Enjoy A Grown-Up Escape In Boston's Seaport District
Want to drive a Formula One simulator? Eat ice cream out of a fish-shaped cone? Shop in a famous French boutique? That is just a sliver of the fun to be had in Boston's Seaport District. With our offspring away on a school trip, my husband and I had 36 hours to enjoy as much as we could, completely unfettered. Eat what we wanted when we wanted, play what we wanted – no caving in to the demands of two teenagers.
Boston's Seaport District offers delights around every corner. Eric L. Levin
Our adventure started at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday, when we parked luggage at the Envoy Hotel, our base for the night. Perched on Fort Point Channel, it sits right near the Boston Children's Museum and the Barking Crab – the only two landmarks still standing from the Seaport of my youth. The neighborhood has undergone one of the most remarkable transformations I've ever seen. In less than 15 years, it has gone from miles of cheap parking and empty lots, with the concert venue now known as the Leader Bank Pavilion standing as a beacon in an otherwise fairly empty waterfront, to a thoughtfully planned community awash with public art, parks, shopping, eating and entertainment.
As such, it marches to a different beat from the rest of the Beantown, unburdened by the history of cow paths paved into streets and elegant brownstones with limited space to spread out. The Seaport gives more of a modern rom-com vibe. In fact, it even has its own soundtrack: a peppy mix of music ranging from Lizzo to Peter Frampton is piped in over sidewalks and public spaces. The streets are built to favor a leisurely stroll, with wide sidewalks, multiple pedestrian-only zones and plenty of places to sit and people-watch.
Hop in line at Yume Ga Arukara — the noodles are waiting! Zachery Souza_00007
After dropping our bags, we headed over to the Institute for Contemporary Art. One of the earliest arrivals in the redeveloped Seaport, it debuted nearly 20 years ago – a striking angular glass and metal structure with a vast wooden deck on the edge of Boston Harbor. Without the teens in tow, we were able to spend as much time as we wanted watching Christian Marclay's Doors, a U.S. premiere that stitches together hundreds of short film clips featuring the opening and closing of doors from the artist who created a sensation with Clocks. Trust me — it was riveting.
From there, we lined up for lunch at Yume Ga Arukara, the second location of the wildly popular Porter Square noodle bar. The name means 'Because I have a dream' in Japanese – and I am still dreaming of their Cold Niku Udon. The signature dish at YGA starts with silky noodles, scratch-made every day, served in a light addictive broth, topped with beef and a pile of fresh flavors.
This spot is the newest addition to the Superette, a tucked away gem of unique eateries and luxe boutiques. At YGA, servers take orders while you're waiting in line, so when you're seated, your bowl of noodles is ready for you to slurp. The tiny space has a well-curated beer, wine and sake list to enjoy with your meal, or grab the whole thing to go and settle into a comfy table in the Superette's public patio. Which is exactly where my husband relaxed while I explored L'Appartement Sézane – the extension of the Newbury Street pop-up that had lines out the door. Pick from their perfect sweater wall, raffia bags, floaty dresses and wide-leg trousers – Parisian standouts that look effortlessly cool in Boston.
While there was an outlet of Van Leeuwin Ice Cream just across the way, we opted for dessert at Taiyaki, the soft serve ice cream chain that serves fish-shaped cones. You could actually immerse yourself in ice cream – hopping from Van Leeuwin to Taiyaki, then heading right next door to the Museum of Ice Cream, a social media fantasy complete with unlimited scoops and a swimming pool full of sprinkles.
But I was looking for something more relaxing – like a visit to Breve Spa at the Omni Hotel. This oasis of calm, tucked into the OG convention hotel that arrived with the Boston Convention and Exposition Center back in 2004, feels like a secret inside the bustling property. My massage therapist Lemara provided the perfect gentle pressure, accompanied by a lovely lavender scented oil.
