Menino says he made the decision two weeks ago, while sitting alone at night the kitchen table at the city-owned Parkman House. He spent three months at the official mayoral mansion while recuperating form a series of ailments that kept him in hospital for nearly six weeks last year.

The Boston Globe reported Saturday that Menino kept his decision to himself for a couple of days to see how it felt. He then began breaking the news to friends and key aides on Tuesday, a day before it was announced to the public.

Menino began considering retirement during a lengthy hospital stay that ended two days before Christmas.