World City Guide

Grand claims have been made of Massachusetts’ capital of Boston throughout its history. They are reflected in several of its nicknames: ‘Cradle of Modern America,’ ‘Hub of the Solar System’ and ‘Athens of America.’ However, in the beginning, when the settlement took root in 1624, it was simply called ‘Trimountain’, given its location beside three hills on the mouth of the Charles River. This was before being named after the small English town in Lincolnshire, the original home of several founding Puritan families.

The ‘Cradle of Modern America’ sums up its relationship to the country as a whole. As the capital of the original Massachusetts Bay Colony founded in 1630, it is the place where, with the incident of the Boston Tea Party in 1773, the Revolutionary War against British Colonial rule was ignited.

In the Cambridge district over the river, Harvard College was founded in 1638. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894), physician and writer born there, regarded Boston as the ‘Hub of the Solar System.’ At the same time and during its literary and cultural flourishing of the 1850s, others were calling it the ‘Athens of America.’ Today one out of every 10 Bostonian residents is a student at one of the city’s 57 university, college and research establishments. Such prestigious institutions as Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have attracted leading industries in electronics, engineering, finance and biotechnology – and given the city a strong future.

Of Boston’s many famous sons, the statesman, scientist and inventor Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) stands in the highest regard. His Boston can be rediscovered on foot – and, indeed, despite being in the acclaimed land of the auto, Boston today refers to itself as the ‘Walking City’. The Freedom Trail is a physical manifestation of the birth of the modern American Republic – around four kilometres (2.5 miles) of the city’s streets and sights. Also, Boston’s place in black American history can be discovered by following the 2.5km (1.6-mile) Black Heritage Trail – as the city was a goal of black slaves escaping the oppressive South on the ‘Underground Railway’.

Boston’s sharp Puritan roots have been softened over the centuries, yet it retains an ethic of commitment to life as a whole, be that sports, pastimes, work, cafés, bars or culture. But, after all, the city that imported an English pub (which later became the model for TV’s hugely successful Cheers), hosts the Boston Pops concerts and gave the rock music world Aerosmith is hardly going to let the weather dominate it.

Modern Boston is very much a microcosm of New England. It has the typical East Coast climate of hot, humid summers and freezing winters. In autumn, the white church steeples of the suburbs create a stunning contrast to the turning colours of the surrounding trees. The thousands of students returning to begin their new academic year add a human vibrancy to this striking setting. Perhaps, after all, the city deserves to be called the ‘Rome of Massachusetts’, since all New England roads, physical, cultural and historical, lead to it.

Getting There By Air

Logan International Airport (BOS)
Tel: (617) 561 1800 or (800) 23 LOGAN (5 6426), toll free in the USA and Canada. Fax: (617) 561 1889. Website: www.massport.com
This is New England’s largest airport and conveniently located only four kilometres (two miles) from the city centre, which is just across the bay.

Major airlines: Over 55 international and domestic airlines use Logan Airport. All have websites and toll-free numbers, which can be found on the airport website above. A representative selection includes: Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air France, Alitalia, American Airlines, British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Airlines, Icelandicair, KLM, Lufthansa, Qantas, Swiss, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

Airport facilities: All the terminals have food and drink areas, newsagents, gift shops and banking services. Though Terminal A is currently closed for renovations, and Terminal D offers only food, beverage, newspaper and Internet facilities, all other terminals have restaurants and a range of shopping and services. Terminals B, C and E have duty-free facilities. On-site car hire is available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National. Enterprise and Thrifty are available nearby, but all of the car hire companies provide courtesy shuttle buses.

Business facilities: No dedicated area, although all terminals offer Internet access.

Transport to the city: There is an enormous range of transport from Logan. JC Transportation (tel: (800) 517 2281 or (617) 699 9194) operates 24-hour door-to-door shuttle buses to downtown for US$9, Brookline and Cambridge for US$12 and prices ranging from US$11-22 for surrounding areas. The Logan Express (tel: (800) 235 6416) bus service goes to the city suburbs of Framingham, Woburn and Braintree.

Taxis are available 24 hours from all terminals; rates are according to the meter within a 12-mile radius, beyond that there are flat rates. Trips to downtown cost around US$25 plus an airport fee of US$6.00 (US$1.50 Mass port fee and Sumner and Ted Williams Tunnel tolls of US$4.50).
Bonanza Bus Line (tel: (888) 751 8800 or (401) 751 8800; website: www.bonanzabus.com) and Plymouth & Brockton Bus Lines (tel: (508) 746 0378; website: www.p-b.com) offer service to Southern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Concord Trailways serves Northern New England (tel: (800) 639 3317;website: www.concordtrailways.com). Vermont Transit Bus Lines (tel: (800) 552 8737; website: www.vermonttransit.com) services Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Canada. Prices vary with destination.

The Airport Station is on the MBTA (tel: (617) 222 5000 or toll free (800) 392 6100; website: www.mbta.com) Blue Line subway (US$1 single fare). Trains to downtown run about every 10 minutes (journey time – 15 minutes). MBTA also operates regular bus services (US$0.75 single fare): routes 448, 459 and CT3 go downtown.

Between 0600 and 2000, Sun – Fri, the Logan DART Shuttle departs every 15 minutes from downtown’s Financial District via the South Station’s Gate 25 and from the MBTA bus stop at the Stone and Webster Building on Summer Street. It stops at all Logan airport terminals, US$5.
Harbor Express and Logan-Boston Water Taxi (tel: (617) 222-6999; website: www.harborexpress.com) run water shuttle service between Logan Airport, Long Wharf in downtown Boston, and Quincy and Hull on the South Shore. Weekdays 0555-2310, weekends 0800-2100, but departure times vary, US$10-12. For the same price, City Water Taxi (tel: (617) 422-0392; website: www.citywatertaxi.com) also operates from the Logan dock to several downtown Boston destinations (journey times – 7-25 minutes).

