This Massachusetts Neighborhood Was Named One of the ‘Coolest’ in the World
A Massachusetts neighborhood was named one of the “coolest” by British hospitality brand Time Out.
Receiving the honor was Union Square in Somerville, Mass. Time Out referred to Union Square as “Boston’s coolest cousin” and touted its diverse restaurants and annual events, including Porchfest and What the Fluff? Festival.
Time Out describes the “perfect day” in Union Square by starting out at a popular breakfast spot, like Neighborhood Restaurant & Bakery or Union Square Donuts. After breakfast, the outlet says you should climb up the Prospect Hill Monument and catch a stellar view of the Boston skyline. For lunch, they recommend Bow Market or Buenas, followed by shopping at one of the neighborhood’s indie boutiques. Then, head over to Urban Axes, catch a local band at The Jungle, have dinner at Field & Vine, and close out the day at Backbar. Time Out recommends visiting Union Square on a Saturday between May and October in order to pencil in a stop at a farmers market.
Time Out determined their selections for their list of the coolest neighborhoods in the world by consulting their “global team of on-the-ground writers and editors,” as well as factoring in a neighborhood’s “food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavor.”
Boston Named One of the Coziest Cities in the World
Speaking of random world honors: Boston is one of four cities in the United States to be named to a list of the coziest cities in the world.
The list comes from the U.K.-based All Clear Travel Insurance. To determine what exactly makes a city “cozy,” the insurance company went straight to the dictionary definition of “giving a feeling of comfort, warmth and relaxation.” With that in mind, All Clear Travel Insurance researched cities with numerous cafes, bookstores, movie theaters, museums, historical architecture and historical landmarks. Also factoring into the ranking was the number of posts on Instagram that used #cozy when describing a city.
Once everything was tallied, Boston came in at No. 13 of the top 20 coziest cities in the world. Other U.S. cities to make the list included San Francisco (No. 12), Chicago (No. 17) and New York City (No. 20).
All Clear Travel Insurance said of Boston’s inclusion on the list, “No surprise given Boston’s renowned fall foliage, set against a backdrop of colonial-era architecture that keeps visitors feeling cozy as they wander.”
The top 10 cities on the list are as follows:
1. Brussels, Belgium
2. Paris, France
3. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Copenhagen, Denmark
5. Lisbon, Portugal
6. Barcelona, Spain
7. Athens, Greece
8. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
9. Bath, England, UK
10. Dublin, Ireland