Winter Travel - One Day in Boston

Most tourists think of visiting Boston in the warmer months, and rightly so - this is New England, after all, and winters can be brutal. A walk along the city's historic Freedom Trail is still possible, but might be chilly. The expansive Boston Common and Public Garden are beautiful, but better viewed in warmer months as well. So, if you're visiting Boston for just one day, but your trip happens to be in the winter, here's the best way to spend your time and still stay as warm as possible.

Breakfast at Mike & Patty's

You're going to need energy to get through your hectic one-day Boston tour, and the breakfast torta this sandwich shop in the Bay Village neighborhood has been acclaimed as one of Boston's best day-starters. Eggs, salsa, cheese, poblanos, potatoes, refritos and avocado are the perfect base to get you going. Think about adding the homemade turkey chorizo, too.

Museum of Fine Arts

There's no baseball being played at Fenway Park in the winter, but the Fenway neighborhood is also home to one of America's great art museums. The brand new Art of the Americas wing includes over 50 galleries, and features immediately recognizable works including well-known portraits of America's founding fathers by Boston's John Singleton Copley and dramatic seascapes by Winslow Homer. And don't miss the extensive collection of impressionist paintings from the likes of Monet, Cezanne, manet and Renoir's iconic "Dance at Bougival."

Ride the T

Boston has America's oldest public transportation system. The mass transit system, affectionately referred to by locals (and subway stop signs) as "the T," traces its roots back to 1631. But it's probably most famous from the 1950's folk song "Charlie and the MTA" about a poor rider trapped on the subway without the money to pay for a fare hike. Today, riders avoid his fate by adding value to their "Charlie card" for frequent travel. There's a Green Line stop located right at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Boston Crème Pie

Exit the T at the Park Street station and head into the Parker House Hotel for lunch. Regardless of what you decide to eat, be sure to have two traditional items that were invented here. Order a side of Parker House rolls, delicious bread rolls invented in the 1870s and still a standard on tables across the America. But save room for dessert and their famous Boston Crème Pie. Another delicacy first served in the hotel, this chocolate covered and vanilla custard-filled dream is actually a cake, not a pie. Whatever you call it, it's delicious! Don't worry about calories, you're only in Boston for one day, after all.

Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market

The Parker House is a short walk from the bustling marketplace that attracts over three million visitors a year. Historic Faneuil Hall was the center of community life in Colonial Boston, with an open-air market downstairs and a political meeting place upstairs. The adjacent Quincy Market hall is a long open food court, surrounded by boutiques, kiosks, shops and stores. It's not as warm as your indoor mall at home would be, but it is well worth braving the elements.

The North End

Wrap up your day with a little history - a visit to the home of Paul Revere and the Old North Church where lanterns were hung - "one if by land and two if by sea" - to alert him of approaching British troops and what would become the start of the Revolutionary War. For generations, Boston's north end has been its traditionally-Italian neighborhood. Here, you'll have a wide range of dinner choices - as long as you love pasta and pastry!

You may only have one day in Boston, but - even in the winter - you can get a feel for its history and culture and a taste for its varied cuisine. There's a reason Boston has been called "the hub of the universe," and you can get a sense of it, even in a visit of one single day.