The Logan Shuttle courtesy bus connects (0400-0100) all terminals with the Airport Station on the MBTA Blue Line, Satellite Parking areas and the Water Transportation Terminal. The airport’s free water transport bus 66 connects all terminals to the Logan dock.

Approximate flight times to Boston: From London is 6 hours 30 minutes; from Los Angeles is 6 hours 30 minutes; from Toronto is 1 hour 45 minutes and from Sydney is 22-24 hours.

Arrival/departure tax: Included in ticket.

Getting There By Water

Getting There By Road

Driving is on the right and the minimum driving age in Massachusetts is 16.5 years. The speed limit on most major highways is 88kph (55mph) and is strictly enforced. It is possible to turn right at a red traffic light after stopping – unless otherwise indicated. Technically overtaking should only be done on the outside lane, although, in reality, cars on a five-lane highway regularly pass on both sides. At crossroads without traffic lights, the four-way stop system means that it is first-come first-served; the car to the right proceeds first. On sections of the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), the speed limit is 104kph (65mph). Elsewhere, limits range from 32-80kph (30-45mph).

While most non-US driver’s licences are acceptable, it is best to bring an International Driving Permit. Children under 12 years of age are required to be protected with an approved car seat or safety belt. Massachusetts encourages all passengers to wear seat belts and strictly enforces the drink-driving law of 0.02% maximum alcohol to blood ratio.

The American Automobile Association (tel: (800) 222 1333; website: www.aaa.com) can provide information, and may offer reciprocal benefits to members of automobile clubs in other countries.

Emergency breakdown service: AAA (800) AAA HELP or (800) 222 4357

Routes to the city: There are two main road arteries leading into Boston – the I-93 and the I-90. The I-93 (often called the ‘Central Artery’) cuts through the central downtown running north-south and keeping close to the waterfront. The I-90 comes into the city centre travelling west-east. This road is known locally as the ‘Masspike’ (the Massachusetts Turnpike). These two roads meet the ring road arc of the I-95 (known locally as Route 128). Access to the downtown area from the northeast and the airport is via road tunnels. The Callahan Tunnel (no toll) is outgoing, but there is an incoming toll for the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels (US$3 for private vehicle and US$4.50 for a limo or taxi).

Driving times to Boston: From Hartford (Connecticut) – 2 hours; Albany (New York) – 3 hours 15 minutes; New York City – 4 hours 15 minutes; Montreal (Canada) – 6 hours 30 minutes.

Coach services: South Station, on the junction of Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue, is the central coach station. Greyhound (tel: (617) 526 1808 for ticketing or (800) 231 2222 fare and schedule hotline, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.greyhound.com) operates services throughout the USA (a standard one-way Boston–New York ticket costs US$30). Peter Pan/Trailways Bus Lines (tel: (413) 781 2900 or (800) 343 9999, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.peterpanbus.com) go all over New England. Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway buses (tel: (508) 746 0378; website: www.p-b.com) go to the South Shore and Cape Cod. Bonanza Buses (tel: (401) 751 8800 or (401) 751 8800, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.bonanzabus.com) cover western Massachusetts and southwards to New York.

Getting There By Rail

Amtrak (tel: (617) 345 7958, (800) USA RAIL or (800) 872 7245, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.amtrak.com) uses the city’s South Station (tel: (617) 345 7460), at the junction of Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue, and Back Bay Station, at 145 Dartmouth Street. South Station, now renovated, has restaurants, newsagents and information booth.

Rail services: The Northeast Direct service runs to Newport News, Virginia (13 hours, US$86) via New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC. The Lakeshore Limited service goes from Boston eastwards to Chicago (22 hours, US$97) via Albany, Rochester, Buffalo and Cleveland. Amtrak’s high-speed train service, the Acela, reduces the Boston–Washington, DC journey to a mere 3 hours 15 minutes (from 4 hours 45 minutes).

Transport to the city: Both South Station and Bay Back Station are on subway lines.

Getting Around

Public Transport
The Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority (MBTA), 10 Park Plaza (tel: (617) 222 5000 or (800) 392 6100; website: www.mbta.com ) operates four subway lines (blue, green, red, orange), which spread out from a central point at Park Street Station, at the northeast corner of Boston Common. The ‘T’, as the system is known, began in 1897 and is the oldest in the USA. The lines run Monday-Saturday 0500-0100 and Sunday 0520-0045.

MBTA also runs 13 commuter rail lines, five boat services and 170 bus routes. The public buses are cheaper and have many more stops than the subway but can be more difficult to orientate.

A single fare costs US$1 on the subway and US$0.75 on buses, with passes (Boston Visitor’s Passport) for one day (US$6), three days (US$11) and seven days (US$22) valid on both. Route maps are available at all stations.

Driving in the City
Boston is not on a simple grid plan, curving as it does to accommodate both the Charles River, running more or less west–east, and the coastline, running more or less north–south. To add to this, the ‘Big Dig’ is under construction. This is the most expensive tunnel-rebuilding project in America’s history and has resulted in most of the city’s central roads being continually re-routed, dug up, diverted and generally rendered difficult for the newcomer. Parking can be confusing with many areas having local residents’ rules and public parking lots being expensive. The underground portion of the ‘The Dig’ is now scheduled for completion around 2004, but whether or not it is finished on time remains to be seen.

