Boston is different from any other city. There's no such thing as a bad day to spend in Boston, but here are eight of my favorite.
1. Marathon Monday
Patriots Day. The first Monday of April Break. But more so than that, Marathon Monday. There are few days more vibrant than this one. The city shuts down for an entire 26.2 miles. From Hopkinton to Boylston Street the course is lined with Boston’s finest fans, cheering on outstanding athletes from all over the world. The screams are piercing and the noise bounces off the walls of people that grow and grow as the course comes to end. Marathon Monday is a testament to the enormity, the strength, and the pride of Boston.
2. Christmas
Every city is magical when draped with Christmas lights and filled with Christmas music. But there’s something about Christmas time in Boston that separates us from all the other Christmas cheer. From the lighting of the two biggest trees in Boston – the one in Boston Common and the one in Faneuil Hall Marketplace, to ice skating on Frog Pond, there is no shortage of joy and holiday cheer in this city. The North End is covered in lights and the Nutcracker is being performed at Symphony Hall. No winter weather can knock the Christmas spirit of Boston down, and there is a joy and excitement that echoes through the city streets.
3. The First (actual) Day of Spring
We all know that the first day of Spring is March 20. However, in our city, that day is pretty insignificant. The real first day of Spring is the first warm day of the year. Sometimes it comes early, sometimes its late. Boston’s weather is far from consistent, but when that one 80 degree day rolls around, the city erupts with excitement and joy that at last Winter is over. The Charles River is packed full of runners and bikers, every inch of grass is covered in picnic blankets and Frisbee games and sun bathers, and all of the college greens are full of students “studying outside." No one celebrates the first (real) day of Spring better than Bostonians.
4. Red Sox Opening Day
Fenway Park. Need I say more? There aren’t really words to describe the magic that this ball park holds. Fenway Franks and the Green Monster and Sweet Caroline and Yawkey Way. There’s nothing sweeter than driving down the Pike and seeing the lights on, or walking across the bridge and hearing the cheers. It all starts on opening day, one of the best days to be in Boston.
5. Any Championship Parade
In Boston we pride ourselves on our sports teams. It’s in the culture, it marks the seasons, and it unites the city. Anyone who is really from Boston cheers for the Pats and the Sox and the Bruins and the Celtics. There’s simply no room for debate. The commitment to our teams is something that Boston holds true to year after year. It does help, though, that our teams aren’t that bad. Since 2004 Boston has won a total of 18% of all four major sports championships. Not too bad. When we win, as we frequently do, the city shuts down, and Bostonians flock to the streets to celebrate with the duck boats that carry our winning team. Rain or shine, hot or cold, you can count on hundreds of thousands of fans to take off work to cheer all day long. We can count on our teams to bring home championships, and they can count on us to cheer them on. Boston knows how to celebrate.
6. The Fourth of July
Barbeques and The Esplanade and The Pops and Dunkins Iced Coffee. Boston’s got it all for summer holidays, but the Fourth is definitely one worth spending downtown. The Charles is overflowing with people in red, white, and blue. Picnic blankets and lawn chairs fill the grass. Speakers are set up for miles along the river. There’s no such thing as a bad seat, you can see the firework show for miles. The city is budding with energy and excitement. There are few places more patriotic than Boston on the Fourth of July. You have to spend at least one with us in Boston, it’s wicked awesome.
7. The First (real) Day of Fall
New England is something special during the months of October and November. In Boston, there are a few short weeks where everything is perfectly crisp and the leaves are falling and the city is covered in every color. It’s that perfect temperature where it’s chilly but not cold. Apple orchards and hay rides, pumpkin patches and PSL’s, there’s nothing better than the first (real) day of Fall. Everyone needs to experience Boston in the Fall.
8. The First Snow
In Boston we get a lot of snow. But there’s something different about the first one. The first snow day. When the city is blanketed in fresh snow, not the muddy piles that accumulate a few snows in. The city is quiet. Boston is rarely quiet. But when the snow falls, everyone slows down for a moment. You can hate Winter all you want, but there is no Bostonian who will say that there isn’t something special about the beauty of that first snow.
And the list goes on. Really, there isn’t a bad day to be in Boston. From the beauty of each different season to the pride that brings the city together, any day is a good one. Boston knows how to have a wicked good time.
