www.bostonusa.com 1 888 See Boston
It might be a little difficult to visit this week during the Democratic National Convention with over 29,000 extra people expected and major highways into the center city scheduled to be closed….but there is always next week for this great destination!
I called hotels in the city and up to ten miles out and no rooms were available in town and very limited availability out in areas like Woburn. According to one clerk there they had limited rooms left, required guaranteed payment and every hotel required longer than a one night stay. I was told there will be no way to get in to the city. Even if they have a room they have many more specific rules on reservations and sometimes no time to talk to you on the phone!!
****First getting there: Flights can be as low as $59 specials one way on Airtran from BWI up to $279 from National. Amtrak runs $270 with reserved seating and $200 without, the best bargain is the China Town Bus at $35 round trip to NYC and then $10 each way to Boston.
So let’s talk about some of the key attractions in Boston for your visit after August lst. The website BostonUSA.com allows you to totally plan and put together your trip with hotel packages, tours, coupons and more.
**Many cruises on the Charles River and Back Bay. The highest building in Boston is the I M Pei designed Hancock Tower. They have an observation level but it may be closed for security reasons.
**Everyone must ride on the Swanboats. It’s almost as much fun to sit on a bench in the park and watch them float by.
**Historic Quincy Market at Faneull Hall Market Place - shopping eating all the things we do best. This is the lively core of Boston's historic waterfront, and the nation's premier urban marketplace. Housed in 3 beautifully restored 19th century buildings, its 125 shops and 21 restaurants offer tantalizing delicacies & unique gifts in a festive atmosphere that spills onto cobblestone streets filled with an amazing variety of street performers.
Phone: 617-523-1300 Fax: 617-523-1779
**Historic Copley Square surrounded by architecture from the mid 1800’s the MFA, Trinity Church and more.
**There is a wonderful Freedom Trail within walking distance to all major hotels in Boston. The trail includes sixteen sites along a 3 mile walking tour where you experience the history of America's revolution at the real locations. There is a four-color folding guide to all the sites with useful coupons which can be redeemed along the trail.
The John Kennedy Library.
Ethnic neighborhood celebrations.
**Begin at the Boston Common Visitor Center to visit African American National Historic Sites along the Black Heritage Trail. The first site is the Shaw Memorial, across from the State House. Explore the rich history of Beacon Hill's 19th century Black community.
Phone: 617-742-5415
If you have time stop at the Museum of African American History - African Meeting House/Abiel Smith School The Meeting House is the oldest extant black church building in the United States built by free African American artisans. The African Meeting House and Abiel Smith School on Beacon Hill, both built in the early 1800's, are two of the Museum of Afro-American History's most valuable assets. Located in what once was the heart of Boston's 19th-century African American community, these buildings remain a showcase of black community organization, and enduring testimony to black craftsmanship
8 Smith Court, Boston, MA 02108 Phone: 617-725-0022 Fax: 617-720-5225 history@afroamuseum.org www.afroammuseum.org
**You can even take a tour of the historic Fenway Park and The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston has the hottest ticket in town sold-out seats to Boston Red Sox games! Starting from $375 a night, the hotel's Play Ball package includes two infield grandstand tickets to see this storied team in action.
****One of two really big events happening that include all sorts of special hotel deals is the Art Deco show at the Museum of fine Arts Glamour and luxury: the style and the age August 22, 2004–January 9, 2005 Tickets are on sale now. The hood ornament of a 1935 Auburn 851 ‘Boat-Tail’ Speedster embodies the streamlined elegance of the 1930s. “Art Deco: 1910–1939” brings the luxurious style of the era. Art Deco, arguably the most popular style of the twentieth century, is indelibly linked to the modern world. “Art Deco: 1910–1939” displays dazzling facets of the era, opening a door to an age of refined design, elegant lifestyle, and modern technologies.
