Can't afford to go away for school vacation week and live near a major city?

BOSTON, MA - Finagle a few days out of the office and pretend you are visiting the city for the first time. We live ten miles outside of Boston and on some occasions have utilized last minute hotel deals that add to the “out of town experience.” We've been "visiting Boston" for years. Our hometown library offers passes to the various museums, but you'll need to plan ahead to take advantage of them. I've developed an itinerary for one long day and it's fun for all ages. Yes, even the eye rolling teenagers will enjoy the day.

Let me know what has worked for you and your major city!

We enjoy the Freedom trail and other typical, touristy Boston excursions, but this time we thought we’d shake things up and in honor of the stock market decline…not book an overnight stay and look for less expensive ways to enjoy the city for a one day excursion. That’s code at our house (15, 14 and 9 year old) to bring your own money if you want to buy something, pack a snack and eat a big breakfast because we're not eating for a while. Surprisingly, even the nine year old will think twice when it’s his own money he is spending.

The following itinerary (in various forms over the years) has been tested with toddlers in strollers, older/younger cousins, 15 year old boys, 14 year old girls, two nine year old boys, and on occasion I’ve even had a friend with me. The best part is your spouse does not need to take time off from work, there’s no airfare, and you don’t need to hire your neighbor to walk the family dog.

Public Transportation (http://www.mbta.com/)
-Take public transportation in to the city....its part of the experience and gets everyone in the mood for "people watching."

- Boston's a great walking city so get ready to hit the streets and wear down your shoes. No parking as close to the mall as possible here. Make certain everyone dresses appropriately as the weather can be a bit unpredictable and change throughout the day. Also, don't encourage the children to walk around the fountain ledges. Several years ago one of our children fell in to the Fountain at Copley Square (true story and not the cleanest water in the world) and our party of 15 had to wait while I scoped out a discount clothing store to buy dry clothes. Remember the main rule when traveling with small children, pre- teens, teenagers, adults and seniors: what goes wrong is what we remember most and will fondly tell (and retell) our grandchildren.

Newbury Comics
-Start at the corner of Newbury and Massachusetts Ave. and head down Newbury Street...you will be walking against the traffic. (That means the cars will be moving toward you as you walk down the one way street). Check out The Original “Newbury Comics” at 332 Newbury Street on the right. What teenager or adult doesn't enjoy the political satire and practical jokes? Caveat: keep a keen eye on the two nine year olds as you may want to steer them away from certain items. I don't try and create a mystique around "adult flavored jokes" but I also don't want a friend's son saying, "Mommy, you should have seen the store Mrs. Supermom took us in today. It had really cool stuff. We saw a T-shirt that said….”

Sonsie Bistro
-Glance across the street at all the beautiful people at Sonsie enjoying the outside café and wish you had not invited the neighbor's nine year old. Maybe next time you and your friend can enjoy lunch and an afternoon cocktail. (The kids can get lost for a few hours.)

Prudential Center Mall and Skywalk
-Continue down Newbury Street which is great people watching...cross over at Fairfield to Boylston Street and head in to the Prudential Center Mall. We stopped in the candy store on the right and could not resist the over priced candy. How much is gold valued at these days per pound?

-Visit the Skywalk Observatory on top of the Prudential Center (The Pru – http://www.prudentialcenter.com/ ) You may need to ask for assistance as to where the entrance to the elevators are is as it's not easy to find. Check out the 360 degree view of the city from 60 stories up. This will cost as much as the overpriced candy but hopefully the kiddos used their own money to buy the pranks and gag gifts at Newbury comics. The view is spectacular and the model depicting Boston prior to the massive, Back Bay landfill provides an interesting perspective on the City. It's too bad you have all these kids with you. The Top of the Hub restaurant/lounge on the 52nd floor offers not only the fantastic view but terrific service, great drinks, and amazing appetizers. Yes, the Martini is $13 but you are paying for the view. You'll need to come here with a friend or spouse when the kids are back in the hotel room playing video games and eating the rest of the candy.

-Check out the Apple Store on Boylston Street. Also free.

Boston Public Library
-Continue down Boylston Street and head in to the main entrance of the Boston Public Library that faces Copley Square. Also free. If your teenager starts to roll her eyes, tell her to wait on the steps and eat her candy while you go inside. It’s the first free municipal library in the United States (http://www.bpl.org/). Don’t miss the famous reading room, The Sargent Gallery or The Abbey Room on the 3rd floor.

Bostik Kiosk
- Directly across the street is the Bostik Kiosk that sells discounted tickets for shows that evening. Even though we ended up going directly to the playhouse to purchase tickets for an evening show of Blue Man Group, there are plenty of last minute tickets for sale at a great price.

Public Garden
-Continue down Boylston Street and you will arrive at the corner of Arlington and Boylston. The Boston Public Garden will be on your left. This is the scene of the famous book Make Way for Ducklings as well as the Swan boats. Each year it gets harder to get our 6’2” son to ride the Swan Boats but we can usually coax him for a photo opportunity atop one of the bronze duckings located by the Beacon and Charles streets entrance. The teenagers find it intriguing that every few years one of the ducklings mysteriously disappears.

-Continue through the Boston Common (site of public hangings until 1817) and continue up the hill toward the State House walking parallel to Beacon Street.

- You can pick up the Freedom Trail in front of the State house and follow it to Faneuil Hall. This is about a 15 minute walk. Just make sure you ask someone if you are heading in the right direction. The Freedom Trail is a walking tour past historic sites and buildings. Follow the brick or red line markings on the sidewalk.

Green Dragon (side alley near Faneuil Hall)
-Although Faneuil Hall is interesting and the market has a great food court it would not be a day out in Boston without stopping for a pint at the Green Dragon (11 Marshall Street, Boston). Even our daughter’s teacher pointed out after her 5th grade field trip that she wanted to know why the class was walking the freedom trail but not stopping in the Green Dragon. “It’s my mom’s favorite place and she lets us order French Fries and a soda.” (A treat at our house as I liken it to candy in a can.)

-If it’s a Saturday afternoon than the Hay Market should be in full force and that's always a fun experience… fish heads and rotting fruit. The market closes up by mid afternoon but there are usually remnants lying around. Pass through the market on your way to the North End.

North End and Pizzeria Regina
-By now everyone should be fairly hungry from working up an appetite from walking. The North End is still home to some great Italian dining but with kids in tow, I suggest Pizzeria Regina at 11 1/2 Thacher Street (617) 227-0765. You may have to wait in line for a few minutes but hopefully the experience will be well worth it. Remember the old timers order their pies well done! Maybe the waitress will even give the kids a few coins for the juke box.

-On your way back to the train…if you’re not broke yet, stop and let the kid’s order a Gelatto while you and your friend sip a martini or espresso with Sambucca. You both deserve it!

-On the train ride home it’s fun to listen to the kids chatter about what they saw, what they did and what went wrong. The younger ones will fight to keep their eyes open for fear of missing out on something.

Tomorrow…Let me know if you’re interested in an outing across the Charles River to Cambridge to visit Harvard Yard.