Boston beckons the AAO for an early-spring annual meeting, May 1-5. The city’s most common nicknames—the Hub, the Athens of America, the Cradle of Liberty—reflect its status as both a crossroads of world culture and a seat of the nation’s history. Whether you’re seeking the latest hot trends or the ashes of the American Revolution, Boston has much to offer. In our annual convention preview, JCO highlights the things to do and places to see.
Climate and Transportation
Early May in Boston can be cool and foggy, with average highs in the low 60s and lows in the upper 40s. Plan for unsettled weather, but hope for a few of those gloriously warm New England spring days with all the flowers in bloom. Logan International Airport is not one of the easiest facilities to navigate. Each of the four terminals has its own ground transportation outside the baggage claim area; look for the signs for taxis (about $35 to Hynes Convention Center) or shared vans ($14 one way).
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Once you’re in town, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s subway system (the famous “T”, some of which is above ground) is an easy way to get around. The convention center is on the Green Line. One-way fares to anywhere in the city are $1.70 if you buy a CharlieCard in advance (www.mbta.com), $2 if you pay as you go.
Attractions
To get an overview of the city, take one of the sightseeing or historical Boston Harbor Cruises, or book one of the ubiquitous Boston Duck Tours, which use World War II amphibious vehicles to tour Boston neighborhoods and then cruise down the Charles River.
There are two economical ways to visit the major historic and cultural sites. The Go Boston Card (www.gobostoncard.com) provides general admission to dozens of attractions in the city and throughout New England, including virtually all of those listed below, with one-, three-, five-, and seven-day options.
Continuous red line represents the Freedom Trail. (Map courtesy of the U.S. National Park Service.)
CityPass offers about a 50% savings on admission to six top locations, including one of the world’s great art institutions, the Museum of Fine Arts (presenting special exhibits on Japanese and decorative arts during the AAO meeting). Another highlight is the splendid New England Aquarium (offering a family field trip called “Tidepool Trek” on May 2 and a class on pond and river animals on May 5). The Museum of Science is running an IMAX film called “The Greatest Places” and an exhibit on women in science. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum focuses on presidential memorabilia and archives. The Harvard Museum of Natural History, across the Charles River in Cambridge, is also included in the CityPass; its adjacent Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology has exhibits on “Lakota Images of the Contested West” and “The Archaeology and History of the Indian College and Student Life of Colonial Harvard." Finally, the pass provides admission to the Skywalk Observatory atop the Prudential Center, along with an audio tour.
Boston’s popular Faneuil Hall Marketplace at dusk. (Photo courtesy of Greater Boston CVB.)
The Giant Ocean Tank, a four-story coral reef exhibit, impresses visitors at the New England Aquarium. (Photo courtesy of New England Aquarium.)
Crew boats on the Charles River, with Harvard University in the background. (Photo courtesy of Greater Boston CVB.)
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum houses a gem of a collection assembled by a wealthy Boston couple around the turn of the last century; during the AAO convention, it will feature an exhibit called "Journeys East: Isabella Stewart Gardner and Asia". Other specialized museums include the Boston Children's Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the National Center of Afro-American Artists (with a show on "A Nubian King's Burial Chamber") and the Society of Arts and Crafts (presenting "American Enamels").
Just across the Charles River, in the Charlestown neighborhood, attractions include the U.S.S. Constitution ("Old Ironsides") and Museum and the Bunker Hill Monument (no elevator!). In Cambridge, the distinguished Fogg and Busch-Reisinger museums at Harvard are closed for renovation, but the Arthur M. Sackler Museum is presenting highlights from all three collections. The MIT Museum is focusing on contemporary sculptor Arthur Ganson; its Hart Nautical Gallery is a tour de force of underwater engineering. MIT is also sponsoring the Cambridge Science Festival at various locations through May 3.
Farther afield, top attractions include the Adams National Historic Park (homes of John and John Quincy Adams) in Quincy, the Hull Lifesaving Museum at Point Allerton, Plimoth Plantation (a replica of Wampanoag and colonial settlements from the 1600s) in Plymouth and the Rose Art Museum (featuring a Hans Hofmann painting exhibit) at Brandeis University in Waltham.
The best way to see historic Boston is to walk the 2 1/2-mile Freedom Trail, marked off by red bricks in the pavement. Don't miss Faneuil Hall, the market built in 1742, now filled with charming shops; Paul Revere House; and the Old North Church, where Revere flashed his legendary warning of the British advance. In fact, the city is full of stunning church buildings, including the First Church of Christ, Scientist (the “Mother Church”) and Trinity Church in Copley Square.