A car is only necessary for locations outside the city. Much of the central part of Boston was built before cars and so lends itself to exploration on foot, and public transport in and around Boston is good and inexpensive.

Taxis
Taxis are plentiful and can be hailed on the street or reserved by telephone, but they are not cheap. All rides within the city are metered at US$1.75 for the first quarter-mile, then at US$1 for each subsequent half-mile. There is a US$5 extra charge for a station wagon or van request.

There are plenty of companies including: Bay State Taxi Service (tel: (617) 566 5000); City Cab (tel: (617) 536 5100); Green Cabs (tel: (617) 628 0600) and Metro Cab (tel: (617) 242 8000). Over the river in Cambridge, providers include: Ambassador Brattle Cab (tel: (617) 492 1100) and Star Taxi (tel: (617) 876 8888).

Water Taxis
An interesting way to get to know the inner city area is to use the water taxis, which run throughout the year both as commuter taxis and as ordinary water buses. City Water Taxi (tel: (617) 422 0392; website: www.citywatertaxi.com ) operates 10 waterfront stops (Mon-Sat 0700-2200, Sun 0700-2000), with all tickets at US$10. Shuttles run to Logan International Airport with Harbor Express (tel: (617) 222-6999; website: www.harborexpress.com ) from downtown, hull and Quincy Shipyard for US$12. From Quincy to Boston or Hull to Boston the one-way fare is US$5.

Limousines
Limousines are available from: Boston Private Car Inc (tel: (800) 546 6123, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.1800limo123.com ); The Limo (tel: (888) 290 0095, toll free in the USA and Canada; website: www.thelimoboston.com ); Ultimate Professional Livery Service (tel: (800) 439 4390 or (617) 437 8800; www.ultimatelivery.com).

Basic hourly rates start at US$50 not including extras, such as toll fees and a 20% tip for the driver.

Car Hire
Hire cars are available from Alamo (tel: (800) 462 5266; website: www.goalamo.com ); Avis (tel: (800) 331 1212; website: www.avis.com ); Budget (tel: (800) 527 0700; website: www.budget.com ); Dollar (tel: (800) 800 4000; website: www.dollar.com); Enterprise (tel: (800) 325 8007; website: www.enterprise.com ); Hertz (tel: (800) 654 3131; website: www.hertz.com); National (tel: (800) 227 7368; website: www.nationalcar.com ) and Thrifty (tel: (800) 367 2277; website: www.thrifty.com).

Most car hire companies require drivers to be over 25 years of age or impose surcharges. Basic daily rates begin at US$58 plus tax per day, and weekly rates at US$273 plus tax.

Bicycle Hire
Cycling on the city streets of Boston is not for the fainthearted. Only brave locals do so. There are scenic cycle paths, however, along the Charles River. Places to hire bicycles include: Community Bicycle, 496 Tremont (tel: (617) 542 8623; website: www.communitybicycle.com ) and Back Bay Bicycles, 336 Commonwealth Avenue (tel: (617) 247 2336; website: www.backbaybicycles.com ). Day rates are US$20 and two-hour hire costs around US$10.

Business

Business Profile
Since the downturn of the early 1990s, Boston’s economy has struggled a bit. As of August 2003, Boston’s unemployment rate was 5.2%, but it is still lower than the national average of 6.1%. Other economic indicators reinforce a picture of developing economic strength and quality of life – including record low crime figures and things like an office vacancy rate below 2%. There is a strong trend of overall sales in real estate with general prices being stable. Hotels have been continuing to report high occupancy rates over this period, with the 79% average significantly above the national average of 73%.

In addition, there has been over US$1.3 billion invested in private development and construction projects, alongside several major public infrastructure investment projects, notably the ‘Big Dig’, which is refurbishing and rebuilding tunnels and major routes through the city. Another massive project indicative of the city’s confidence is the Seaport Public Realm Plan, which has developed the new Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of seafront land.

Boston is the capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the finance, professional, business, higher education, government, transportation, cultural and tourism hub of New England. Of these economic areas, high technology, financial services and tourism, in particular, are showing strong growth and expansion. This expansion is also helped by the fact that Boston attracts high numbers of young professionals from its prestigious educational institutions, notably Harvard and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

A glance shows an impressive mix of old and new economies flourishing: Affiliated Managers (asset management), Analog Devices (technology), Brooktrout Inc (computer hardware and software), Biogen Inc (biotechnology), EMC (software), Eaton Vance Corp (mutual funds), Gillette (consumer products), Millipore Corp (pharmaceuticals), Novartis (pharmaceuticals), RSA Security Inc (technology), Staples (retail sales) and State Street Corp (financial services).

An additional shot in the arm to the city’s economy will be the hosting of the Democratic National Convention beginning in late July, 2004.

Business Etiquette
Americans can be less formal than Europeans, both in dress and manners, but normal business courtesies should still be observed. The degree of formality often reflects the nature of the business – banking and legal professions will be more formal than computer and media companies, who are in turn more formal than in the Southwest or California. Although both men and women may be dressed in business attire (suits), they will be quick to address each by first names. Short-sleeved shirts are acceptable in summer. As a visitor, there is nothing wrong in being as formal as, say, in Europe, and then relaxing once the attitudes of the host have been established. Business cards are commonly exchanged at meetings and e-mail is a favourite means of communication.

