Furniture in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum gives the opulent galleries a homey feel. Photograph by Brian Doben

48 Hours Boston: The Best of a City in Two Days
By Christina Ianzito

Diggin' Boston Now

In Beantown, art museums get a face-lift, new hotels spring up, and high tea is de rigueur.

Think you know Boston? The city that's a brain trust of universities and research hospitals, the Yankee town that’s steeped in early American history, a darn good place to get some "chowdah"? All true, still. But have you been here lately? Next year the Museum of Fine Arts breaks ground on a glassy new East Wing, and the Institute of Contemporary Art begins work on a new waterfront home. Stylish hotels are popping up all over Beacon Hill and near the formerly tawdry Theater District. A grand new convention center is under construction, anticipating the flood of Democratic Conventioneers arriving in July 2004.

Local historian Robert Allison says that while Boston does have a reputation for being conservative (if not stodgy), people here are actually quite open to change. "Bostonians embrace the past, they don’t simply shred it," says Allison, "but if you really look at history, you’ll find many innovations have come from this city—the mutual fund, the telephone, not to mention the American Revolution and transformation of government."

Then there's the "Big Dig"—the ongoing 14.6-billion-dollar project to sink the conspicuous elevated highway that splits the waterfront from the rest of the city and replace it with a system of tunnels and bridges. This enormous undertaking, many say, is what’s shaken this city out of complacency in the past few years. You can’t help focusing on the future when your front yard is a massive construction site.

FAST FACTS

Boston's population is 600,000, joined every September by 167,000 college students, attending the metropolitan area’s 47 colleges—and who keep the place hopping except for a few quiet summer months. Logan Airport is just across the harbor, a short cab ride from downtown, or for $10 the Airport Water Shuttle bounces between the Logan dock and Rowes Wharf, offering a stoplight-free entry into the city. Use the subway—called the T—or, better yet, use your feet to get around; this is a walking city, and much of what’s not to be missed is within strolling distance in the various neighborhoods that give the area its character including Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the North End, and the South End.

DON'T MISS

History here is never far away. Wherever you wander, you’ll cross paths with the Freedom Trail, a two-and-a-half-mile walk through America’s colonial past, from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown and the Old North Church in the Italian North End. There are other iconic Boston experiences worth considering, though: a visit to Boston Common and to the Public Garden to see the swan boats; hearing the Boston Pops play on the Fourth of July; or watching the fall regatta known as the Head of the Charles (October 18-19), the world's largest two-day rowing event. For whale-watching tours, Boston Harbor Cruises has naturalist-guided cruises to Stellwagen Bank.

The North End is one of the jewels of Boston and worth an extended visit. It's a one-third-square mile that's been a residential and merchant neighborhood since 1630 and solidly Italian since the 1920s—somehow managing to stay authentic even today, despite the influx of young urbanites. A culinary/historical tour of the area is led by Michele Topor, a chef who's lived in the North End for 30 years. She'll lead you through shops to taste biscotti, limoncello, and prosciutto, including a stop at Polcari's Coffee, which Topor calls "a real old-world shop selling 27 varieties of coffee beans and more than a hundred different herbs and spices."

On the artistic front, the Museum of Fine Arts boasts a permanent collection that encompasses Hopper, Renoir, Cassatt, Turner, and Monet, along with a large collection of Asian art. Special exhibitions in the works include "Rembrandt's Journey" (Oct. 26-Jan. 18), which displays the artist's range as an etcher, draftsman, and painter.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, home to the vast collection amassed by Gardner, a passionate art lover and Boston socialite (in her honor, the museum announced this year that anyone named Isabella is offered free admission for life). The works—Sargent to Velázquez to Titian—are displayed in her 15th-century Venetian-style palace a block and a half from the MFA. On weekends (Sept.-May), classical music concerts are held in the museum’s Tapestry Room, and lunch is served daily (except Mon.) in the small café.

WHERE THE LOCALS EAT

"I'm a late-night eater," says chef Todd English, of Olives fame, and his favorite stop is Teatro, a cavernous spot located in the Theater District. The kitchen is open until midnight and the food by popular local chef Jamie Mammano is "modern-rustic Italian"—antipasti and grilled pizza for starters, and main courses such as spinach and mascarpone ravioli with crème fraîche and parsley.

A few blocks from Teatro is Mantra, a cosmopolitan restaurant serving Indian-French fusion cuisine that was voted best new restaurant by Boston magazine last year. The pan-roasted cod is served with a coconut and ginger sauce, and the caramelized monkfish is paired with sour-cherry broth.

There's still plenty left of old Boston, though, best represented by the Union Oyster House, billed as America's oldest restaurant. Situated on the Freedom Trail near Faneuil Hall, it's a local landmark that's been selling New England seafood since 1826. Legend has it that Daniel Webster would regularly stop in to consume three dozen oysters, with brandy, for breakfast. JFK came on Sundays for lobster stew. "Locals are our bread and butter," says owner Joe Milano. "Ted Kennedy was in the other day, the mayor was here last week, and Senator John Kerry has a lucky stool that he sits on during election nights."

