Birthday at the beach: Winthrop

Last weekend I had my first birthday in America.  Away from the summer drizzle in the UK, I headed to the beach for the day with a few girlfriends. We drove 30 minutes from one side of the city of Boston to the other, our destination: Winthrop Beach.

Located in the small town of Winthrop, the beach remains a secret destination to many; a place visited by the locals unlike the tourists of nearby Revere Beach.  There are lots of colourful beach houses with painted doors, large open decks and potted plants in the carefully tended front gardens.  The beach itself has lovely soft sand at one end (near the lifeguard) and a wildlife reservation for nesting birds at the other.

We soaked up the sun, went swimming in the ocean and walked along the beach.  Back in the day Winthrop Beach was a site for clam digging and lobster fishing; now the only digging activity that goes on requires a bucket and spade

On our way back to the car, the girls and I popped into the local marina to take in the view of the Boston skyline across the bay.  I thought the name of the boat “Outsider” was quite apt all things considering.

Winthrop Beach is open all year round from dawn to dusk.  The nearest T-stop is Orient Heights on the blue line – take the Paul Revere bus service to the beach (map). (Probably best to drive there and park on the ocean front)

What to do with friends in summertime Boston?

This weekend some very good friends came to visit Boston. Ali and Dan, like me, made the big JUMP across the pond seven months ago; moving from our north London neighborhood to the USA. Both are rather good writers and have kept wonderful online journals of their antics in Philadelphia (visit Ali’s blog here and Dan’s blog here). Needless to say, the three of us have a lot in common and I was really looking forward to showing off my new stateside city.

We spent most of the weekend outside on bikes or at the beach. Here is a selection of things we did:

Friday

• Watch street performers of Quincy Market entertain the Friday night crowds.
• Spot sailors in uniform roaming about town for the annual Boston Harbor “Tall Ships” Festival.
• Grab a cool beer at the Sail Loft on Atlantic Avenue whilst watching the boats moor on the wharf.

Saturday

• Rent bikes from UrbanAdventours (prices start at $35 per 24hrs). We cycled four routes stopping off where something fun took our fancy:
  1. Aquarium- along the Charles River Reservation- MIT…
  … Stopping at Massachusetts Avenue Bridge to take in the view of the Boston skyline.
  2. MIT – along Massachusetts Avenue- Harvard Square…
  …Stopping at Harvard Yard for ice cream while basking in the sun of the historic university grounds.
  3. Harvard Square – along the Emerald Necklace bike path (Back Bay Fens section) – Longwood Medical Area…
  … Stopping at the rose garden (see earlier post) and Harvard Medical School.
  4. Longwood Medical Area – along the Emerald Necklace bike path (Brookline section) – Jamaica Pond…
  … Stopping at the boat house by Jamaica Pond to watch the swans on the water.
• Wander around the Italian Quarter in the North End and dine at Nico’s where violent gangster movies are screened during dinner!
• Nip into Matt Murphy’s at Brookline Village for a night-cap.

Sunday

• Walk through the Boston Public Gardens
• Grab lunch at the Parish Cafe on Boylston Street where the best sandwiches in Boston are served.
• Paddle in the water at Revere beach while eating ice cream

Boston to Provincetown

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One of the great things about living in Boston is the ease of taking day-trips to lots of fantastic places outside of the city. Another great thing about Boston is the persistent sunny weather. A day-trip plus sunny weather is … Continue reading →