Boston: The Day a Southern Gal Gained Access to a Private "Men Only" Club

Magnet #32

In August 2017, Pete, son Henrik and I chose to explore the great city of Boston, Massachusetts again. It had been well over a decade since our last visit.

After just having returned from my European spree, it proved prudent to economize for this adventure. With this in mind, I looked online for a hotel where the three of us could stay in one room without breaking the bank.

It was during this trip when I learned the value of printing out all reservations, proving there is nothing better than confirming a great find in black and white.

Let me explain –

Online, I found a terrific bargain thru Orbitz at the waterfront Intercontinental Boston. The property appeared gorgeous. When I punched in “3 guests”, I was surprised to find a very reasonable rate for a room for all of us. I quickly hit the “enter” button and printed out my accepted reservation immediately.

When we checked in on August 24, 2017, the reservation clerk found my “king” reservation but told me, “I’m sorry, but your reservation is for "for two". If this had been a Hampton Inn, I might have said, ‘I need an additional room”. But with the rate well over $400 a night, I confidently stated. “I reserved a room for three”. With that, I quickly produced my printed online reservation clearly showing that the room I reserved and paid for included a third guest.

With that, the clerk disappeared. Upon returning, he informed me that indeed, he was able to assign us a corner room with a king bed. A twin size rollaway would be delivered within the hour for Henrik. Good enough.

Happily, we discovered our accommodations were quite spacious with enough room for our 6’ 9” son, his luggage, plus enough space to sit comfortably while enjoying our view from the high floor.

Kudos to IHG for honoring my reservation.

Traveler Tip: If possible, when checking in, have your reservation in printed form or visible via a screen shot on your phone. This becomes a real time saver if there are discrepancies.

Boston is a wonderful city to explore by foot. We walked the entire Freedom Trail on Saturday, ending our fascinating self guided tour at the USS Constitution. The well preserved tall ship was launched out of Boston in 1797. Lucky for us, we stumbled on a sort of commemoration celebration at the harbor. We enjoyed seeing revolutionary type weapons, seafaring tools, and live musket demonstrations.

Along the walk, we stopped for oysters at the Union Oyster House, sitting at the U-shaped bar dating back almost two hundred years.

The trail was full of surprises, such as the sighting of several “redcoats” in full regalia approaching Old North Church from the west. Fortunately, all remained peaceful.

Henrik signing up for duty at the USS Cassin Young

We enjoyed our walk from our hotel to Public Garden where I insisted we take a ride on one of the iconic swan boats. First visiting Boston in 1991 with 21 month old son Phil, I couldn’t wait to take another ride; this time with 23 year old second son Henrik. The ride and the memories were pure magic.

With son Phil in 1991

Pete and son Henrik in 2017

A Public Garden Swan Boat out for a "spin"

The most memorable incident happened on Saturday night. Deciding on authentic Italian fare for dinner, we called an Uber driver to take us to the Italian-American neighborhood located in the North End. When traffic became a nightmare, we ditched our ride, walking the remaining half mile.

We soon discovered the reason behind the stopped traffic. It turns out we had stumbled upon the St Anthony’s Feast, the big kahuna of feasts all year. Multiple streets were blocked off to allow for music, food, beverage, and thousands of guests.

Stumped as to where to have a quiet dinner away from the throng, we meandered up what appeared to be a nearly deserted street.

Always curious, I like to look in windows when walking. Staying many yards ahead of the fellas, I passed by an open door leading into what appeared to be some sort of vacant looking reception hall. Peering into the gloomy looking room, I noticed a lone gentleman beckoning me to “come on in”.

Which I did.

I’m pretty sure he thought I was alone. After I motioned back to Pete and Henrik to follow me in, the gentleman’s smile seemed to falter a bit when I strolled in with two grown men in tow.

Not knowing what sort of establishment we had entered, the three of us made our way to the back and took an empty seat at what appeared to be a homemade bar.

“Was this some kind of secret drinking club?”, I wondered? Looking around more, I finally spotted a few other folks, all men, reading newspapers or chatting quietly among themselves.

It was when we tried to order a beer that our “host” informed us that we were indeed in some sort of club house, and no, we couldn’t buy beer. We could be given a drink however. Thirsty, we each accepted a cold one from their club fridge. We offered a “donation” but our new friend kindly declined.

There was something definitely special about this nameless watering hole and I’m pretty sure that photo taking would have been strongly discouraged.

Before leaving, we learned that we were indeed in a men's social club where women are not allowed; except for one day a year. Travelers luck, we stumbled by on that one, very memorable day. We capped off our evening with a delicious dinner highly recommended by the nice club members who joined us at the "bar".

Boston; loaded with history, great food, wonderful hotels. It can be expensive to visit but with so much free stuff to see and do, it balances out.

Can't wait to visit again!