How will you show off Boston to your family or friends when they come to visit you? Fortunately, Boston has lots of interesting places to go. Don’t forget to show them the MIT main building; they’ll likely want to take a photograph in front of it.

If it’s sunny, cross the Charles on the Harvard bridge and turn left on Beacon St. Your mother will enjoy the brick houses.

Boston Public Library

After you wander through the Boston Common, continue onto Boylston and peak inside the Public Library at Copley. I hear the Sargent Murals inside are beautiful. Avoiding streets like Newbury St. would be a wise decision if you go with ladies, unless you wish to transform their visit into a shopping event.

Take the T or walk to the Museum of Fine Arts. It is not like going to the Prado, I know, but there is something original to see within the American wing. My sister, the interior architect, really enjoyed the furniture.

Boston Museum of Fine Arts (Source: http://travel4all.org/?p=974)

The next day is a good chance to visit Harvard. I suggest that you take them to the gardens of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. John Harvard looks handsome, says my mother. It’s then time to go through JFK Street and cross the river towards the Business School.

If they are coming in autumn or spring, be certain to take them to the Arboretum near South Station. It is one of the most original botanical gardens in the World.

We took the commuter rail to Concord, where the American revolution started, in order to visit the North Bridge Visitor Center.  On the way, my mother remarked about the great difference between the old, fast moving and loud talking people of New York and the young, calm and quiet students of Cambridge.

Concord (Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bootbearwdc/39037236/)

When it comes to the choir on Sunday mass in the MIT chapel, it surpasses the one in our church in Madrid, with a wider variety of instruments and voices.

That is the reason why I decided to take them to the Boston Symphony Hall the last day, so they could enjoy one of the best orchestras in the world. Places like the Boston Symphony Hall and Berklee College, admired by dedicated guitarists like my brother, is a sign that Boston is a city for the arts.

Don’t forget to taste the famous Boston clam chowder at any of the restaurants near the water before you leave. The only thing I know after coming back from New York is that people generally like it for a sole visit, but Boston is a more charming place for a European educated mind.

And what about me? I used to live in a big city where I had to drive every day.  I really enjoy a place that allows me to go walking to class. I wish I could stay here for more time!

By Jose M. Arias