Sailawaze Boston cruise port guide: What to see, do & eat in Massachusetts city
Words by Nick Dalton
Boston is a fascinating city, with more waterfront that you could possibly walk in several days, a starfish-shaped wonderworld of sea, bays and rivers lined with history – this is where the USA was born, of course.
Boston cruise port is the starting and finishing point for many cruises that sail the New England coast and around eastern Canada’s Maritime Provinces, often going as far as Quebec City.
The Massachusetts city is therefore a great place for a pre- or post- Boston cruise stay with large swathes of very walkable Victorian homes and other buildings along with parks, gardens, monuments and museums.
It also has the US’s oldest subway system, the MBTA (simply known as the T in the city whose Tea Party was central to the American Revolution), wonderfully clanky and dating back to 1901.
Where to eat and drink in Boston
Waterfront spots
There are a few! The Seaport area has more than its fair share… the Barking Crab is a deck under red and yellow striped tent (wood-burning stove for cooler nights) with a wealth of local beers, lobster (baked, panfried, steamed, grilled and more) plus burgers and, naturally, crab.
On a pier but just around the corner from Faneuil Hall, is Joe’s Waterfront, a bar and grill with bouillabaisse sitting alongside steaks. Different again is Night Shift Brewing, a brewpub on Lovejoy Wharf, by the Charles River locks, looking towards Bunker Hill – try the 6% Santilli American IPA.
Pauli’s
Not all Boston restaurants are on the waterfront; Pauli’s is a small, crazed, family-run spot in the historic North End district, just off the Freedom Trail and around the corner from the house of US independence fighter Paul Revere. Basically a shop front with half a dozen tables, always packed (and with a crowd waiting for takeaways), thanks to the fame of their lobster rolls, along with a vast chalkboard menu of wraps, sandwiches – and ‘chowdah fries’, clam chowder-doused French fries. Find out more.
Krasi
A wine bar celebrating Greece in drink and food, particularly meze, amongst the rich restaurant and bar community on and around the Victorian beauty of Newbury Street, close to the river. Enjoy the pavement setting, busy indoor tables or perch at the bar. Dozens of Greek varieties, from $16 a glass to a bottle of Santorini red for $325. Find out more.
Grace By Nia
Supper club in a modern setting in the Seaport area. Southern soul food – fried catfish bites, bourbon peach ribs – while a soulful band plays on stage. The award-winning concept of local chef Nia Grace, this is a different face of Boston. Find out more.
