Living in New York City for my current nursing contract, I knew there were some places I’d really want to go. Boston being one of them. So I took the Amtrak from New York City to Boston for a 3 day trip last month, and it was awesome! Here’s how it went.

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Day 1

I went from New York’s Moynihan Amtrak Station to Boston’s Back Bay Station, which takes about 4 hours. It was a pleasant journey; the train had plenty of space and there is a car with food and drinks for sale. The views on the way there were so beautiful this time of year, too!

If you just want to read about the day I spent in Salem, you can read that article separately here.

Back Bay

When I arrived in Back Bay, it was around 5, so I wheeled my bag to one of the cute cafes nearby that I read was a good spot for dinner. Stephanie’s On Newbury is a great spot on Newbury Street with outdoor seating as well as a nice indoor space and a bar. I chose to sit outside since I’d been stuck on the train so long. It was fun to people watch and get some fresh air. I ordered a bowl of clam chowder, the cornbread, and a mug of hot tea since it was chilly. I didn’t feel like a drink because I was so tired! Night shift has me very messed up!

After dinner, I walked around the area a bit. Trinity Church is in the Back Bay Area, so I wandered around it and took a few photos. It was $10 to go inside, so I decided to skip that. I did, however, go into the Boston Public Library, which was so impressive! The entryway on its own is incredible; all marble and statues and beautiful artwork. If you’re in Boston, be sure to stop in and check it out.

Where to Stay in Boston

After that, I went to my Air Bnb which is located in a great spot near Fenway Park- so if you’re going to a game this a good place to stay! The only complaint I have is the rowdy college crowd outside my window singing at 1am both nights I stayed. If you aren’t into Air BnB, here is a great hotel option near where I stayed!

I basically called it a night though because I was so tired from being up earlier than usual.

Day 2

I got up early on day 2 to take a train to Salem! It’s about 30 minutes from Boston’s downtown, and cost $8 one way. Salem in October isn’t something I ever thought I needed to do, but being in Boston so close just made sense to add it to the itinerary and make it happen!

I’m so glad I did! One tip: if you can, go during the week in October. It was crowded, but not so much as the weekends- and if you do have to go on a weekend, make sure you are booking things in advance or you’ll miss out.

Ropes Mansion and Gardens

I started off just walking all around the town. I didn’t start on the main road, I decided to take a longer route and see some more of the old homes in the area. It was beautiful! Many of the homes on Essex Street are historic and have plaques on the fronts with the dates and some information about who owned them at the time. People had some really fun decor, scary and festive fall decorations alike. Since I went around, this post might seem a bit backwards if you are coming directly down Essex from the train station.

Ropes mansion is one of the most famous houses on the street. If you’ve ever seen Hocus Pocus, this was Allison’s house in the movie. They have self-guided tours on weekends, although I don’t think they were allowing visitors at the time I was there. The website says they will resume in May 2024. You can, however, visit the gardens in the back which are gorgeous. Even in mid-October they were full and blooming. It was a nice, quick stop on the way to the rest of the downtown.

The Witch House

I knew I wanted to go to the Witch House, so I made sure to get a ticket for that. If you go to their website, you’ll see the only way to get a ticket is if you go online the morning of and buy them (October-November). By the time I went for my time, they were sold out for the day. It was a great stop and gave some history and background of how life was back around the time of the witch trials. Well worth the $9.

Judge Jonathan Corwin lived in this home during the witch trails, so it is directly related to the Witch hunt in 1692. The stories inside of how people lived, the treatments for illnesses, life spans, etc was fascinating and gruesome. The house itself is iconic in its appearance. Many people stop to take photos with it.

Gulu-Gulu Cafe

For lunch I went to the Gulu-Gulu cafe, which is right down Essex Street from the Witch House. Its is known for its sandwiches, which I got a TBGT (no tomato of course) and the andes latte (mocha mint flavored deliciousness!) It’s a cute place with some outdoor seating, but I sat inside at the bar. Although I didn’t have a beer, they had a few local brews on tap.

Shopping

I did a little bit of shopping; I bought 2 fall-scented candles from a local shop and I bought a caramel apple (duh!) from the sweets shop. Despite there being quite a few stores, I didn’t go into many. The one thing I will say about Salem is how commercialized it is. It is very much “Witchy” and “Halloween-y”, which felt kind of wrong to me considering the travesty that happened there.

Salem Witch Trials Memorial

This is a must-see in my opinion. It is free and right in what I would say is the “city center”. It was a nice tribute to the people who were unjustly sentenced to death for being deemed witches in 1692. Each of the 20 people killed have a stone seat of sorts with their names and means of death engraved into it. 19 people were hanged, and one man was pressed to death. Others were jailed, some of whom died in prison.

