Summer in the City

Some of Boston's best summer nights don't require a ticket. They just require finding a spot along Rowes Wharf before the music starts. Summer in the City transforms the Boston Harbor Hotel's waterfront into an open-air concert venue, with free live performances filling the harbor four nights a week. One evening might bring jazz or blues, the next country, soul, pop, or R&B, giving every visit its own personality. This year's lineup goes beyond the music with a Trillium beer garden, outdoor dining, and an aperitivo bar that make it easy to turn a quick stop into an entire evening by the water. It captures the kind of summer night Boston does especially well, when the breeze rolls in off the harbor, the skyline begins to glow, and nobody seems to be in much of a hurry to head home.