New England's America

The version that New Englanders live in is distinctly different than the one that most Americans do. A trip through the area demonstrates our differences, and it is noticeable.

New England is a finished place. Its destiny is that of Florence or Venice, not Milan while the American empire careens onward toward its unpredicted end. . . . It is the first American section to be finished to achieve stability in the conditions of its life. It is the first old civilization, the first permanent civilization in America. - Bernard DeVoto

My son just finished his first year in college outside of Boston. This past week, I had the chance to go back and spend a few days with him, helping him move out of the dorm and see some of the sights that captivated his attention this year. I have come to love Boston. It is a beautiful city filled with history and vibrancy. Its pedestrian scale and mix of European cultures have made the town distinctly American. There is something very beautiful about its relationship to the sea. The blue-collar workers who love their Red Sox and Bruins, and the intellectuals who shop for fine wines and books in Beacon Hill, have an ability to coexist and enliven the spirit of a place. It is always fun to visit and take in the sights and sounds of this bustling and historic city. I find New England a charming place. Even the edginess of the people helps make it the rich place it is.

Traveling to New England from another part of the country gives great insight into the unique atmosphere that makes its politics and culture detached from the rest of the country. No one in Boston, or New England for that matter, looks out their door and sees the plight that plagues the rest of the country. They have, as Bernard DeVoto describes, “Become the first American section to be finished to achieve stability in the conditions of its life.” Everything from the commerce to the architecture of New England is more insulated and removed from the battles of the average American city or Main Street. The places in New England thrive and flourish, insulated by a robust, localized economy and wealth that has been created by longevity and available intentionality. Their wealth has insulated them from the chains and production-level consumerism of the rest of the country. It is a beautiful place to visit, and I would presume, from my son’s adoration, a better place to live.

There are so many things worth seeing in New England, and I thought that for many who may never have the chance to visit, a brief journal of what a few days in New England might look like would be a good detour from politics. The version of America that New England sees is distinctly different than most others. It is charming and special.

Boston

The city of Boston is best seen on foot. I learned this early on in my first few visits to the city from the best doorman in Boston at the Dagny Hotel. He gave us directions from our first conversation to leave the car in the garage and explore the city on foot. He was right. The town is scaled for 1600s life. Small streets and short city blocks, oriented in arcs and radii from the bay, make every road filled with corners and treasures at the next turn.

There are several great things to do in town on a short visit, and walking around will make the most of those adventures. We have come to love staying at the Dagny. This hotel in the heart of the financial district is decorated with literature and art that complements its art deco design. E.E. Cummings’ poetry and pencil sketches adorn the walls and rooms of the hotel. The lobby bar, coffee shop, and lounge are just a few of the reasons this has become our place to stay of choice.

Fin Point Oyster Bar and the Tradesman coffee and pastry shop are located in the hotel, and they make for a fabulous beginning or end to the day.

Beacon Hill

A morning in Beacon Hill is worth the walk up the Freedom Trail from the Dagny. This bustling, upscale neighborhood across from the Boston Commons is home to Cheers and a myriad of amazing shops, coffee houses, and book stores. Just below the Massachusetts State Capitol, Beacon Hill is quintessential Boston.

A favorite stop that my son discovered this last year was the Beacon Hill Bookstore and Cafe. This amazing brownstone building, filled with an incredible collection of books for sale and a cafe in the lower level to enjoy the books just discovered, is worth every moment you can spend there.

Boston Commons and the MFA

I do love the area just outside of the financial district for its amazing propensity to gather the people of Boston in a lush green space. While not as grand as Central Park in New York, there is something charming about the Boston Commons. With places to sit in the shade of a tree or wander through on miles of sidewalk, the Commons is always busy with the people of the city. It is also a gateway to the Green Line, which is the oldest subway line in America. It takes people from the Massachusetts Capitol to the Museum of Fine Art. This was one of my favorite excursions on this last trip. We toured the Capitol building, walked the Commons, and then took the subway out to the museum.

The Tea Party Museum and JFK Library

Two other attractions in the Boston area are the JFK Library and the Tea Party Museum. Both of these are worth a visit. I loved the Tea Party Museum for how much is packed into a small space and how well they communicated the events of that evening that led to the breaking of ties with England.