Punctuality for business meetings is expected – and time should always be allowed for traffic delays. Business hours are from 0800/0830 to 1700. Working late, well into the night or even at the weekend is, however, common. Working lunches are more common than working breakfasts and may be anything from a copious sandwich and coffee to a more serious, although not prolonged, restaurant meal. Socially, Americans are individualistic, but meeting for drinks or dinner after work on a Friday is a popular end to the working week. As a guest, not over-indulging in alcohol is always a good idea. Evening dinner invitations can equally be to the home or to a restaurant. Visitors should bring a bottle of wine to the home or offer to share part of the restaurant bill.

Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview
As one of the oldest settlements in the USA, Boston has plenty of history to experience, yet, with a large, young student population and a coastal and countryside location, there are also plenty of other activities to enjoy. Even though the Charles River separates them, for the tourist, Boston and Cambridge are one city.

Some of the city’s main attractions are walking tours. The Freedom Trail takes in the city’s revolutionary past, while the Black Heritage Trail highlights Boston’s part in the USA’s anti-slavery history. Boston’s oldest section, the North End, now the Italian quarter, contains Boston’s narrowest house, at 44 Hull Street, which is 9.5ft (under three metres) wide. Boston Common is as old as the city and provides a huge central plot of greenery where cattle and sheep originally grazed. To its north and northeast sides is Beacon Hill, historically the centre of power and wealth. The gilded dome of the Massachusetts State House is a useful marker. To the south side of the common are Chinatown and the Theater District.

Over the river is Harvard Square, which is actually a triangle. Its focal points are old buildings clad in Virginia creeper and the gamut of cafés, bookstores, shops and eating places, all the necessities for a thriving student community. Toward the mouth of the river, Charlestown, a centre of the Irish-American community, is where shipbuilding used to be the major industry. The USS Constitution, launched in 1797 and better known as ‘Old Ironsides’, having survived many hard-fought campaigns on behalf of Thomas Jefferson, is open for tours. For views of the city, with your feet still on the ground, go either to North End’s Copp’s Hill Burying Ground or across the river to the Bunker Hill Monument. The best aerial view is at the Prudential Skywalk Observation Deck.

Tourist Information
Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau
2 Copley Place, Suite 105
Tel: (617) 536 4100, (888) 733 2678 or (888) SEE BOSTON. Fax: (617) 424 7664.
E-mail: visitus@bostonusa.com
Website: www.bostonusa.com
Tourist information booths are located at Boston Common and the Prudential Center, 101 Huntington Avenue.

Passes
The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau website (www.bostonusa.com ) lists deals comprising discounts, family offers and coupons for sightseeing, dining, shopping and accommodation. These include BostonUSA Specials, which are coupons, and the Family Friendly Pass, which includes accommodation savings and 2-for-1 attraction discounts. The major visitor pass is the CityPass (website: www.citypass.com ), which allows free admission to six attractions –Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, New England Aquarium, John F Kennedy Library and Museum, Skywalk Observatory and the Harvard Museum of Natural History. It costs US$34 (concessions available), lasts for nine days and can be purchased from the attractions on the day or online in advance.

Key Attractions

Freedom Trail
This self-guided, four-kilometre (2.5-mile) walking tour starts at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center and follows a red-brick line on the pavement. Its historic sites are associated with the movement to free the colonies from British control and information is provided at every point. The trail weaves through North End, over the Charles River and onto the Bunker Hill Monument, passing that pertain to the American revolution. Many of its locations have their own admission conditions and opening hours. The trail’s highlights include the Park Street Church, an early 1800s, anti-slavery venue, Granary Burying Ground, where revolutionaries Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere and the original ‘Mother’ Elizabeth Goose are interred, the Old South Meeting House, the site of the decisive meeting regarding the Tea Party, Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House and the USS Constitution.

A two-hour Freedom Trail audio guide of the trail is available at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center (US$12).

Freedom Trail Foundation
3 School Street
Tel: (617) 227 8800. Fax: (617) 227 2498.
Website: www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail or www.freedomtrail.org

The National Park Service conducts free 90-minute tours that begin at the Boston National Historic Park and covers Freedom Trail highlights from the Old South Meeting House to the Old North Church. The tours leave at regular intervals in the spring, summer and autumn, weather permitting.

Boston National Historic Park
15 State Street
Tel: (617) 242 5642.
Website: www.nps.gov/bost
Transport: Subway Park Street station.

Black Heritage Trail
Celebrating 19th century African-American history and contributions, this 2.5km (1.6-mile) trail includes 14 historic sites, most in the Beacon Hill district. Some of its attractions include the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial, a commemoration to the first black regiment of the Civil War, the Phillips School, one of the first mixed-race schools, and the home of the black abolitionist, John J Smith House, as well as part of the Underground Railroad, the Lewis and Harriet Hayden House. The trail’s last stop, the 1806 African Meeting House, 8 Smith Court, is the oldest existing church building in the USA dedicated to the black community.

Tours of the Black Heritage Trail can be arranged by contacting the Boston African National Historic Site (tel: (617) 742 5415; fax (617) 742 5415; e-mail: boaf@nps.gov; website: www.nps.gov/boaf)
Transport: Subway Park Street.
Opening hours: Guided trail tours depart from the Boston Common Visitor Information Center at 1000, 1200 and 1400.