BCEC and the Omni are now connected to the rest of the Seaport District by the Summer Street Steps — sculptural seating blooming with heliotropes that also hosts summer yoga classes. The steps lead to The Rocks – another of the Seaport's many creative public spaces. More than 250,000 pounds of 'glacial erratics' – really big rocks –are arranged in an inviting seating area, just asking to be climbed.
One of the best sunset views in Boston is from the rooftop bar at the Envoy. Brandon Barré Photography
After a break to bask like a lizard on one of the rocks, and a few turns in a nearby swing, we checked into the Envoy, where we were greeted with sparkling wine. The property is marking its 10-year anniversary this year, but the service and style have not aged a day. Our thoughtfully equipped room overlooked the Barking Crab and the harbor beyond, but for the best sunset scene, we headed up to the Envoy's rooftop bar. It's open year-round, with a selection including enclosed booths in case of bad weather. We were enjoying a perfect spring evening and opted to sit at a fire pit to check out their menu of 10th anniversary cocktails. I enjoyed the Elevation from 2017 – a delightful blend of gin, prosecco, watermelon and tea liquor.
For dinner, don't miss Nowon – the super-trendy Korean-American gastropub that just landed in Boston. The hibiscus mezcal-based Evil Eye Cocktail is a show-stopper, and everything on the menu sounds so good! Luckily, the owners understand indecision and offer the 'Classic Mixtape,' a dish for two or more that includes most of the appetizers (like the addictive chopped cheese rice cakes) and half a 'Legendary Cheeseburger' each. It takes nerve to name your cheeseburger 'legendary'…. But it lived up to the hype.
Our grown-up outing continued at Puttshack, a high-tech minigolf center. A screen keeps score – and offers sometimes encouraging, and sometimes snarky commentary all the while. We played two of the four courses, and I think we each won one… but who's counting?
After a good night's sleep, we headed out for more adventures. Unfortunately, we arrived too early in the season for Seaport Sweat – celebrating its 10th year as one of Boston's largest free outdoor fitness classes. But we found an excellent substitute – PopUp Bagels recently opened in the Seaport, churning out hot, fresh bagels to order. There are no sandwiches here - -they won't even slice your bagel. Instead, you get a bag of crispy, chewy rounds and a little tub of flavored cream cheese or butter – rip your bagel and use it to scoop your topping.
The district is full of places to play – there's ax-throwing and ping-pong and movies… we didn't have time to try them all. But we did want to squeeze in Formula 1 racing. Boston is the home of the first F1 Arcade opened in the U.S., where wanna-be racers strap into cutting-edge full-motion simulators and race the world's most iconic tracks. Note to self: minigolf is much more my speed, but the arcade is a great place for lunch, with bar snacks like Wagyu-beef sliders and 'Glizzys' – potato-crusted hotdogs served with aioli and sauerkraut perfect for sharing. I also appreciated the 'Designated Driver' mocktails – the Greenlight, with Seedlip Garden and matcha, was refreshing.
An early set of live music was the perfect nightcap to 36 hours in the Seaport. Grace by Nia
Even more refreshing, though, was our stop just down the block at Remedy Place Boston. This social wellness club offers ice baths, hyperbaric chambers and even AI massage. But I wanted to test my endurance with the Cryo Chamber — a full-body three-minute flash freeze down to -175 F purported to wake up your senses, reduce inflammation, and improve energy. Turns out, I can do just about anything for three minutes – and I'm not sure about the reduction in inflammation, but I sure did feel energized.
We had checked out of our hotel, but I was still buzzing from my deep freeze, so we booked dinner at Grace by Nia before driving home. I love the supper club vibes and the warm hospitality – I've visited the Seaport location for brunch, and had late-night drinks at Nia Grace's intimate spot at Foxwoods, but I'd never visited for dinner. Get the fried green tomatoes. Get the Beets by Grace. And save room for dessert. With live music by The MastaDonis Project starting at 7 p.m., it was the perfect nightcap to our grown-up getaway.
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