As the classic US comedy returns after two decades, it’s time for a pilgrimage to Frasier’s Bostonian haunts
Frasier Available from Friday 13 October Paramount+
MATT CHARLTON - 6 October 2023
In May 2004, Dr Frasier Crane flew off into the sunset, seemingly to make a go of things with his latest love interest in Chicago. Ever since, rumours have been circulating of a Frasier return. Finally, it was confirmed at the end of last year, followed by a teaser picture of a first-class flight ticket bearing his name… not to Chicago, but back to Boston, where everybody knows your name, and where the character of Frasier Crane debuted almost 40 years ago in Cheers. Frasier’s life in Seattle was one of high-end food, pampering, posh coffee, high society and, begrudgingly, the odd ball game.
So how would he build a similar life here in Boston? In short, What Would Frasier Do (WWFD)? This is my mantra for my time in Boston – a city much changed since Frasier went west in 1994. I am staying in one of the newest areas of the city, and quite possibly a neighbourhood in which Frasier would choose to live: Boston Seaport is breezy, immaculate, high-end, a little bit artisan and still very much undergoing a growth spurt. I’m based at the Omni Hotel – with its rooftop pool, curated modern art and excellent wine selection, it’s probably where the good doctor would choose to stay as well (he’d likely avoid the heaving sports bar, however).
So to one of the two more obvious stops on my Frasier pilgrimage, Harvard. Dr Crane took every opportunity to slip his Alma Mater into conversation, and it seems his return to Boston is related to the Ivy League College. You can book a campus tour with a current student; mine takes place the day after commencement day (their name for graduation day), so there are students dotted around, re-dressed in graduation finery and searching for the perfect shot they were unable to achieve the previous day, owing to the crowds. They are joining the ranks of eight presidents, Bill Gates, Matt Damon and, of course, Frasier Crane. The other obvious stop is somewhere I expect everybody to shout my name as I walk through the door (they do not). Cheers boasts the famous exterior of the all-conquering 80s sitcom where Kelsey Grammer made his name.
Originally called the Bull and Finch, it is now Cheers through and through, with a very British pub downstairs, and upstairs a mock-up of the Cheers bar, only with more flatscreen TVs and a gift shop. To receive emails with our latest news and offers, visit radiotimes.com/email Imagining he’d want to cleanse his palate after the hearty pub grub and cold suds, I seek something more refined the following day. My efforts take me back to the Seaport area, where a sophisticated boozy brunch is offered at Woods Hill Pier 4. It overlooks the glistening Boston Harbour, and is conveniently located right next to the Institute of Contemporary Art.
After a sashay around the exhibits and some affected musing, I potter through the Tea Party Museum (the large-scale steeping was 250 years ago this year), on my way to one of the best steak restaurants in Boston – Smith and Wollensky. OK, it might not have a pretentious French name, but the wagyu filet mignon is exquisite, and the wine pairing might make it into the “Frasier’s Favourites” notebook. I must mingle with hoi polloi again, as this is a city hooked on its sport – more so, arguably, than Seattle – and the Irish heritage here means passionate and very vocal fans. In order to bond with his father, Martin (played by the much-missed John Mahoney), Frasier would step out of his comfort zone and into a ball park.
So it’s to Fenway Park, the oldest, most famous baseball ground in the US, and home of the Red Sox, that I go now, enduring the chilli dogs, pretending I know what’s happening, and secretly reassured that I’m rewarding myself tomorrow with a final treat – a massage at Boston’s Four Seasons. (WWFD? This.) Unlike a lot of cities in the US, Boston has a sense of history, roots and grandeur that give it an almost European personality. It thrives on mixing the old and new, celebrating its heritage while never standing still, and retains a salt-of-the-earth feel, while catering to refined tastes worthy of Ivy League graduates and highly strung psychiatrists. A great choice for a relocation, or just an extended city break. After all, wouldn’t you like to get away? Sometimes you wanna go…
In May 2004, Dr Frasier Crane flew off into the sunset, seemingly to make a go of things with his latest love interest in Chicago. Ever since, rumours have been circulating of a Frasier return. Finally, it was confirmed at the end of last year, followed by a teaser picture of a first-class flight ticket bearing his name… not to Chicago, but back to Boston, where everybody knows your name, and where the character of Frasier Crane debuted almost 40 years ago in Cheers. Frasier’s life in Seattle was one of high-end food, pampering, posh coffee, high society and, begrudgingly, the odd ball game.
So how would he build a similar life here in Boston? In short, What Would Frasier Do (WWFD)? This is my mantra for my time in Boston – a city much changed since Frasier went west in 1994. I am staying in one of the newest areas of the city, and quite possibly a neighbourhood in which Frasier would choose to live: Boston Seaport is breezy, immaculate, high-end, a little bit artisan and still very much undergoing a growth spurt. I’m based at the Omni Hotel – with its rooftop pool, curated modern art and excellent wine selection, it’s probably where the good doctor would choose to stay as well (he’d likely avoid the heaving sports bar, however).
So to one of the two more obvious stops on my Frasier pilgrimage, Harvard. Dr Crane took every opportunity to slip his Alma Mater into conversation, and it seems his return to Boston is related to the Ivy League College. You can book a campus tour with a current student; mine takes place the day after commencement day (their name for graduation day), so there are students dotted around, re-dressed in graduation finery and searching for the perfect shot they were unable to achieve the previous day, owing to the crowds. They are joining the ranks of eight presidents, Bill Gates, Matt Damon and, of course, Frasier Crane. The other obvious stop is somewhere I expect everybody to shout my name as I walk through the door (they do not). Cheers boasts the famous exterior of the all-conquering 80s sitcom where Kelsey Grammer made his name.
Originally called the Bull and Finch, it is now Cheers through and through, with a very British pub downstairs, and upstairs a mock-up of the Cheers bar, only with more flatscreen TVs and a gift shop. To receive emails with our latest news and offers, visit radiotimes.com/email Imagining he’d want to cleanse his palate after the hearty pub grub and cold suds, I seek something more refined the following day. My efforts take me back to the Seaport area, where a sophisticated boozy brunch is offered at Woods Hill Pier 4. It overlooks the glistening Boston Harbour, and is conveniently located right next to the Institute of Contemporary Art.
After a sashay around the exhibits and some affected musing, I potter through the Tea Party Museum (the large-scale steeping was 250 years ago this year), on my way to one of the best steak restaurants in Boston – Smith and Wollensky. OK, it might not have a pretentious French name, but the wagyu filet mignon is exquisite, and the wine pairing might make it into the “Frasier’s Favourites” notebook. I must mingle with hoi polloi again, as this is a city hooked on its sport – more so, arguably, than Seattle – and the Irish heritage here means passionate and very vocal fans. In order to bond with his father, Martin (played by the much-missed John Mahoney), Frasier would step out of his comfort zone and into a ball park.
So it’s to Fenway Park, the oldest, most famous baseball ground in the US, and home of the Red Sox, that I go now, enduring the chilli dogs, pretending I know what’s happening, and secretly reassured that I’m rewarding myself tomorrow with a final treat – a massage at Boston’s Four Seasons. (WWFD? This.) Unlike a lot of cities in the US, Boston has a sense of history, roots and grandeur that give it an almost European personality. It thrives on mixing the old and new, celebrating its heritage while never standing still, and retains a salt-of-the-earth feel, while catering to refined tastes worthy of Ivy League graduates and highly strung psychiatrists. A great choice for a relocation, or just an extended city break. After all, wouldn’t you like to get away? Sometimes you wanna go…
MATT CHARLTON