Boston travel review: 'I went to Boston and was stunned by the history and warm reception'

For a start, Boston played a pivotal role in the American War of Independence – and looking back, the ironies surrounding that role are real food for thought.

The biggest irony is that Donald Trump’s recently-imposed taxes on British imports come exactly 250 years on from the British doing pretty much the same thing to their American colonists.

Just as President Trump’s actions have triggered a political backlash, so the suddenly-imposed British taxes triggered the American War of Independence, with the Boston neighbourhood at the heart of the action.

This very day - April 19th, 1775 - saw the first showdown between British troops and local militiamen in the little town of Lexington, just 20 miles inland from Boston.

With taxes slapped on imported tea, newspapers and other everyday goods and services, feelings ran high in Britain’s North American colonies, with Bostonians leading the way.

Everyone tends to focus on that famous American Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia - made a year later, on July 4th, 1776. But the battles that put the British on the back foot early on in the American Revolution took place in Boston.

But today, liberal-minded Bostonians take the high ground, and welcome British visitors with open arms (www.meetboston.com). As do folk in the charming and historic nearby towns of Lexington and Concord.

For those with a love of history and heritage, not to mention sea-food cuisine, Boston is a great city to visit. It’s fantastic to look out from your bedroom window in the swish Newbury Hotel (thenewburyboston.com) on to the historic Boston Common and Public Gardens right in the heart of the city.

The 500-acre green space, complete with beautiful lakes and tree-lined public walkways, has its own historic significance.

It’s the oldest public park in America, and back in the 16th Century, when the God-fearing British Puritans founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony, there were whipping posts, stocks, and even hanging gibbets to implement their form of justice.

You can drive along the exact same route followed by the British Redcoats who marched out from Boston on a mission to find hidden armaments being stockpiled for use in any forthcoming battles against the British authorities.

There on Lexington Common is a statue showing a defiant local Militiaman ready to take on the British troops. Who shot first is still unknown, but five colonists died in the showdown - and the battle for independence was on.

Down the road in Concord, visitors can walk across the bridge that crosses the local stream where the second confrontation occurred.

When the British decided to retreat back to Boston, the local farmers and volunteers harried them all the way, ultimately fighting a tooth-and-nail battle at north Boston’s Bunker Hill, where a huge obelisk memorial now marks the spot. The British Redcoats won the day, but at huge cost in deaths and casualties.

Less than a year on, the British evacuated from Boston to Nova Scotia up the coast when they realised that George Washington’s rebel army had hauled 30 cannon to the commanding Dorchester Heights above the harbour.

Round One to the Americans, but there would be five more years of warfare throughout the colonies, with Boston now out of the frame.

Before heading back to Boston ourselves, my wife and I found it a joy to stay at the Inn at Hastings Park in Lexington (innathastingspark.com), a four-star hotel that is central to the neighbouring American Revolution sites.

The hospitality was second to none, and the feeling of charm and well-being was in stark contrast to the reception the British troops received back in 1775.

Incidentally, in nearby Concord, you can visit the home of Louisa May Alcott, and you can still sit at the exact spot where she wrote ‘Little Women’ back in 1868. Her life-enhancing book is still a classic - in written form, on stage, or on film.

Boston itself has so much to offer. On the history front, there’s the famous Freedom Trail, a 1.5 hour walk led by characters in 17th Century dress. Departing from the edge of Boston Common, the manageable tour takes in ten places of significance.

From churches, graveyards , old meeting houses, the site of the Boston Massacre, where five colonists were shot by Redcoats in an early set-to. Most walks end at Faneuil Hall, a vibrant market place in central Boston.

From there, individuals are free to follow the red line on the pavement to walk to further-flung places, such as the home of revolutionary hero Paul Revere, whose midnight horse ride from Boston to Lexington raised the alarm that the British were coming.

Far from being solely of historic interest, Boston offers so much more. One of the best ways to explore the city is to buy a CityPASS, which can save you nearly 50 per cent on entry fees to key attractions.

After all the footslogging, a key way to unwind and take in the sea air is to do the one-hour Boston City Harbour Cruise, viewing the city from offshore. Then there’s the Harvard Museum of Natural History, and you might wish to book a separate tour round the historic university site whilst there.

Then there’s two of four CityPASS choices: the View Boston Observation Deck, giving you an overview of the city; the Franklin Park Zoo; the New England Aquarium; or the Museum of Science. Finally, no New England visit is complete without sampling the clam chowder, preferably at the Union Oyster House just a block from Faneuil Hall.

The restaurant is owned by former military general Joe Mitano, who makes you very welcome. Oh, and it’s said to be the oldest restaurant in New England. There’s the history again.

Aer Lingus flights from Manchester and Leeds-Bradford via Dublin aerlingus.com

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