Mayor Menino touts 'backyard vacations'

By Ryan Kost, Globe Correspondent

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today kicked off a new campaign to convince Boston-area residents to get reacquainted with their city.

"With gas prices and food prices, everything seems to cost a little more these days," Menino said in a news conference at the Frog Pond on the Boston Common. "We are reminding families they can vacation right here in the city."

Outsized red metal push pins have been scattered throughout the city at key locations that officials think residents should revisit. One stood tall, for example, outside the Boston Common visitor center where people can join guided tours of the Freedom Trail.

Clare Deery of South Boston sat in the grass at the Frog Pond with her one-year-old son on her lap.

"I think it's brilliant," she said. "I'll stay here; there's a lot going on."

The city ran an open letter to residents from Menino in full-page ads in The Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Metro, saying, "Whatever interests you, you'll find it here in our world-class city."

The ad suggested that people go to visitthepin.com or call 617-635-3911 to "get started planning a vacation in your own backyard."

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