Hopara

We figured that we’d follow yesterday’s post, which kicked off our Great Desk Escape series, with another one.  Today, we’ll head down the coast from Portland to Boston and give you a few ideas on how to reclaim your sanity by taking a quick break from your desk for an hour or so.  As always, we try to make this something that you can do on a lunch break from the middle of downtown (usually assuming that you have no real interest in eating).  So, without further ado, here goes!

Boston, Mass. Great Desk Escape Idea #1: A bike ride to Arnold Arboretum

One of the things that is truly great about Boston is how easy it is to get away from the rush of the city.  While a lot of the best activities in the area, such as sailing, are going to require a few hours at a minimum, getting on a bike and getting away is pretty easy.  We love the bike ride from downtown to Arnold Arboretum for a few reasons — for starters, the few from Arnold is pretty awesome, and probably the best one of the city outside of a low-flying flight from Cape Air.  Second, it gives you ALL of Boston if you’re biking from downtown — you get the big city, you get the South End and Fenway, and you get the suburbs — basically, the best of Boston in a half-hour-each-way trip.  If you don’t have a bike, the Hubway has you covered with dozens of pick-up locations near downtown.

Boston, Mass Great Desk Escape Idea #2: Skate on Frog Pond (winter only)

Alright, this is way out of season (we know that there’s lots of Yoga in the park right now, as well as a carousel to ride, but those just don’t feel the same to us).  And it’s kinda touristy.  But there’s a reason it’s touristy, and that’s because it’s a lot of fun.  It’s probably only a 10-15 minute walk from your office to get to Frog Pond, and once you’re there, you’re in the middle of a beautiful park and you’re ice skating with dozens of other smiling, happy people.  You’ve got to admit — this is part of why you live in Boston in the first place.  Everyone is friendly (well, as long as you’re not wearing a Yankees cap), and you don’t even need to change out of your work clothes to do this!  Come on!  What are you waiting for?

Boston, Mass Great Desk Escape Idea #3: The Paul Revere House

This made our list because we understand that, sometimes, you want to leave your desk for inspiration.  And while we love the Museum of Fine Arts, when we’re trying to get away from our desk for a little bit of head-clearing in Boston, we like the Paul Revere House way more.  Here’s a guy who risked everything — you’ll see that he had a really nice house — to fight against injustice, and then after the fighting was done, he became one of America’s first real industrialists.  And the best thing about Paul Revere?  He wasn’t even that special.  He wasn’t all that unique.  He just believed.  Sometimes, when we’re running away from our desks at Hopara central, it helps to know that believing and action can make a pretty big difference in the world. 

Well, that’s it for today’s great desk escape!  Next time, we’ll be moving a little further down the East Coast, to Providence, Rhode Island.  Happy exploring!