Savvy Traveler: Beacon Hill to Buffalo Bill, Wyndham offers great locations

Buffalo Bill may be long gone (he died in 1917) but his legacy lives on, especially in Cody, Wyoming, named for the famed Indian scout and  Wild West show proprietor.

Tourists heading for Cody enjoy the history of the Old West and the stories about Buffalo Bill, but the last thing they want to do is share the type of accommodations the buckskin-clad legend stayed in. They want comfort, convenience and affordability.

The trick is to find a hotel/motel that fits the bill. Wyndham Hotel’s subsidiary Super 8 fits right in with a location convenient to most of the goodies Cody has to offer…and at a family-friendly price.

Located off Routes 14/18/20, the Super 8 is virtually a gateway to the attractions beginning with the fabulous national park, Yellowstone. You can start off in the morning with their “breakfast bonanza,” no relation to Lorne Greene or his sons, and then take advantage of the free wi-fi to plan your day’s adventures.

Beyond Yellowstone, the local attractions include the BuffaloBillHistoricCenter that features five museums and is less than one mile from the hotel. OldTrailTown offers interactive exhibits and authentic reproductions of the Old West.

Once the sun goes down, the excitement ramps up with the Buffalo Bill Cody Stampede Rodeo reliving memories of the original Buffalo Bill Wild West Show with cowboys and chuck wagons, bucking broncos and Annie Oakley shootin’ ‘em up.

Mom and dad aren’t forgotten at the Olive Glen golf course and country club a mere five minutes from the Super 8. BuffaloBillState Park offers beautiful vistas for hikers and clear streams for fishermen.

If you like your history more in the urban mode, check out the Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill Hotel in the shadow of the exclusive Beacon Hill enclave. Located in downtown Boston, the Wyndham is not far from the LongfellowBridge that crosses the Charles River.

The Wyndham is within sightseeing distance of many of the city’s attractions and in season not far from FenwayPark, home of the (to a Yankee fan, accursed…) Boston Red Sox.

The hotel’s 304 rooms are spread over 14 floors and offer a range of accommodations including Deluxe Kings and larger Corner Kings and even Executive Kings on a key only access floor.

There is a modest fitness center for guests. Those who wish to indulge in more strenuous exercise can take advantage of a nearby full service gym with a discount coupon. In season, there is an outdoor pool. Families can enjoy one of the limited number of connecting rooms.

Playing off the fame of HarvardUniversity, the Wyndham’s restaurant, The Dean’s List, offers a full service eatery for breakfast, lunch and dinner and has made-from-scratch hand-crafted sandwiches and small plates.

If you left your heart in San Francisco, you can find it at the very fashionable Parc 55 Wyndham San Francisco in the iconic Union Square.

If you want to walk the city’s hills, you can get in shape at the 24-hour fitness center of the AAA Four Diamond hotel.  If business is your business here, there is a 24-hour center with free wi-fi.

The famed San Francisco Cable Cars are among the major tourist highlights of the City by the Bay. They are the only moving designated historic monument and the world’s only remaining manually-operated system. Hop on and hop off the way the natives do and listen to the whirr of the underground cable pulling the car along.

You might also want to check out Fisherman’s Wharf, although it is not what it used to be. Years back, the wharf was a raised boardwalk with fish stores open to passerby.  Today it is a modern sector of souvenir shops and restaurants, but still well worth the stop.

One of the old boat slips has been taken over by a horde of sea lions. They lie there basking in the sun and howling like spoiled children. The dock is in a protected area and the calm waters have drawn the sea beasts in. They have become a major attraction for camera-toting tourists.

You can choose either self or valet parking at the Wyndham and make use of the local transportation, such as the cable cars. As hard as it might be to do, get up off the cotton pillow-topped mattress, walk away from the 37-inch television, forget about the need to work at the desk in your room and get out and enjoy one of the most enjoyable cities in the United States.

Bob and Sandy Nesoff are members of the American Society of Authors and Journalists.

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