Museum of African History
New England’s largest Afro-American museum has in-depth information on white abolitionists and free African Americans.
46 Joy Street
Tel: (617) 725 0022. Fax: (617) 720 5225.
Website: www.afroammuseum.org

Harvard University & Harvard Square
A trip to Boston would be incomplete without crossing the river to visit one of the country’s oldest (1638) and most prestigious universities. Combined with the neighbouring and equally prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), there are over 30,000 students from all over the world enrolled here. Harvard Square is actually a triangle of brick pavement sitting above the Harvard subway station. In and around it are a couple of dozen cafés, bookshops, banks and restaurants, providing a backdrop to street performers, politically and religiously motivated campaigners and lots of ordinary pedestrian activity according to the season and the weather. Harvard University makes up one side of the triangle. The Out of Town newsagents is itself an institution – a good place to buy a local or foreign paper from before settling into a café and soaking up the student-cum-intellectual atmosphere.

A focal point for visitors is the Harvard Yard (1636), which is the entrance into the quadrangle surrounded by ivy-covered buildings and a cloistered, peaceful existence. The buildings chronicle American architecture from Colonial 18th century to the present day. The Harvard University Events and Information Center offers free tours of the Yard.

Harvard also has six world-class museums worth visiting. Fogg Art Museum covers the European Renaissance to the modern day, with notable works by Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Whistler and Klee. A second art museum is the Bush-Reisinger Museum, the only museum in the country dedicated to the understanding of Central and North European art between 1880-1980. The Arthur Sackler Museum focuses on Islamic and Asian exhibits, including Chinese jade, Japanese woodprints and Indian art. The fourth, the Museum of Natural History, is renowned for its display of 3,000 authentic-looking types of flowers made from hand-blown glass as well as its 745 kilogram (1,642-pound) amethyst geode. The Semitic Museum has a collection of Middle Eastern art and archaeology with artefacts from Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Levant. Boston’s sixth museum, The Peabody Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology, is a collection of exhibits of archaeology and cultures from six continents. A US$6.50 ticket secures admission to the art museums (Fogg, Bush-Reisinger and Arthur Sackler), which encapsulates a history of world art in over 80,000 exhibits. A Hot Ticket (US$10), valid for one year, provides admission to all six of them. Hot Tickets are sold at each of the museums. Check hours on holidays.

Fogg Art Museum and Bush-Reisinger Museum
32 Quincy Street
Arthur Sackler Museum
485 Broadway
Tel: (617) 495 9400. Fax: (617) 496 8576.
Website: www.artmuseums.harvard.edu
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1700, Sun 1300-1700.
Admission: US$6.50 combined ticket; concessions available; free Sat 1000-1200.

Museum of Natural History
26 Oxford Street
Tel: (617) 495 3045. Fax: (617) 496 8206.
Website: www.hmnh.harvard.edu
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700.
Admission: $US7.50; concessions available; free Sun 0900-1200.

The Peabody Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology
11 Divinity Avenue
Tel: (617) 496 1027.
E-mail: Peabody@fas.harvard.edu
Website: www.peabody.harvard.edu
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700.
Admission: US$7.50; concessions available.

Semitic Museum
6 Divinity Ave
Tel: (617) 495 4631
Transport: Subway Harvard station.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 1000-1600, Sun 1300-1600
Admission: Free.

Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum
This is actually part of a larger complex on Museum Wharf where the Children’s Museum and the Computer Museum are also to be found. The ‘Tea Party’ was an act of rebellion against British rule and in particular against new taxes, imposed on, among other commodities, tea. The protest took place on 16 December 1773. A group of Bostonians, disguised as Mohawk Indians, boarded the tea-clipper Beaver and threw all of its cargo into the harbour waters. Visitors can discover the full story on-board a full-size replica ship, Beaver II. Following a fire, the museum is temporarily closed. Check to see if it has reopened.

Congress Street Bridge
Tel: (617) 338 1773. Fax: (617) 338 1974.
Website: www.bostonteapartyship.com
Transport: Subway South Station.
Opening hours: Mar-Nov daily 0900-1700 (until 1800 in summer).
Admission: US$8.

The Children’s Museum
Considered one of the top three children’s museums in the country, The Children’s Museum is a wonderland for kids 0-10 years old, and the place where they are encouraged to touch everything. One of its most popular exhibits, Arthur’s World, patterned after Marc Brown’s books and the Public Broadcasting series, encourages role-playing, fantasy exploration, reading and writing in the child’s favourite Arthur setting.

300 Congress Street
Tel: (617) 426 8855.
Website: www.bostonkids.org
Transport: Subway South Station.
Opening hours: Sat-Thurs 1000-1700, Fri 1000-2100.
Admission: Adults US$8, children US$7 (US$1 for all on Fri 1700-2100).

JFK Library and Museum
Designed by famous architect I M Pei, and located on the UMass campus, the JFK Museum chronicles the life of Jack Kennedy until his assassination on 23 November 1963. The exhibition begins with an 18-minute documentary of Kennedy’s life from birth until his presidential nomination in 1960. The rest of the museum brings alive his last years with products of the times, like kitchen appliances, 1960s TV commercials, magazines and newspapers. TV monitors broadcast his speeches, and there is a reproduction of the TV studio where the Kennedy-Nixon debates took place. His presidential accomplishments are displayed in a reproduction of the White House.

Columbia Point
Tel: (617) 514 1600. Fax: (617) 514 1652.
Website: www.jfklibrary.org
Transport: The T Red Line JFK/Umass station.
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1700 (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day).
Admission: US$8; concessions available.