Salem was the most notable and deadly witch hunt in colonial America, but others were found guilty and killed in Massachusetts around the same time. Over 3 decades later, all 20 people who were convicted and killed for witchcraft in Salem have been exonerated. It was a somber place to be at the memorial.

Where to Stay in Salem

I didn’t stay the night in Salem, but there are some really cool places to stay if you book it in time! Here is a hotel on the water with great views, a pool, and a gym. If you are more into the spooky theme, you can stay at The Salem Inn, right next to the Witch House!

Back to Boston

Before heading back to Boston, I stopped for a beer at a place called Longboards. It’s right on the water and was a nice place to relax for a bit before catching the ferry back to the city. They had a special pumpkin beer on tap and rimmed the glass in cinnamon sugar. It was just the thing to end my day in Salem.

As I walked down to the pier (about .3 miles from town), I came across Nathaniel Hawthorn’s home, a beautiful little state park, and a house filled with metal art (see photo below). Salem is full of surprises.

The ferry cost $30 one way and took about 45 minutes or so. But honestly I thought it was worth it! I caught the last ferry back, so the sun was starting to set and it was a beautiful ride. The ferry is pretty big, there is seating inside or out, and for those who might get seasick, I hardly felt a bump along the way.

Bricco

The ferry docks in Boston harbor, which was also really cool to see from the water. I made a reservation for dinner at a place in Boston’s version of little Italy (even though they don’t call it that). Bricco is a semi-fancy place, so I felt a little under dressed in black jeans, a halloween t-shirt and plaid jacket, but no one turned me away!

The food was amazing; I ordered the daily risotto special, which was a seafood risotto. It came with clams, shrimp, calamari, and 2 big scallops on top. They served it with bread and butter, and I also ordered an espresso martini. Their website said that is the drink they are known for, so I knew I had to try one. It was delicious of course.

Since it is a bit more upscale, it was a little pricier, but I figured I would splurge a bit on a meal there since I did a sandwich during the day and the night before was just soup! After dinner I was exhausted and I headed back to Fenway to my apartment.

Day 3

The next morning, I had to check out of my place at 11. My train didn’t leave Boston until 6:50 pm, so I found a place to store my bag. I used an app called “Bounce“, which cost me about $7 for the whole day. There was a place near the train station, so it was perfect! I would not recommend lugging your bags around Boston- there are tons of brick/cobblestone roads and sidewalks. Not fun for a rolling bag!

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

I decided I had to see some of the historical side of Boston, and where better to go than to Boston harbor where the Boston Tea Party took place in 1773. This was honestly a really cool experience for people of all ages. The worker there were dressed as colonial Americans and fully remained in character throughout the experience. We were each given a card with someone’s name and information on it. Someone who was a part of the actual “tea party”.

Not only were we part of the revolution, but we got to go onto a ship and toss the tea into the harbor! It was a fun way to learn more about this part of history. I bought a ticket online for $34, which might seem steep, but I would pay it again!

Sip Cafe

For lunch, I walked down the street and came across a little outdoor place called Sip Cafe. It looked like a popular spot for business people lunching, but I stopped and it was a great option! I ordered a big greek salad with chicken and their Nocciobello latte. The barrista said it was like a Nutella flavor, but I honestly can’t even describe how amazing it was! They added some orange zest to the top and it made it so much more delicious! Just order it if you go, ok?!

I sat outside and relaxed reading for a bit before continuing down the road to some of the more iconic Boston things.

New England Holocaust Memorial

This was, of course, a very sobering stop. But trust me when I say you don’t want to miss it. The New England Holocaust Memorial is a free monument near the Boston Public Market. It is open 24/7, is outdoors, and has an audio guide where you can hear stories from survivors and other facts about this time in history.

The memorial has 6 towers (one for each of the concentration camps) and inscribed on all of the towers are the numbers of the 6 million people killed in the camps during the holocaust. I spent a good amount of time there and would really recommend this as a stop.

Pastries

Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry are two spots in Boston that are staples for getting a Boston creme pie. They both take cash only, in case you aren’t prepared, and the lines are out the door. I also was so excited to try mine, that I forgot to take a picture. It was delicious!!! I went to Mike’s because it is supposedly the more famous one. They both looked popular though!

After the pastry, I went back to Back Bay. I’m not going to lie, I did not love the public transit in Boston. Maybe the subways I used were just not that user-friendly, but I preferred Uber in Boston. If you do use the subway, you have to buy a ticket at the station, not a huge deal, but inconvenient enough compared to the tap and go in NYC.

I grabbed a lobster roll at Luke’s Lobster (delish!) and then went to grab my bag. From there, I walked the quick 3 blocks to the train station.

The train ride back to New York was smooth and quick. I napped, and even though I was in coach on the way back, there was still plenty of space. Not as many people were on this train, so I got two seats to spread out on.

Overall, I loved Boston! The weather was perfect this time of year, too! I would highly recommend take a trip there, and if you do, let me know what I missed!