Only in Boston

Only in an Only in guide would you be told that one of the city’s sights is a dry dock; and not just a dry dock but a dry dock that’s closed to the public. However, there is a viewing platform to enable you to observe the no-doubt fascinating activities in the largest dry dock on the east coast of the USA.

We love the Only in guides by Duncan J.D. Smith, who calls himself an urban explorer. By exploring well-known cities for his travel guidebook series he manages to unearth quirky and fascinating attractions, including many that conventional travel guides miss. We recently reviewed his Only in Edinburgh guide and now here’s the latest title, Only in Boston.

Yes, that’s where the largest dry dock on the east coast of the USA is to be found. It’s one of over 100 Boston attractions included in Only in Boston, some of which will be familiar and others definitely will not be.

Boston’s Narrowest House

As in all these guides, every page brings surprises and fascinating information. By using Only in Boston alongside a conventional guidebook you’re guaranteed a very different visit to the historic and beautiful capital of Massachusetts.

Take page 36, for example: Boston’s Narrowest House, which is the Skinny House at 44 Hull Street. At 10.4 feet (3.17 metres) it’s so narrow there isn’t even a front door, which is round the side in the alleyway. The story behind it is fascinating, involving the American Civil War and a family dispute – but you’ll have to buy the book to get the full tale.

Unusual Boston

Other unusual places featured include America’s oldest continuously-operating restaurant, the last of the old-fashioned diners, an alleyway lined with statues of Catholic saints, the only Chinatown in New England and a visit to the National Braille Press.

Ghosts of Boston

As well as famous buildings and other landmarks, many of the famous names associated with the city appear in these pages. One two-page spread explores the ghosts of the Kennedy family, including Rose Kennedy’s birthplace and some of the many memorials to the most famous of the family, President John F Kennedy. And it’s a little-known fact that the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran wrote his hugely popular book The Prophet while in Boston. On a tour of the Beacon Hill district, the author talks about Charles Bulfinch, who was America’s first professional architect.

Remembering 9/11

In one spread the author describes the various memorials to 9/11 which are to be found at Boston’s Logan Airport, from where the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers took off. It would be easy to pass these by without noticing them, especially as the American flags over the two gates from where the flights took off (B32 and C19) have nothing to say why they are there.

It’s not this author’s style to pass by something without noticing it, though, which is why this is yet another excellent book in an excellent series.