In Boston.com’s Perfect Day series, we talk to a local expert for each of the 23 districts about how they would spend their perfect day. Find out what makes this city special to your neighbors and share your perfect day with us at [email protected].
Downtown Boston is the beating heart of the city’s past and present.
From historic sites like the Old State House and Faneuil Hall Marketplace to contemporary landmarks like the Financial District and Brutalist City Hall to the sprawling Boston Common and Public Garden, Downtown Boston is the nerve center of the city.
For Jason McLin, an artist with the Blue Man Group Boston, the neighborhood was his “first point of contact to get to know Boston.”
McLin officially joined the Boston cast of Blue Man Group in 2011 after starting with the performance art company in 2002. When he moved to the Boston area, McLin lived in New Hampshire and commuted to Charles Playhouse (74 Warrenton St.) in the theater district of downtown Boston.
“Funny enough, for many years the downtown area was pretty much the only thing I knew because I only came to work and then went home,” he said.
In the 13 years since, he’s developed a love of the neighborhood and a routine that’s become a regular occurrence. We asked McLin about a day in his life as a Blue Man in Downtown Boston, and he shared his recommendations for tried-and-true activities, restaurants, attractions, and more.
This would be a perfect day in downtown Boston.
Morning | Afternoon | Evening | Map | Share your perfect day in Boston
Morning: Breakfast and people watching
McLin’s perfect day begins early in the morning, which he says is not exactly common for local artists, as their evening work often means a later start to the day.
“I’ve been doing the wrong job my whole life, because I’m actually a morning person,” he says, laughing.
He spends practically the entire day outside, exploring the area, interrupted by short breaks for food or drinks and visits to his “touch point”, the Public Garden.
“The day is quite leisurely and revolves around good food and either reading or people watching,” he said.
The most important thing first is a coffee. He goes to one of three Tatte Bakery & Café Locations in Downtown Boston – “they’re on every corner,” he said jokingly – for a decaffeinated Americano and a treat. His favorite breakfast pastry is the Jerusalem Bagelsbut he also recommends the classic Chocolate croissant.
When he comes to breakfast with his family, he goes to one of the Bakery + Café Places for gluten-free breakfast treats – and maybe even a “second breakfast,” he said.
At Flour he orders either the Breakfast Egg Sandwich or their seasonal roasted sweet potato sandwich with creamy blue cheese, walnut pesto, tart apple and mustard leaves on multigrain toast.
Satisfied with his breakfast, he makes his way to the Public Garden to do a bit of people watching.
Created in 1839 by amateur gardeners, the Public Garden is the first public botanical garden in the United States. Its paths are lined with statues, fountains, lush trees and plants, and a 6-acre pond with swan boats for visitors to enjoy. The public green space offers visitors a respite from surrounding neighborhoods such as Back Bay and Downtown Boston.
The Public Garden has been one of McLin’s favorite neighborhood spots since moving to Boston in 2011. Although Boston Common is closer to downtown, McLin prefers the Public Garden because it feels more local and tends to be quieter.
“I’m not so happy with the Common. But the Garden? I like to sit there, read and watch people,” he said.
Afternoon: Brattle Book Shop and Musical Theatre
From the Public Garden, McLin continues to Brattle Bookstoreone of the oldest and largest antiquarian bookshops in the country.
Founded in 1825 and owned by the Gloss family since 1949, the bookstore has two floors of general used books, a third floor of rare and antiquarian books, and an outdoor sales area. The bookstore has stood the test of time, offering self-proclaimed “used book nerds” like McLin plenty of material to browse, wrapped up in old-fashioned charm.
“It’s a relic of another time,” he said.
McLin will be checking out the philosophy and theology sections of the store. He graduated from Boston University’s School of Theology in 2021 and regularly stops by the store to look for new reading material.
McLin will then walk back to the Public Garden with his shopping bag (which is probably full of purchases from Brattle, he adds) to meet his family before they all head to the musical theater at Lyric Stage Company (140 Clarendon St.).
The Lyric Stage Company of Boston is the oldest professional theater company in Boston. Founded in 1974, the nonprofit theater produces six plays and musicals each season.
As a performer and actor, McLin describes himself as a “musical theater nerd” and shares this love with his family.
“I really instilled a love of musical theater in my children,” he added with a giggle.
Fortunately for McLin and his family, downtown Boston has a theater district that is currently home to more than a dozen theaters. In the early 1900s, there were over 50 theaters in the city, but toward the end of the century, developers began renovating many of the old theaters.
The Washington Street Theater District (511-559 Washington St.) was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. At that time, the district included seven buildings on the west side of the street, including the Paramount Theatre (559 Washington St.) and the Savoy Theatre, which was later restored and used as Citizens Bank Opera House (539 Washington St.).
The Charles Playhouse (74 Warrenton St.) is home to the Blue Man Group and Shear Madness, the longest running non-musical theatre in the country. Other theatres in the district include the Emerson Colonial Theater (106 Boylston Street), The Shubert from the Boch Center (265 Tremont Street.) And Wang Theater (270 Tremont St.), The Orpheum theatre (1 Hamilton Pl.), And Emerson’s Cutler Majestic Theatre (219 Tremont St.).
Many of these theaters were built in the striking and grand architectural style of early 20th century performance halls.
Evening: Dinner and leisurely stroll
For restaurants in Downtown Boston, McLin recommends Banh Mi Huong Que (696 Washington St.), a Vietnamese restaurant that is open until 10pm and offers “bombastic” Bahn Mi sandwiches, and Liuyishou Stew Boston (702 Washington St.) directly across the street.
One of McLin’s favorite restaurants in recent years was New Dong Khanh at 85 Harrison Ave. The family-run restaurant closed in 2019 after 32 years of operation, but McLin still fondly remembers the herbal Bread rollsthe Vietnamese word for rice noodles.
“They came with a tremendous amount of mint and basil, which is what I really love,” he said.
After dinner, McLin and his family will take a final leisurely stroll through downtown Boston before heading home.
If you want to end the evening, he recommends a visit to the French Quarter (545 Washington St.), a Louisiana-inspired restaurant serving classic Creole dishes, desserts and cocktails.
Below you will find all the spots recommended by Jason McLin.
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