe. Although the abundance of sassy leopard prints is vaguely reminiscent of a 70s porno, the spicy decor will undoubtedly appeal to the retro swinger in all of us.