Boston – revelling in its American Revolutionary heritage, capital of Massachusetts since 1630, home to the Freedom Trail, Fanueil Hall, the Old State House … but there is a newer, more-cutting edge side to Boston as well.
I could spend hours looking out over Boston harbour from the glassed-walled gallery at the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. Cantilevered over the water, the observation deck is one of the ICA’s architectural highlights. Inside, the works are revolutionary. Not ‘Revolutionary’ in the 1776 sense, but edgy. The painting, sculpture and photography shown here challenge traditional tastes in art.
Opened in 2006, the ICA was Boston’s first new art museum in a century – and the catalyst for dramatic changes in Fort Point, just over the bridge from downtown. Abandoned waterside warehouses have been transformed into a hip, fun area for locals and visitors alike, just a few minutes’ walk from the city’s main historic attractions.
Nothing attracts people like restaurants and in Fort Point some of America’s top chefs have created cool places to meet and eat. At Flour Bakery + Café, Joanne Chang’s buttery brioche, muffins and cakes are the talk of Boston. Of superstar-chef Barbara Lynch’s half-a-dozen restaurants in Boston, two are here. Sportello is a contemporary take on an Italian trattoria; Menton is a special-occasion place, with awards galore. My favourite has to be Row 34. With an industrialchic look inside and tables under awnings outside, this is a celebration of seafood. Add in a 50-beer menu, including six on draft that are made in Massachusetts, and I am a happy man.
But these are all relative newcomers. First on the scene were artists. Back in the 1970s, they started transforming some of the old warehouses into studios. Word spread of the high-ceilinged, large-windowed work spaces and now the Fort Point Arts Community boasts about 300 members, from potters and jewellers to digitalmedia artists. Look for open studios, pop-up exhibitions and galleries. And, for that special gift, check out the Made in Fort Point boutique, a showcase for 75 of the best local artists.
One former factory has been recycled in a different way – as a hotel. In the Residence Inn Boston Downtown/Seaport, the utilitarian beams and brick walls, white tiles and steel walkways look oh-so trendy, but they are original to this building, which dates from 1901!
Every time I visit Boston, there are new things to see and do. HarborWalk, an ambitious project that now stretches for 47 miles along the waterfront, offers yet another way to see the USA’s mostwalkable city. Actually, I prefer to cycle, turning off the trail into the side streets of Fort Point, to explore the newest district in this very old city.