A sweet after-dinner stop is Finale Desserterie, the result of a field study by a trio of Harvard Business School students. One, Kim Moore, says they concluded that a plush dessert café with candlelight and offerings like molten chocolate cake couldn't fail. They were right, and there's now a Finale in the Theater District and in Cambridge.

NIGHTLIFE

For half-price theater tickets, go to one of the two BosTix booths—at Faneuil Hall and Copley Square—on the day of the show. The 2003-2004 season will feature hits like Urinetown and Hairspray. Beyond the Theater District, though, is the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, a nonprofit company that gets kudos for its renditions of works by Mamet and Shakespeare; September brings Chekhov's Lady with a Lapdog. And catch concerts at Boston Symphony Hall, the acoustically acclaimed venue that goes back 103 years. The Boston Symphony Orchestra will play here once the season begins on October 2.

TOP SHOPPING

The city's best shopping is down tree-lined Charles Street (which separates the Common from the Garden), for boutique clothing stores and a long line of antique shops. Wish has racks full of women's fashions from the likes of Trina Turk, Shoshanna, and Milly. Marika's Antiques is a mishmash of unique old jewelry and china, while Stephen Score Antiques is great for whimsical folk art.

On the west side of the Public Garden is Newbury Street, home to everything from chain stores like the Gap to higher-end shops such as Burberry, but the art galleries along this strip are one-of-a-kind. Lynda Saltz, art editor for the Newbury Street and Back Bay Guide, suggests the Barbara Krakow Gallery for contemporary art from artists like Sol LeWitt and Jenny Holzer. To see works from some of New England's finest painters, Saltz recommends checking out the nearly 90-year-old Guild of Boston Artists. Vose Galleries of Boston, established in 1841 and run by the fifth generation of Voses, has four stories of works by 18th- and 19th-century American painters.

Booklovers should head to Harvard Square in Cambridge for its eclectic mix of bookstores specializing in everything from literature to comics to architecture. Since 1927, the Grolier Poetry Book Shop has thrived on poetry alone.

LODGING

There's been an infusion of chic little hotels here lately, joining the quaint B&Bs such as A Cambridge House, Bed & Breakfast Inn near Harvard Square, which offers evening hors d'oeuvres and Victorian ambience, and the established and luxurious types like the Boston Harbor Hotel. The latter is one of the city's premier pampering places, with guest rooms with views of the Boston skyline and water. There's a health club with a spa, and the Airport Water Shuttle drops off guests at the hotel's dock.

The Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro sits one block from the Public Garden on Charles Street. It's decorated with black-and-white photography by Daniel Jones, plantation shutters, and flat-panel TV monitors. The bistro is a cheery place for breakfast, included in the price.

Located in the Financial District, Nine Zero is the much talked about new 190-room boutique hotel in the 21st century vein—bold colors, complimentary Internet access, and in-room printers—with a progressive French restaurant called Spire.

TRAVELWISE

Planning Your Trip

Sightseeing, Culture, and Shopping

American Repertory Theatre: +1 617 547 8300; www.amrep.org.
Barbara Krakow Gallery: +1 617 262 4490.
BosTix: www.artsboston.org.
Boston Harbor Cruises: +1 617 227 4321.
Boston Symphony Orchestra: +1 617 266 1492; www.bso.org.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace: +1 617 523 1300.
Grolier Poetry Book Shop: +1 617 547 4648.
Guild of Boston Artists: +1 617 536 7660.
Institute of Contemporary Art: +1 617 266 5152.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: +1 617 5661401; www.gardnermuseum.org.
Marika's Antiques: +1 617 523 4520.
Museum of Fine Arts: +1 617 267 9300; www.mfa.org.
North End Market Tour with Michele Topor: +1 617 523 6032; www.northendmarkettours.com.
Polcari's Coffee: +1 617 227 0786.
Stephen Score Antiques: +1 617 227 9192.
Vose Galleries of Boston: +1 617 536 6176.
Wish: +1 617 227 4441.

Restaurants, Bars and Food Shops

Café Louis: +1 617 266 4680.
Finale Desserterie: +1 617 423 3184.
Mantra: +1 617 542 8111.
Olives Boston: +1 617 242 1999.
Teatro: +1 617 778 6841.
Union Oyster House: +1 617 227 2750.

Lodging

Beacon Hill Hotel & Bistro: +1 617 723 7575; www.beaconhillhotel.com. $245-285 U.S.
Boston Harbor Hotel: +1 617 439 7000; www.bhh.com. $195-485 U.S.
A Cambridge House B&B: 800 232 9989 (U.S. and Canada); www.acambridgehouse.com. $99-290 U.S.
Nine Zero Hotel: 866 646 3937 (U.S. and Canada); www.ninezero.com. $199-289 U.S.
The Ritz-Carlton, Boston: +1 617 536 5700; www.ritz-carlton.com. $350-650 U.S.
The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common, +1 617 574 7100; www.ritz-carlton.com. $325-600 U.S.