Performing Arts
Boston has perhaps the longest tradition of musical excellence in the United States. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Colin Davis, presents a program featuring the stunning Te Deum by Hector Berlioz on April 29-30 and May 1-2 in Symphony Hall. A talented early-music group, Boston Baroque, will perform “Mozart and the Haydns” (Franz Joseph and Michael) on May 1-2 in Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory of Music. Also in Jordan Hall, America’s leading soprano, Dawn Upshaw, will be in recital on May 3. The Moët Trio performs chamber music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Joan Tower, and Maurice Ravel on May 3 in the Gardner Museum. An intriguing world-music program, Shelley Neill’s “Irish Eyes Gypsy Soul”, is on tap on May 1 at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center.
The U.S.S. Constitution, “Old Ironsides”, is moored in the Charlestown Navy Yard. (Photo courtesy of Greater Boston CVB.)
Opera Boston presents Bedrich Smetana’s The Bartered Bride on May 1, 3, and 5 in the Cutler Majestic Theatre. The Boston Lyric Opera has W.A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni running through May 5 at the Shubert Theatre. For dance buffs, the Boston Ballet is presenting Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty through May 3 at the Citi Performing Arts Center, and Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theater 50th Anniversary Celebration runs April 28-May 3 at the Boston Opera House.
The Opera House is also presenting a touring production of the Tony-award-winning Broadway musical, Spring Awakening, April 28-May 24. The Boston University College of Fine Arts offers two dramatic plays, I Am My Own Wife (through May 10, at BU’s TheatreLab) and Trumpery: The Darwin Project (through May 3, on the BU Theatre Mainstage). The “longest-running play in the history of the American theater”, Shear Madness, is still bringing laughs at the Charles Playhouse, which is also presenting the ever-popular Blue Man Group. If you prefer improvisational comedy, try ImprovBoston or the Improv Asylum.
Restaurants and Nightlife
Restaurant recommendations are provided by our sister publication, Sommelier Journal. For fine dining, our top choices are L’Espalier, newly settled in the swanky Back Bay Mandarin Oriental; the highly regarded No. 9 Park, across the street from the state capitol; the wine-friendly Meritage, in the Boston Harbor Hotel; the innovative Clio and its sushi bar, Uni, in the Eliot Hotel; the hip Troquet, overlooking Boston Common; the elegant Radius, in the Financial District; and the classy Aujourd’hui, in the Four Seasons Hotel.
For more bistro-like fare, try the influential and unsurpassed Hamersley’s Bistro or the more refined Mistral, both on the South End. If you’re craving a New England lobster dinner, go to the venerable Locke-Ober or one of the many Legal Sea Foods locations. And to satisfy a sweet tooth, don’t miss the Chocolate Bar at Café Fleuri in the Langham Hotel.
The bar scene is led by the infamous Cheers on Beacon Hill; nowadays, it’s more of a tourist attraction, with a duplicate location in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. For live music, go to T.T. The Bear’s Place (punk rock and new wave) or Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge, Scullers Jazz Club at the Doubletree Guest Suites, the Top of the Hub at the Prudential Center (jazz), or Wally’s Café (jazz) on the South End.
Sports and Recreation
The Boston Red Sox are on the road during the convention, but will be home at Fenway Park for games against Cleveland, May 6-7, and Tampa Bay, May 8-10. The Volvo Ocean Race, one of the world’s premier yachting events, visits Boston’s Fan Pier from April 25 through May 16. Walkers can exercise for charity in the May 3 Project Bread Walk for Hunger, a 20-mile trek through Boston, Brookline, Newton, and Cambridge.
Weather permitting, the Boston area has some classic golf layouts worth exploring. Outstanding public tracks include the Braintree Municipal Golf Course, Brookmeadow Country Club in Canton, George Wright Golf Course in Hyde Park, Newton Commonwealth Golf Course, Pinehills Golf Club in Plymouth, Shaker Hills Golf Course in Harvard, and William J. Devine Franklin Park Golf Course near downtown Boston.
Shopping
Premier shopping malls include Copley Place in the Back Bay, Downtown Crossing, and The Shops at Prudential Center. Book lovers will appreciate the historic Brattle Book Shop downtown and the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge.
The Back Bay’s Newbury Street is the place to stroll for boutiques and galleries, including Alpha Gallery (contemporary), Gallery NAGA (contemporary), Robert Klein Gallery (photography), Lanoue Fine Art, L’Attitude (glass and other media), Mercury Gallery (fine art), Pucker Gallery (eclectic contemporary), and Martha Richardson Fine Art. Other artistic neighborhoods are Beacon Hill, featuring Judith Dowling Asian Art and Gurari Collections (antiquarian and contemporary), and the South End, with Berenberg Gallery (contemporary folk art), Boston Sculptors Gallery, Hamill Gallery of Tribal Art (African), and Vessels Gallery (pottery). The Keiko Gallery near Boston Common features contemporary Japanese arts and crafts.
Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox since 1912. (Photo courtesy of Greater Boston CVB.)
Shops, galleries, and restaurants line Newbury Street in the Back Bay. (Photo courtesy of Greater Boston CVB.)
