In all the years of traveling, I have never been to downtown Boston. I have had a few layovers at Logan airport, and I have been to Cambridge / Harvard several times.

Today I arrived at the Hilton in the financial district, right downtown, and I loved the place. Of course, it’s the middle of May and spring is in the air. It’s warm and sunny. The cafes have the outside tables set up, ready for summer. Next weekend is Memorial Day. It’s a good time of the year to be in Boston.

The old world shadows hang heavy in the air here. It’s a cosmopolitan place and you hear many exotic languages. Walking the streets is a bit like walking downtown Manhattan in the Wall Street area. Small, curvy cobblestone streets, all one way, not built for cars. Old buildings, new building, not arranged in any grid, just jutting about everywhere. The harbor not far off, the smell of the water everywhere, and seagulls gliding between concrete and glass.

I walked over to the Quincy Market, a revitalized area now basically a shopping mall. In the main building is what has got to be the worlds greatest food court. I am a food court guy when I travel. This one has at least 50 shops offering all manner of exotic foods. There is no single mall chain here, no brand you would recognize, except for the Starbucks at the very end. I had a bread bowl and clam chowder and I ate every crumb of the bowl.

I will be here for the rest of the week, through Saturday, and guess where I’ll be taking all my meals?