The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity
Situated behind the Renaissance Revival basilica which serves as the headquarters of the First Church of Christ Science is The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity. Ms Baker founded both the church and the Christian Science Monitor. Though the library is a plethora of works and information about the movement, the most striking attraction is the three-story Mapparium. Measuring over 9 metres (30 feet) in diameter, the structure is an inverted stained-glass globe with incredible acoustics. Visitors enter the globe, via a glass bridge and are treated to a view of the world borders as they were in the early 1930s.

200 Massachusetts Avenue
Tel: (617) 450 7000. Fax: (617) 450 7048.
Website: www.marybakereddy.org
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1000-2100, Sat 1000-1800, Sun 1100-1700.
Admission: US$5; concessions available.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Truly a treasure, it is easy to idle away a day at the MFA. Its impressive worldwide collection spans from 6,000 BC to the contemporary works of such artists as Andy Warhol and Rineke Dijkstra. Of note is the museum’s Asian collection. Its Temple Room has the finest Buddhist collection outside of Japan, and its collection of Netsuke (Japanese fine art of miniature sculpture used as purses, tobacco cases or medicine containers) is fascinating. The Chinese collection includes stone sculptures and furniture. The MFA’s Impressionism gallery is small but significant, displaying works of Renoir, Monet, Cassatt, Degas, Pissaro and Cezanne.

465 Huntington Avenue
Tel: (617) 267 9300.
Website: www.mfa.org
Opening hours: Sat-Tues 1000-1645, Wed-Fri 1000-2145.
Admission: US$15; concessions available.

New England Aquarium
Step inside and discover the underwater world and its inhabitants. A spiral ramp ascends four floors while circling a giant tank and passing a critical care ward for sick animals, a touch tank, penguins, a coral reef, sharks, eels, turtles and lots of other creatures of the deep which serve to awe and educate visitors. The frogs dwell on the lower level near the ecosystem exhibit. There is also an IMAX theatre, a kids’ activity centre and an outdoor sea lion show. Touch, feed and get kissed by a sea lion when participating in the Trainer for a Morning program (US$85).

Central Wharf
Tel: (617) 973 5200 or 5277, recorded information.
Website: www.neaq.org
Opening hours: From 1 Jul to early Sept, Mon, Tues, Fri 0900-1800, Wed-Thurs 0900-2000, Sat-Sun 0900-1900; early Sept to 30 Jun, Mon-Fri 0900-1700, Sat-Sun 0900-1800.
Admission: US$15.50: IMAX theatre US$8.50, combo ticket US$19; concessions available.

Further Distractions

Prudential Skywalk Observation Deck & Exhibit
The best view of Boston is from the 50th floor of the Prudential Building. From a height of 700 feet (a little over 213 metres) there is a 360-degree view of the city and its environs.

Prudential Tower
400 Boylston Street
Tel: (617) 859 0648. Fax: (617) 859 0056.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-2200, Sun 1200-2200.
Admission: US$2.75.

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
Boston By Little Feet (tel: (617) 242 5675) tours run from mid-May through October on Mon, Sat and Sun; cost: US$6) offers a special hour-long version of the Freedom Trail aimed at 6-12 year olds. From May to October, there is Boston By Foot (tel: (617) 367 2345: website: www.bostonbyfoot.com ; cost: US$9) an adult 90-minute tour of the major city areas, from Copley Square to the North End, using the ‘T’ and also exploring one or two of the unused stations.

The Literary Trail of Greater Boston (tel: (617) 350 0358, website: www.lit-trail.org ; US$30 guided tour, US$21 self-guided) organise walking and bus tours that leave from the Omni Parker House Hotel, 60 School Street, and take in homes, meeting places and districts popular with the 19th-century literary circle. Another angle on Boston is offered by Ben Franklin’s Boston (tel: (781) 648 0628; website: www.iiboston.org/historical_walks ; cost: US$39), following Franklin through his colonial parts of the city. Includes lunch. Departs from International Institute of Boston, One Milk Street, at 0930. Check departure dates.

For walking tours with an ethnic flavour, contact Boston Walks (tel: (617) 489 5020; website: bostonwalks.tripod.com), which specialises in ethnic tours, which includes Jewish, Irish and Italian Boston. These can be guided, walking or bicycling tours, or even self-guided with a book.

Trolley Bus Tours
The oldest and most popular trolley bus tour is the two-hour Beantown Trolley/Brush Hill Tours (tel: (781) 986 6100 or (800) 343 1328; website: www.brushhilltours.com ; cost: US$24). Old Town Trolley Tours (tel: (305) 433 8395 or (800) 213 2474; website: www.trolleytours.com ; cost: US$25) operates two-hour general city tours, as well as ‘subject’ tours, such as Discover Cambridge and JFK’s Boston. Other options include: Cityview Luxury Trolley Tours (tel: (617) 363 7899, website: www.cityviewtrolleys.com ; cost: US$22), and Discover Boston Multilingual Trolley Tours (tel: (617) 742 1440: website: www.discoverbostontours.com ).

Boat Tours
City Water Taxi (tel: (617) 422 0392; website: citywatertaxi.com; cost: US$10) runs the hourly boat shuttles up the river between Museum Wharf and North End. The AC Cruise Line Company (tel: (800) 422 8419 or (617) 261 6633; website: www.accruiseline.com ) offers whale-watching cruises (US$27.50). Massachusetts Bay Lines (tel: (617) 542 8000; website: www.massbaylines.com ) runs a cruise into the past on the Boston by Sea cruise. The Charles Riverboat Company (tel: (617) 621 3001) operates narrated cruises on the river and the harbour. Lunchtime and dinner cruises with cabaret-style entertainment are provided by Spirit of Boston (tel: (617) 748 1499; website: www.spiritcruises.com ). A similar experience on yachts is offered by Odyssey (tel (617) 654 9700; website www.odysseycruises.com ). Boston Harbor Cruises (tel: (617) 227 4321; website: www.bostonharborcruises.com ) operate cruises to the offshore Harbor Islands – the Inner Harbor Cruise and the Outer Harbor Cruise.

