Coastal Nights then City Lights: Boston’s North Shore
I’ve been to Boston—but never went out to the north shore. A friend invited us to her oceanfront compound in Manchester by the Sea–and who are we to say no?
My wife Erin and I flew directly from Sarasota to Boston Logan International Airport. We took an airport shuttle bus to the subway, transferred to another line and then hopped on the train to the north shore. The whole thing took about two hours.
Our friend picked us up at the train station–and surprised us with another couple we knew from Sarasota. The five of us had a lovely few days exploring this charming town. I first heard of it ten years ago when Casey Affleck won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the drama, “Manchester by the Sea.”
The town was reportedly a “Gilded Age (1870-1900) summer resort destination for Boston’s elite and remains popular due to its lack of chain stores and touristy boardwalks.”
We walked around the historic downtown, admiring colonial homes that date back to the 1700s. The town itself is built around a harbor that features everything from luxury yachts to motor and sail boats.
The consensus highlights are Singing Beach (where the sand is said to admit a squeaking or “singing” sound) …Tucks Point (waterfront gazebo), and Masconomo Park (harbor-front bandstand).
But the real highlight for me as a lifelong tennis fan was to play on the pristine grass courts at the historic Essex County Club. This iconic resort began in 1893 and requires all players, tennis and pickleball, to wear all white and no backwards baseball hats or tattoos. (I made up the last one.)
Playing on grass is a little like hitting on a gym floor or even an ice rink: The ball stays low and skips fast. Our group had a difficult time keeping much of a rally going. I was relieved the next day when we played on Har-Tru or “clay courts.”
Erin and I went for walks each morning before the others got up, usually logging around 3-4 miles up and down the picturesque hilly roads lined with beautiful homes. We had lobster several times during the week, both at lunch and dinner. We attended a Happy Hour wine tasting in the downtown area and met some nice people.
When it was time to leave, our friend dropped us back at the train station where we found our way back into the city to spend the final two days of our five-day trip:
We stayed in Copley Square Marriott across a catwalk from the famous Prudential Tower—or as locals call it, “The Pru.” It is iconic because it’s credited with transforming the city’s skyline when it went up, all 52-floors, back in 1964. (Our hotel gave us passes to get to the observation deck, which was a nice surprise. Otherwise, the tickets are $34 each. Nice 360-view of this historic city.)
Limited on time and attempting to tackle a big city in front of us, we thought we could cover the most ground by getting a couple tickets to the hop-on-hop-off Old Town Trolley Tour. You could tell management instructed drivers to show personality. Each one had their own niche—one whistled between updates, another gave his opinions about issues and a third mumbled between his ‘dad jokes.’) www.TrolleyTours.com
We saw the Massachusetts State House, the Boston Common and the Public Garden, had (more) lobster at the wharf area and ice cream at Quincy Market. Along the way we saw the exterior of the bar that was used by the TV show “Cheers.” (Fun fact: In 2002, pub owners changed the name from Bull & Finch Pub to Cheers to cash in on the attention.)
I got up early the next day and walked a couple hours around Beacon Hill before we had to leave for our flight. Saw the Gardner Museum, Northeastern University–and the 13-acre Christian Science Plaza and reflecting pool. (Fun fact: That area is the largest publicly accessible private open space in the city.)
Back to the hotel to pack, take a shuttle to the airport—and back to Sarasota. It was a great hybrid vacation, the beauty of Manchester followed by the big city fix of Boston.
Ray Collins is a travel writer, media consultant and Sarasota Realtor. Other articles at www.RayCollinsMedia.com/articles