An overwhelming success at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, the exhibition opens at the MFA, its final venue, on August 22. Among the show’s highlights is a re-creation of the Grand Salon from the Hôtel D’un Collectionneur, a room rich with craftsmanship originally displayed at the 1925 Paris Exposition, the defining moment of Art Deco. Other design masterpieces include a Cartier vanity case in the form of an Egyptian sarcophagus, Tamara de Lempicka’s world-famous painting, Jeune fille en vert, and a sumptuous lacquered bed shaped like a canoe. Fashionable taste and the pleasure pursuits of the era are embodied in shimmering evening gowns, modern jewelry, cocktail shakers, cigarette holders, and numerous other luxury pieces.
Works in glass, plastic, and chrome reveal the advent of new materials and the streamlining of design, while an astonishing array of furniture, light fittings, sculpture, and ceramics represent skyscrapers, a dominant image of 1920s and ’30s American aesthetics. Enter this glamorous world of modernity and change, and enjoy the decorative forms, luxurious objects, and sleek, machine-age materials of Art Deco.
This exhibition was organized by the V&A Museum, London. The most comprehensive Art Deco exhibition to date, Art Deco: 1910 – 1939 traces the development of the style through a variety of media including furniture, textiles, decorative arts, fashion, photography and paintings and was developed by the Victoria and Albert in London. Start Date: 08/22/2004 End Date: 01/02/2005
The Fairmont Copley also has a package for this exhibit featuring an overnight stay and two tickets to the Art Deco exhibition.
Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel 138 St. James Ave. Boston, MA 02116 Phone: 617-267-5300 800-441-1414 Fax: 617-437-0794 www.fairmont.com/copleyplaza
****The second blockbuster event is the:
The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy Exhibition making its U.S. premiere at the Museum of Science on August 1, 2004. Admission to the exhibition will be by timed ticket only and includes a separate ticket for General Exhibit Hall admission that can be used on the same day or within six months: adults $19, seniors $17, and children $16. Ticket reservations will be available by reserving online at www.mos.org/lotr or by calling 617/723-2500, 617/589-0417 (TTY).
Developed by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in partnership with New Line Cinema, the producers of the film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy—The Exhibition features hundreds of pieces of memorabilia from the epic film trilogy including original costumes and jewelry, as well as the One Ring itself.
Immersed in film props, visitors can explore the groundbreaking technology used in the films such as computer-generated special effects and animatronics, and hear from cast, crew, and director in exclusive "behind-the-scenes" interviews shown on videos throughout the exhibit. An interactive scaling activity reveals how filmmakers can make the actors appear to be tiny hobbit-sized or large wizard-sized, using an ingenious mix of trick photography, forced perspectives, and props made at different scales. Visitors can also see themselves transformed as hobbit or wizard-sized in their own photo.
The exhibit is coming to the Museum of Science from Singapore where it is currently on display. The next city on the tour after Boston is Sydney. www.tepapa.govt.nz/TePapa/English/
http://ww11.e-tractions.com/mos/servlet/Gamelet
Many hotels are offering Lord of the Ring Packages also.
LORD of the RINGS Hotel Package - Millennium Bostonion, a European boutique hotel. The Package includes: Classic King Balcony Accommodations overlooking Faneuil Hall; Full American Breakfast for two in Seasons; Two general admission vouchers to the exhibition; A Special Welcome Gift. Rate: $299.00 Classic Balcony Accommodation.
Start Date: 08/08/2004 End Date: 10/16/2004
Millennium Bostonian Hotel, Boston Faneuil Hall Marketplace Boston, MA 02109 Phone: 617-523-3600 800-343-0922 www.millenniumhotels.com
The Four Seasons Hotel Boston is New England's Only AAA Five Diamond & Mobil 5 Star Hotel#1 Hotel in Massachusetts - Conde Nast Traveler Gold List 2004 #1 Hotel in New England, one of Top Ten in US- Zagat Survey 2004
Also offering many special packages. Four Seasons Boston 200 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02116 617-351-2161 www.fourseasons.com
**A good booking service to try is Quikbook.com. They specializes in upscale and boutique properties in the most sought-after cities and resort destinations throughout North America. For more information or to make reservations, call the reservation center at 800-789-9887 or 212-779-7666, Monday-Friday, 9:00a.m.- 8:00 p.m., and weekends from 10:00 a.m. - 6: 00 p.m. Eastern Time, or e-mail info@quikbook.com. The Web address is www.quikbook.com.
