Cameron Sperance - Moon Boston

CAMERON SPERANCE

Welcome to Boston, a city on the cusp of its 400th birthday in 2030. While boldly looking forward to its future as the new Boston, it still warmly embraces its pastafter all, this is the birthplace of America. Lace up a pair of comfortable shoes, grab a coffee, and meander the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail to take in all 16 sites that commemorate the transformation of a rebellious group of colonies into a thriving global superpower.

History and higher education are Bostons backbone. The New England citys collegiate charm brings thousands of students to leafy campuses (and urban ones) around the metro area each fall. They are increasingly joined by a surge of new arrivals seeking employment in the regions booming technology and healthcare industries. James Beard Award-winning restaurants seem to pop up on every cobblestoned corner, with so many Bostonians flocking downtown throughout the year for beer gardens, piping hot lobstah rolls, food trucks, and summer concerts in the same spot that once housed never-ending traffic.

Despite its progressive vision of the future, Boston wants you to remember where it came from. From the snowy, gaslit streets of Beacon Hill to the Italian Renaissance architecture of Copley Squareand even with the glassy skyline on the riseBoston is a walk through time.

Freedom Trail Marker ()

Old State House ()

View of Zakim Bridge from Paul Revere Park ()

Boston Public Garden ()

The Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy Library ()

John Glover Statue at the Commonwealth Avenue Mall ()

Freedom Trail: Why read about history when you can walk through it? Follow the red-brick road and explore 16 key moments from Americas past (

Fenway Park: Even if you dont root, root, root for the Red Sox, Americas oldest ballpark is worth a peek ().

Harvard University: You cant pahk ya cah on the yahd, but its hard not to feel smarter after walking through the gates of Americas most esteemed university ().

Boston Public Garden: This array of seasonal plants and art installations is a must-see ().

Faneuil Hall: The Cradle of Liberty is more like the cradle of shops and restaurants today. Enjoy the street performers and stick around for nightlife ().

USS Constitution Museum: Old Ironsides is alive and kickinger, floating. See the ship that saved America ().

Shopping Newbury Street: From vintage and couture to quirky and risqu, Newbury Street continues to be Bostons retail mecca for all tastes, shapes, and budgets ().

Museum of Fine Arts: Bostons most comprehensive museum spans French Impressionism and cutting-edge contemporary worksall under the same roof ().

JFK Presidential Library and Museum: Relive Camelot while walking through this hard-fought presidential library on the shores of Boston Harbor ().

Classic Boston Eats: Lobster rolls and Boston cream pie, red sauce and Dunkin Donutsits hard to label one dish as Bostons best, so try them all ()!

THE BEST OF BOSTON

DAY 1: BEACON HILL, GOVERNMENT CENTER, AND CHARLESTOWN

Any visit to Boston should start with the Freedom Trail, the citys most popular tourist attraction. Grab a coffee and breakfast on Charles Street in Beacon Hill and wander a few blocks up Beacon Street along Boston Common, the starting point of the 2.5-mile trail. Continue up Beacon to the gold-domed Massachusetts State House.

the George Washington statue at the Boston Public Garden main gate

Following the redbrick course of the Freedom Trail will take most of the day. Stops eight and nine (Old City Hall and the Old South Meeting House) are in