Extensive cleanup efforts have significantly improved the water quality of the Charles River, making it a pleasant destination for watercraft activities. VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm/Getty Images
Close your eyes, and think of Boston. What do you see? Probably lots of legendary things. Revolutionaries dumping tea into the harbor, Paul Revere on his midnight ride. Shamrocks. Larry Bird sinking a three-pointer. Matt Damon in “Good Will Hunting.” Dave Roberts in 2004, stealing second base in the bottom of the ninth at Fenway—the first spark in a big comeback that paved the way for the first Red Sox World Series win since 1918.
The Massachusetts capital, one of America’s most historic cities, is an undeniably iconic place. That makes it a challenge to visit in a single day. But we’ll do our very best, traveling through time and space, back hundreds of years of history and across this surprisingly compact, walkable—and endlessly compelling—urban center.
Arrival
General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS), usually referred to as just “Logan” by Bostonians, is the largest airport in New England. It’s also the busiest in the northeastern United States—if you don’t count the airports in New York City. Logan is serviced by all major North American carriers, which connect Boston to dozens of American cities. It’s a secondary hub for Delta, and, together with several international airlines, nonstop flights land here from around the world. That includes Amsterdam and Paris and London. Dubai and Tokyo and Hong Kong.
