Boston

Boston, Bargains and Beers at Cheers

Boston welcomed us with traffic. The Greyhound crawled along Interstate 90, while the city waited somewhere beyond the windows. At least the coach had free Wi-Fi, so we could pass the time online and pretend that sitting in traffic was part of the plan.

By the time we arrived, it was late. We found the first hotel we could and booked a room. It had a bath and a bed, which seemed like a success at the time. Then we saw what it had done to the budget.

The following morning, Bryan was up early and searching for a cheaper option. Just five minutes’ walk away, he found a YMCA. It was clean and warm, and it looked like the answer to our prayers - or at least to our accommodation budget.

There was just one discovery to make. Booking the room online through Booking.com was cheaper than turning up and paying at the desk. So we borrowed the Wi-Fi, made the booking, and then checked in.

It felt a little like asking to use someone’s phone to book a taxi from outside their house. Still, it worked.

With our hotel sorted, we spent the day exploring Boston on the Old Trolley. It was a lovely city, full of handsome buildings and streets that seemed to invite you to slow down and have a proper look around.

The trolley also took us out to the harbour, where our ticket included a boat trip. The sky was bright blue, the sun was shining, and Boston’s skyline looked wonderful from the water. After the traffic and the late-night hotel hunt, it was a very good way to spend the day.

Then came Cheers. For Bryan, it was a must-see. Jody was more interested in the music, the atmosphere and the nachos, which sounds like a perfectly sensible way to enjoy the place.

Afterwards, we went for a walk through what the trolley driver had called the “Antique side of town”. The streets were lit by soft lamps, with brick paving beneath our feet and Christmas decorations adding a little sparkle to the shopfronts. There were restaurants, pretty little shops and all sorts of charming old buildings.

It was the sort of place where you could happily wander without needing a destination. For once, we didn’t need to be rescued by the trolley.

Boston had given us a slow journey, a hotel that dented the budget, a cheaper room found through borrowed Wi-Fi, a harbour boat trip and a visit to Cheers. By the end of the day, we had seen the city from the water and on foot, with plenty of time for music, nachos and Christmas lights.

The trip was already teaching us a useful lesson: the first price you see is not always the best one. It was just a shame the lesson had arrived after we’d booked the first hotel.

Hotel reviews

Overall city experience: 7/10

Christmas decorations: 5/10