November 4, 2009

Destination: Boston, Massachusetts

Boston loves their dogs, and they love your dog too! So, bring him along the next time you head to ‘Beantown’. One of the reasons it’s so easy and fun to travel with a pet in Boston is because Boston has long been referred to as a ‘walking town’…meaning you can literally walk everywhere…and this is a fantastic feature for a city to have when you travel with your leashed loved one. The Boston Common, The Public Garden, The Esplanade, The Commonwealth Mall; your choices are seemingly endless when it comes to choosing a pet-friendly route through the city.  However, if you only have one afternoon to introduce your pup to Boston, Janine Franceschi and her Irish Setter Beau, noted pet travel experts suggest heading over to Boston’s South End…not to be confused with South Boston, (whole different animal).

Nibble
Traveling with a pet in the North East does get more difficult when the cooler weather sets in just because you have less outside dining options to choose from. If you hit it right though, November in Boston can still have some beautiful, sunny days in store. Find a sidewalk table at one of our favorite South End eateries Tremont 647, (647 Tremont Street, (617) 266-4699). Surrounded by classic Boston brownstone buildings, Tremont 647 features wonderful pet-friendly dining on their brick patio.

Shop
After lunch or brunch at Tremont 647 it’s a short walk to the Polka Dog Bakery, (256 Shawmut Ave, (617)-338-5155). This fun pet boutique is set up like a puppy apothecary; huge glass jars overflow with treats, toys, & Boston souvenirs. The prescription; this store offers just what the vet ordered!

Play
Peter’s Park (aka the Joe Wex Recreation Space) at 1277 Washington Street, is where you will find Boston dogs in the know. This gem of a dog park is an extremely well maintained park that is a completely fenced in gravel dog run featuring pet water fountain for drinks, clean benches, and lots of friendly locals…pets & people! Peter’s Park is just a few streets away from the Polka Dog Bakery and it’s the perfect place for your dog to enjoy his newly purchased treat.

A little more play…
Beau and I have an understanding, ‘you scratch my itch and I’ll scratch yours’…so after playtime at the park he is perfectly willing to indulge my need for a little pampering. This is when we visit Salon Euphoria. Salon Euphoria, 617-742-7951 is a beautiful salon at 44 School Street, (which conveniently is on the way back to our featured pet-friendly hotel). The owner Andrea loves dogs and encourages you to call ahead to make a pet-friendly salon appointment. They do not offer pet grooming, just people grooming, but they do it extremely well and with a gracious manner. Every time I have visited they have offered a buffet of coffee, tea, cookies, and other tasty delights…last time I was there I distinctly think I saw a large pitcher of gorgeous looking sangria!

Nap
When it comes to finding a pet-friendly hotel in Boston there are so many wonderful and varied choices. Just a sampling; the city offers three Kimpton Hotels, multiple Westin Hotels, a new W Hotel offering their trademark, "Whatever Whenever" concierge services and the traditional Boston classics - The Taj Hotel, The Four Seasons Boston, and The Boston Harbor Hotel. However, Beau and I are partial to XV Beacon located located at 15 Beacon Street, centrally located within walking distance of The Park, The Common, The Esplanade, Beacon Hill and the Back Bay Neighborhoods. XV Beacon is an elegant, luxurious, modernist boutique hotel in a stunning Beau, (maybe that's why we like it) Arts building. XV Beacon provides a delightful and tasty pet welcome amenity of a pet bed, a toy from the pet toy box for use during your stay, and personalized gormutt treats from the XV Beacon pastry chef. XV Beacon welcomes pet guests up to 50 pounds and charges a one-time nominal fee of $25.00 per stay. However, the entire $25.00 is donated to the local MSPCA! My favorite amenity at XV Beacon? After all that walking around the city the XV Beacon offers complimentary in-town sedan service... "Oh driver...".  

luxurypaw.com

Janine Franceschi, and her 3 year old Irish Setter Beau have driven 20,000 miles, visited 30 states, and stayed in hundreds of luxury pet-friendly hotels around the country!  Searching for pet-friendly excellence in hotels, activities, restaurants and resources, together they source and review luxury pet-friendly hotels for PAW; Pet-friendly Accommodations Worldwide, the only online pet-friendly hotel booking engine to exclusively focus on luxury, (3-star or higher rated) pet-friendly hotels.