The season for whale-watching is April-October and trips are offered by the New England Aquarium (tel: (617) 973 5200 or 5277, recorded information; website: www.neaq.org ; cost: US$31) and Beantown Whale Watch (tel: (617) 542 8000; website: www.beantownwhalewatch.com ; cost: US$29).

Other Tours
One of the more unusual transport tours is run by Boston Duck Tours (tel: (617) 723 3825; website: www.bostonducktours.com ; cost: US$23). Tours are in refurbished WWII amphibious vehicles – called ‘ducks’ which cruise the land and the Charles River. Tours depart every 30 minutes from the Prudential Center, 101 Huntington Avenue. Another unique tour, Innovation Odyssey (tel: (617) 350-0358; website: www.innovationodyssey.com ; cost: US$25) explores the past 400 years of Boston’s invention and discoveries.

Excursions

A trip to nearby sights of Boston can be done by land or water, although visitors should note that what may be done in half a day by land may take a full day by water. Many of the bus and boat tour companies mentioned in the Tours of the City section above offer a range of excursions as well.

For a Half Day
Concord: As a state, New England is very much about small towns with history, culture, white churches and beautiful autumn leaves. Concord, only 35km (22 miles) northwest of Boston, is the stereotype site. It can be combined with a stop at Lexington to make a full day’s excursion. For history, this is the place where the advancing colonial British troops (the ‘Redcoats’ is a better term because the settlers here still regarded themselves as British anyway) first encountered the speedy defence capabilities of the ‘Minutemen’, so-called because they were ready for battle in only 60 seconds. The first American victory, of what was to become the American War of Independence, was here at North Bridge starting with the ‘shot that was heard round the world’. An idea of what they were firing at each other is to be found at Bullet Hole House, pierced by a Redcoat musket ball.

Literary culture also abounds in Concord. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s house is now a public museum, not far from the town’s central Monument Square. Nearby are the Orchard House and the Wayside of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. Just south of the square is Henry David Thoreau Walden Pond. All three are buried in Author’s Ridge at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Concord is about 50 minutes from Boston by car, along state route 2, and about 40 minutes on the commuter train between Boston and Fitchberg. There is also a commuter bus to and from Boston run by A Yankee Line (tel: (617) 268 8890). Sources of information include the Concord Museum, 200 Lexington Road (tel: (978) 369 9763; website: www.concordmuseum.org ), Concord Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Kiosk, Heywood Street (tel: (978) 369 3120) and two websites (www.concordma.com and www.concordnet.org ).

For a Whole Day
Cape Cod: Although Cape Cod feels like an island, it is actually a 105km-long (65-mile) peninsula with 15 small towns, numerous villages and around 960km (600 miles) of distinctive, beautiful sandy coastline. The gateway town, Sandwich, is also the Cape’s oldest, founded in 1637. Many other place names will be familiar to anyone from the south of England: Truro, Falmouth, Yarmouth, Chatham and Harwich being a few examples. Many of them are what you would expect in New England, having a rural feel, cosy pubs, long beaches and great ‘fresh caught’ seafood. From Sandwich, Route 6A, better known as the Old King’s Highway, forms the spine of the peninsula taking in many historic settlements on its way up to New Beach. Just before New Beach is Provincetown, long renowned as an artistic colony and known also as the gay centre of New England, which would come as a great surprise to the Pilgrim Fathers, who made this their first landing point. Falmouth in the southeast has a classic village green, white church and 19th-century houses. On the south side is Hyannis, famous among other things, for being a home of the Kennedy family, and where one will find the JFK Memorial & Museum. Wellfleet, halfway up the western coastline, is popular for its oysters and for being bypassed by the commercial world.

A day trip to the Cape will not seem long enough once you have begun to take in the atmosphere and realised that there are still two real islands to explore, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Provincetown is 205km (130 miles) from Boston by road and many visitors choose instead to travel the direct route by sea ferry. The Cape Cod Regional Chamber of Commerce, 700 Main Street, Buzzards Bay, (tel: (508) 759 6000, x10 or (888) 33 CAPE COD (2273 263); websites: www.capecodcanalchamber.org , www.capecodchamber.org or www.capecodconnection.com ) can provide information.

Sport

Bostonians love to be active as much as they enjoy watching their sporting heroes and the impact of history in Boston extends to sport, particularly to its home baseball team the Red Sox (tel: (617) 267 1700; website: www.redsox.com ; ticket cost: US$12-75.). In 1903, the city hosted the first World Series and won. They last won in 1918, the year ‘Babe’ Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees. They have made it to the World Series five times since and almost made it in 2003, but lost on every occasion. Their stadium, Fenway Park, was built in 1912 and is the country’s oldest active ballpark, although plans are well underway for a new park. The season is April-October, after which the play-offs for the World Series continue for several weeks. Afternoon games begin at 1305 and most night games at 1905. Standing room only tickets for sold-out games usually go on sale an hour-and-a-half before the game.

The Boston Celtics (tel: (617) 854 8000; website: www.celtics.com ), based at the Fleet Center, 150 Causeway (tel: (617) 624 1000), is the city’s contribution to the National Basketball Association. Tickets cost US$10-150 and the season is October-April. The last time they won the NBA Championship was 1986.