The JFK Library is a somber reminder of a life cut short by forces that were uninterested in changing the post-World War order. I grew up dismissing the Kennedy brothers for a host of reasons…most likely a guilt by association with liberalism. But my involvement in the RFK campaign changed my perspective about who they were and how much they hoped for a better way of life in America. The library captures the best of his presidency, including issues with Civil Rights, the Cuba Missile Crisis, and his meteoric rise in Democratic Party politics. It also has a beautiful tribute to the final moments of his life and subsequent legacy.

MFA

Arguably the best fine art museum in America, the MFA has a nearly endless collection of amazing paintings, drawings, and sculptures. I particularly enjoyed the revolving exhibit of VanGogh and his portraits from the south of France. I found the section of letters from his friend to his family about the deteriorating mental health of VanGogh particularly poignant. An easy subway ride from the Commons, this was a highlight of this trip to the city.

Mystic Seaport

We departed the city for a different connection point with New England. After moving out of the dorms and getting ourselves checked into our hotel on the coast, we decided to visit the “Williamsburg of Fishing Villages” and see Mystic Seaport. I have to say I was incredibly pleased with the time we spent here. This recreated fishing village from the 1870s is a capture in time of a different world. The town is filled with great museum exhibits, but also living history interpreters who demonstrate what the fishing life, and particularly the whaling industry, was, prior to the advent of kerosene. I enjoyed our time here and was more than surprised at its quality and connection to a different part of American history.

There is a lovely hotel and restaurant that is adjacent to the museum, and the dinner we had there was wonderful. The Delmar is new and a great place to end a day at the Seaport.

Westerly, Rhode Island

We stayed in Rhode Island to be close to one of my son’s friends from school and to take in other parts of New England that we had been wanting to see. Rhode Island is a state I had never been to, and I have always admired how the size of the state seems much more proportioned to being able to represent the people well. We found a wonderful place on the beach in Westerly called the Hotel Maria, which would become our home for the next several days as we explored the area. The hotel is a small, boutique-type hotel that is just a few short steps from the beach. The interior design is amazing and is incredibly cozy. The photos on Expedia do it no justice.

The area has an abundance of Portuguese immigrants from the early 20th century, and the hotel has nods all throughout to that European culture. The lobby is filled with amazing photographs from the 50s and 60s that show off this heritage.

It has a charming restaurant and complimentary parking, and breakfast. We intended on staying only one night, but ended up staying 3. It was the perfect place to unwind from a long semester at school and for a dad to reunite in conversation with his son.

The places to see around Westerly are wonderful too. We had lunch at The Deck at the Weekapaug Inn. While it was overly East Coast for my taste, the dining room was wonderful, and the Inn is really a luxury spot in the area.

We also traveled to Watch Hill and visited the beach and Ocean House Hotel, just to see how the other half lives. One of the hacks I learned early on in life is that nearly any hotel will allow you to enjoy their amenities and restaurants, and you don’t have to pay for the expensive bedroom that you spend most of your time in with your eyes closed. I wanted to see this hotel because it was a model for the Beach Club Resort in Disney World. I often love seeing how the original influenced the replica, and in this case, seeing the original was a real treat and throwback to a bygone era in American vacationing.

I was surprised by New England. My impressions of it have always been from the political side of things, and while I doubt that I would have a tremendous amount in common with the people who come to the Ocean House or do their voting in Providence, I found myself much more sympathetic to why they tend towards the political ideologies they do. The world outside their window is very different. Grown up and filled with commerce that isn’t another Olive Garden or Target. They have this distinct luxury of living a life of scale that the rest of America cannot find any longer. The Main Streets of all the towns we visited are robust and filled with life. Small shops survive because of the affluence and longevity of New England. Their America is vastly different than the one that most of us know. I would wish this scale upon anywhere in the United States. It is much more in line with the vision of the individual, and that makes for a better community. When any politician mentions that things are aggrieved for Americans, I understand how New Englanders would look out of their windows and think that the rest of us are crazy.

They have been the beneficiaries of time and wealth, and they cannot imagine an America that isn’t like theirs. I would hope that as people discuss political visions of the future, they comprehend the differences that their fellow citizens face. I was reminded of a story that RFK Jr. told at his announcement speech about how his father had traveled to the Mississippi Delta and came home to talk about how people lived compared to their family. He said that what was happening in other places around America looked nothing like the lives they were living and that it was the children’s responsibility to make sure that those people had an advocate. The bigwigs, the bankers, the fat cats, they don’t need the Kennedys, but the people in the one-room paper shack do. I would hope that the people of New England would recognize their blessings and see the plight of America as their own someday, too.