This spring I have been busy updating Lonely Planet’s Boston city guide, as well as the Massachusetts chapters for Lonely Planet’s New England (both new editions forthcoming in 2025). LP has taken some excerpts from the Boston guide to create…
24 Reasons to Visit Boston in Winter
The map of Boston is a patchwork of oddly shaped and diversely formed districts, a so-called city of neighborhoods. Some were the original pieces of historic Boston, while others were once independent municipalities that were annexed by the larger city. But all…
Staycation
Somerville, Mass – The grandparents didn’t winter in Florida this year, which meant we could not go visit them during the twins’ February break, like we usually do. We made the best of it with a staycation right here in…
A Local’s Guide to Boston in Winter
Bostonians don’t let the weather stop us, even in the coldest months. This is New England, after all, so we know how to make the most of winter. Join us as we venture out into the icy air or retreat…
Skyline Loop at Blue Hills Reservation
Milton, Mass – Every so often, good fortune shines down on the youth of America, and Voting Day (the first Tuesday in November) and Veterans Day (November 11) occur in the same week. In Somerville, there is no school on…
Boston vs Chicago
I go head-to-head with my Chicago-based colleague, debating which city is best to visit, Boston vs Chicago. “I am a Midwesterner by birth and a New Englander by choice, so I feel well qualified to weigh in here. And considering…
Somerville Community Path
Somerville, Mass – Something wonderful happened in Somerville this summer. After many years of construction, they finally completed an extension of the Somerville Community Path, a paved rail trail that now connects the Minuteman Bikeway to North Point Park. The…
Boston’s Hidden History at BBC Travel
Some travellers come to Boston to follow The Freedom Trail past famous sights from the US’ colonial and Revolutionary history. Others wander around the hallowed halls of the Boston Public Library and the red-brick buildings of Harvard University. But Boston’s hidden history is rich and…
Tour of Boston’s Universities at BBC Travel
Some cities run on money, while others run on politics, but Boston runs on learning. Ever since Harvard College was founded in 1636, a cool 140 years before the US became a nation, Boston’s higher education institutions have been the…
Boston’s North End on BBC Travel
A small peninsula jutting into the harbor, Boston’s North End is one of the city’s oldest and most storied neighbourhoods. Puritans from England settled the area, followed by waves of other European immigrants whose red-brick homes still crowd the narrow,…