Once Boston's Charles Street prison and now a stylish hotel, The Liberty is only a ten minute drive from Boston Logan airport, and at the foot of the upmarket Beacon Hill area. The hotel's spectacular central atrium gives you a view all the way up to the fifth floor, with the plush guest rooms found in the former tower block. And to continue the theme, the restaurant's aptly-named Alibi bar is decorated with famous celebrity mug shots.
A walk along Newbury Street will bring you stumbling across Boston's upscale boutiques and designer stores, but for typical souvenirs (and a mind boggling selection of food outlets) head to Quincy Market. Streetwear enthusiasts should track down Uncle Pete's in Beaconsfield, tucked away amongst the elegant antique stores on Charles Street, or the Bodega boutique - which is part grocery store at the front and hip sneaker store at the back. Fans of design will enjoy the selection of labels and accessories on offer at the stylish Louis concept store on the waterfront.
Some of Boston's best coffee and lunch spots are in Cambridge - for fresh pizza and fruit smoothies there's the award-winning Oggi cafe and those with sweet teeth will find plenty to get stuck in to at the Harvard Square outpost for cupcake connoisseurs, Sweet Cupcakes. Pumpkin pie brownie, anyone?
Sam's seafood restaurant overlooks the waterfront offering a pretty spectacular view of the Boston skyline. Despite the stylish interior of chalkboard walls and floor to ceiling windows, Sam's serves a fish supper Boston style - complete with plastic bibs and newspaper tablecloths. Cragie on the Main is currently receiving rave reviews for its gutsy, bistro-style dishes, serving arguably the best burger in Boston.
Have yourself a little prohibition party at the aptly named Prohibited - a subterranean bar underneath the Sympathy 8 restaurant, where you can only gain access with a daily changing password (check Facebook for updates). For a little light jazz and a cocktail or two, seek out the bohemian Beehive bar - part of the Boston Centre for the Arts complex.
See where the scholars and academicians of Harvard hang out, in the pretty and preppy neighbourhood of Cambridge. Take a tour of the iconic institution and then sample some of the area's fine coffee shops. For the little ones, The Children's Museum of Boston is crammed with interactive art works and has great temporary exhibitions tailored to keep kids of all ages entertained.
Support the local teams; book early for tickets to catch either the Boston Red Sox baseball team or the Celtics basketball team. And yes, giant foam fingers and an appetite for hot dogs are a must.
Hire a guide to walk you through the Freedom Trail, where they will not only dispel a few myths and destroy a few local heroes but will also take you past the final resting place of Samuel Adams and the venue for the infamous Boston Tea Party.
It will take you two hours to reach Cape Cod from Boston, where you may as well be a whole other world away from the city; miles and miles of unspoilt coastline, rustic New England architecture, sailing, hiking, whale-watchingâ¦Do everything, or do absolutely nothing.
Take a stroll around the People's Common - gorgeous in the autumn as the leaves turn gold or splurge out on a massage at the Mandarin Oriental's luxurious spa.