All the way to BDA

[offshore171]

Did you get a chance to see the golf course behind Reg Grundy's house?

No, what did I miss?

 

[JohnK]

No, what did I miss?

Nothing. Looks nice.

 

[offshore171]

Time for another update!

Leaving Bermuda, your direct flight options are (from memory): JFK, Philly, Miami, Atlanta, Toronto and Boston. Going the other direction there's London Gatwick or Paris. Some flights are seasonal, but that's the main options.

Having never visited Boston and hearing many positive comments, that was where we headed next.

This involved a 2.5 hour Delta flight, arriving in Boston late afternoon. Logan airport is remarkably close to the downtown area, and we were at the Langham in about 15 minutes from the Airport.

The Langham is well located in the middle of downtown, and Boston is unusually walkable for a US city. We found that most attractions could be walked to, or would require at most a short metro ride.

The next day we headed out for a day trip to the historic coastal village of Salem, best known for the 17th Century Witch Trials.

You can get there by Train or Ferry. The ferry wasn't operating on the day due to heavy ocean swells.



tbc

 

[offshore171]

So Salem then.

In a word, disappointing. Unfortunately, the local authorities don't appear to have done any planning or coordination on how to preserve and present their town to the world. So it's ended up as a real race to the bottom of kitsch souvenir shops and hot dog stands.

We were hoping to see an historic seaside village, and the 'bones' are there, (no pun intended) but unfortunately the tackiness has really overwhelmed the place.

October is the big month in Salem, with Halloween and all.

A couple of highlights though:

The graveyard. This is the real deal, an historic graveyard with tombstones going right back to the 17th century. Many of the headstones have some interesting stories to tell. Unfortunately they've allowed souvenir shops and kebab stands to build virtually right up to the edge of the cemetery. Incredible.



Salem Common (the main public park) is quite nice.

Interestingly, in today's SMH there's a feature on Salem:

The US city that's a real life town of horror

Back to Boston then... TBC...

 

[offshore171]

Back in Boston and the streets are buzzing. I ask the Uber driver what's going on.

The Boston Red Sox are playing the NY Yankees - the arch enemy - in the playoffs. Tonight. At Fenway Park. You couldn't script it.

(They have since gone on to win the whole thing last week).

Good vibe at Quincy Market:



Dinner is at a bustling Bostonia Public House, a gastropub in one of the side streets in the downtown area.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/bostonia-public-house-boston-4

 

[offshore171]

Next is a walk through Boston Common and the adjacent public gardens. Really nice at this time of year with the autumn colours starting to show.

Fantastic day out and about, and only about a 10 minute walk from downtown.

Dinner was at Fin Point. This is an upmarket restaurant serving New England seafood specialties. A highlight was the selection of local oysters.

The huge windows out onto the street make the place feel very alive and atmospheric.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/fin-point-boston

 

[get me outta here]

This is idyllic and inspirational. Not to cast a downer, but for others, just watch out for travel insurance on hiring scooters if you don’t have an Aussie motor bike licence. Are those tandem golf buggies ok under TI?

The Fairmont runs a free ferry shuttle back and forth between its location on the south shore, and the main town Hamilton, which is inside the enclosed harbour known as The Great Sound (where the Americas cup races were held last year).

The ferry takes about 30 minutes and the trip is spectacular in its own right as it passes some spectacular waterfront villas.

View attachment 140969

Other options for getting around are the public buses and ferries, or taxis. Bermuda is one of the few places in the world where tourists are not allowed to hire cars.

You can however, as of quite recently, hire a small electric Twizy vehicle. This has an unusual layout that seats two people in single file (think Maverick and Goose in an F14).

View attachment 140970
(not my pic)
Or you can hire a motor scoter. Normally something I wouldn't do on holiday, but the whole island has a 35kph speed limit, so it's a lot safer than riding a scooter in say Asia.

 

[offshore171]

Are those tandem golf buggies ok under TI?

Yes, for the purposes of travel insurance should be treated the same as any other car. In Bermuda these are classified as an Electric City Car. It has airbags and seatbelts and is a registered road going vehicle with a licence plate and so on. A valid driver's licence is required.

The whole island has a 35kph speed limit, so the chances of a catastrophic wreck are pretty remote.

 

[get me outta here]

Thanks, that is good news.

Yes, for the purposes of travel insurance should be treated the same as any other car. In Bermuda these are classified as an Electric City Car. It has airbags and seatbelts and is a registered road going vehicle with a licence plate and so on. A valid driver's licence is required.

The whole island has a 35kph speed limit, so the chances of a catastrophic wreck are pretty remote.

 

[offshore171]

Wrapping this one up with the last couple of days in Boston before heading home.

The Museum of Science is an excellent attraction. It's along the lines of Questacon, or NEMO in Amsterdam for those familiar.

They currently have a Temporary Exhibit about the Space program. Highlights include Neil Armstrong's gloves from the Apollo program, an ISS toilet, and a rotating life-size mockup of the ISS. Once inside it rotates to simulate the disorientation of zero G. A bit hard to explain, but great fun.

The exhibit runs until the end of this year.

 

[offshore171]

A walk through Boston's Back Bay district is a nice way to spend a morning. Parks and rows of brownstone houses are the highlights:

 

[offshore171]

Heading back to Quincy Market in the afternoon and there's an Escape Artist doing his thing.




Dinner is at Ned Devines: Ned Devine's Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market

You can't visit Boston without at least one visit to an Irish Pub!

 

[amaroo]

Thanks for posting the link in the Boston thread - nice report. Food for thought here.... how many days did you stay in Bermuda?

 

[offshore171]

Thanks for posting the link in the Boston thread - nice report. Food for thought here.... how many days did you stay in Bermuda?

We stayed 6 nights.

From late sept on, they go into shoulder season. During this time many of the hotels offer an “every 3rd night free” deal, so you can get great value staying 3 or 6 nights.

 

[RooFlyer]

Don't go during the America's Cup. I inadvertently booked to go there during the preparation period and was lucky to get into a B&B!!

 

[craven morehead]

Catching up on this excellent TR. Had never considered going to Bermuda previously.