Custom House Tower
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Close to the waterfront is Boston’s oldest “skyscraper,” the 500-foot tall Custom House Tower (3 McKinley Square, 617/310-6300, website, 7 a.m.–11 p.m.). Built in 1915, the distinctive Beaux Arts tower features a 22-foot-wide clock, and a pair of peregrine falcons who nest at its top during the summer. You can try to catch a glimpse of them, along with knockout views of the harbor, on the 26th-floor observation platform (tours 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Mon.–Thu., 4 p.m. Fri., year-round, free).
Inside the tower is also a small museum with a few paintings and American historical artifacts on loan from the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. The building was recently converted into one of Marriott’s more interesting urban hotels.
© Michael Blanding and Alexandra Hall from Moon New England, 2nd Edition
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Moon Travel Guides make independent travel and outdoor exploration fun and accessible. With expert and adventurous travel writers delivering a mix of honest insight, first-rate strategic travel advice, insider travel tips and an essential dose of humor, Moon Travel Guides ensure that travelers have an uncommon and entirely satisfying experience. Each travel book is filled with unique trip ideas, easy-to-use maps, and detailed information on sights, restaurants, and accommodations. Moon Travel Guides not only point you in the right direction, they inspire new ideas and adventure. Whether you are seeking a relaxing beach trip to Hawaii, or an adventure travel trip to the rainforests of Costa Rica, Moon guidebooks—and Moon.com—are with you every step of the way. Founded in 1973, the Moon Travel Guides series includes Moon Handbooks, Moon Outdoors, Moon Metro, Moon Living Abroad and Moon Spotlight travel books. Moon is based in Berkeley, California and is a proud member of the Perseus Books Group.