In many respects, Boston is America’s most European city. Not for nothing is it situated in New England, that most verdant and gloriously pastoral of American states. Its sense of Old World comes from the fact that its streets are steeped in history, with countless legendary events taking place here. It should be noted for the British that we seldom come out of them very well, with the Boston Tea Party far less sedate and pleasant than the name implies. However, it’s still a glorious place to visit, whether you confine yourself to the upmarket streets of Beacon Hill, the more thriving central hub of the city proper, or if you nip across the river to the coffee shops and bookshops of the university campus, Cambridge.
If you’re looking to travel there on a long weekend’s city break, you’re spoilt for choice with places to stay. The Ames hotel in downtown Boston is a particularly fine option. From the Morgans group, who also have the Sanderson in London, it’s every bit as smart and chi-chi as you’d expect, with the stylishly minimalist rooms offering great views over the city, and it’s within easy reach of both the airport and the main shopping district. If you’re staying there you really have to try the Woodward restaurant for both breakfast and dinner – the Eggs Benedict with chorizo and smoked paprika hollandaise is literally to die for, while the evening offers such decadent delights as short rib tortellini and fresh Maine lobster roll. Along with the excellent Back Bay French restaurant L’Espalier, which offers the city’s premier fine dining experience, it’s an unmissable treat for any gourmand.
Boston is of course drenched in culture as well as heritage. The famous Isabelle Stewart Gardiner museum (soon to have a Renzo Piano-designed extension) is a fascinating look at a Boston grand dame’s house, kept exactly as she left it and studded with priceless works of art and artefacts. The nearby Museum of Fine Arts has also just been expanded and now has a new wing dealing with the Art of the Americas, giving it a grandiose feel akin to its cousin The Met. And if all this highbrow art-admiring gets a bit too much for you, the very cool Liberty Wharf area is stuffed with bars and restaurants, of which the aptly named Drink, which specialises in bespoke cocktails, is probably the best.
So, an unmissable destination. But how to get there? Well, we’d recommend flying Virgin Upper Class, which has to be one of the most pleasant ways to arrive at any destination. Not only do they pick you up from your home and take you through Heathrow via a specially dedicated private channel (meaning the whole process takes no more than a couple of minutes), you can use the Clubhouse to do anything from have a bite to eat and a drink pre-flight to having your hair cut at the special Bumble & Bumble salon. Not that it’s not similarly entertaining on board; if you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated mixologist on board the flight (we had the excellent Giles Looker from Soulshakers, who has done the cocktail lists for Meat Liquor and Whisky Mist), you can look forward to drinking some of the most excellent libations known to man thousands of feet above the Atlantic. Which, to be quite frank, is about the best way of arriving in Boston that we can imagine.
Virgin Atlantic fly daily to Boston from London Heathrow. Fares start at £256 + £301.73 tax. For reservations please call 0844 2092770 or visit www.virginatlantic.com
