“Turn left on Boylston” rings through your ears as you approach the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The race has long been eulogised by runners over decades, with its prestige enduring despite destination races around the world growing in popularity since the sport’s boom following the Covid pandemic.
The race’s future will forever be entwined with the tragic Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, but out of tragedy has emerged an even stronger and warmer community that welcomes hundreds of thousands each year around Easter, culminating with its special race on Patriots’ Day. The ‘Boston Strong’ slogan remains powerful 12 years on.
A peculiar race in the sense that it starts 26.2 miles away in the sleepy Massachusetts town of Hopkinton, while also taking place on a Monday, Boston lives and breathes the marathon unlike any other city I’ve witnessed.
London, which has its charm too, is enormous and sprawling on race day, but the crowd disperses rather quickly, whereas Boston retains a unique character for many hours, if not days.
While the city is a great place to visit throughout the year, here are some tips and advice to make your time at the Boston Marathon an unforgettable experience.
Where to stay
There are a few factors to consider when deciding on a place to stay in Boston. In an ideal world, you’ll be a short walk from one of two places. First, Charles Street – between the Public Garden and Boston Common – where those iconic big yellow school buses, that you’ll remember from many movies, take you to Hopkinton and the start line on marathon day.
But you can venture a little further out and take the T (MBTA) in the morning: Red Line (Park Street station) and Green Line (Charles Street Station).
Secondly, within a walk from Boylston Street and Berkeley Street, which is where the gear check area is for runners to drop their clear bags off before heading for the buses.
With everything going on in the city around Easter, citizenM Boston North Station is a great option (there is another citizenM at Back Bay). It’s right above TD Garden, so you can’t help but feel the buzz of the city on top of the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins’ home. The views are stunning, the food is excellent and the rooftop bar is a great spot for drinks. Look out for the basketball-themed artwork and gallery…
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