The Boston Bruins (tel: (617) 931 2222; website: www.bostonbruins.com ) battle it out in the national ice hockey league, also at the Fleet Center. They last won the Stanley Cup in 1972. There are play-offs through into June and tickets cost US$19-99.

The New England Patriots (tel: (800) 543 1776; website: www.patriots.com ) are in the National Football League, playing at the new Gillette Stadium (tel: (508) 384 4378; website: www.gillettestadium.com ). The season is August-January and tickets prices range from US$49-99, although they are usually sold out. In 2002, they were the Super Bowl champions.

Also based at Gillette Stadium is the New England Revolution soccer team (tel: (877) 438 7387; website: www.nerevolution.com ; ticket price US$16-32). The season is March-September and the team has an unwritten agreement to appear after any game for autograph signing. The stadium has been awarded two matches from the 2002 World Cup Qualifying Games.

Perhaps the biggest combined doing-spectating event in the city is the now world-famous Boston Marathon (tel: (617) 236 1652; website: www.bostonmarathon.org ; entry fee US$95 for US residents, US$125 for others). It takes place on Patriot’s Day, 19 April 2004, along a route from Hopkinton to Boston, with the 12,000 runners aiming to reach the finish at Copley Square.

The Union Boat Club, 144 Chestnut Street (tel: (617) 742 1520) on the Charles River was the first rowing club in the USA. Rowing’s subsequent popularity has led to the biggest event in the country, the Head of the Charles Regatta, with around 5,000 men and women competing from colleges drawn from all over the world.

The Charles River is also a popular and designated cycling route, the 29km (18-mile) Dr Paul Dudley White Bikeway. Another route is the Minuteman Bicycle Trail following 18km (11 miles) of former railway line from Cambridge’s Alewife Station.

Ticketmaster (tel: (617) 931 2000; website: www.ticketmaster.com ) sells tickets for all major sporting events.

Boating: Watersports are very popular from April-October. America’s oldest public boating set-up is Community Boating, 21 Monsignor Reynolds Way (tel: (617) 523 1038; website: www.community-boating.org ). They offer the full range of watercraft for hire, including sailboats, kayaks and windsurfers with instruction available. Two other good places are Charles River Recreation, 2401 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton (tel: (617) 965 5110; website: www.ski-paddle.com ) and Boston Sailing Center, 54 Lewis Wharf (tel: (617) 227 4198; website: www.bostonsailingcenter.com ).

Fishing: Lakes in spots such as Jamaica Pond and the Stoney Brook Reservation offer freshwater fishing. The Boston Park Rangers (tel: (617) 635 7383; website: www.cityofboston.gov/parks ) can provide information.

Fitness Centres: Most hotels have facilities for both residents and non-residents. The Greater Boston YMCA, 316 Huntington Avenue (tel: (617) 536 6950; website: www.ymcaboston.org ) has a good range of facilities. Boston Athletic Club, 653 Summer Street (tel: (617) 269 4300; website: www.bostonathleticclub.com ), allows its facilities to be used by downtown hotel residents on presentation of a room key. Boston Fitness For Women, 27 School Street (tel: (617) 523 3098), is a secluded female-only environment.

Golf: There are around 20 different courses in the Boston area. The best contact is the Massachusetts Golf Association (tel: (800) 356 2201 or (744) 430 9100; website: www.mgalinks.org ), which has details on courses throughout the state. One example is the 18-hole municipal course at Newton, 212 Kenrick Street (tel: (617) 630 1971; website: www.newtongolf.com ). Green fees vary according to the time of day and begin at US$28.

Ice Skating: Naturally frozen waters are popular ice-skating venues, such as Boston Common’s Frog Pond and Boston Public Garden’s Lagoon. Obviously, it is necessary to enquire on the day according to the weather conditions.

Skiing: Just 16km (10 miles) south of the city in Canton is the Blue Hills Ski Area (tel: (781) 828 5070; fax: (781) 828 5071; website: www.thenewbluehills.com ). There are full resort facilities and the area also has a full range of year-round nature and leisure activities. The ski resorts of Vermont and New Hampshire are only a few hours away.

Swimming: There are at least 16 public pools run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (tel: (617) 727 5114; website: www.state.ma.us/mdc/activ.htm ) throughout the Boston area. The outdoor season is late June to early September. The Boston Athletic Club and the YMCA (see Fitness Centres above) also offer facilities.

Tennis: The Department of Conservation and Recreation (see above) run at least 25 free public courts throughout the area.

Shopping

A dedicated shopper will find the full range of quality and prices available in Boston and the bonus is that there is no sales tax on clothes under US$175 and only a 5% sales tax otherwise. Inevitably, there is the usual plethora of chain stores, but there are still enough individual and idiosyncratic shops and boutiques to please all but the ardent purist. In general, Boston shops are open Monday-Saturday 0900/1000-1800/1900, with malls and larger stores also open on Sundays 1200-1800. Different shops and areas will often have one late-night closing at around 2000.

Newbury Street, which runs the length of the Back Bay district from Boston Common to Massachusetts Avenue, is the high end of the market with expensive and designer shops, art galleries, book and antique shops and cafés. Nearby Copley Place is also good for browsing.

The Prudential Center, Huntington Avenue, is jam-packed with more conventional shops and restaurants. Nearby, at 440 Boylston Street, is the specialist children’s store F.A.O. Schwarz, worth a visit for the massive bronze teddy bear outside alone. Moving towards the middle of town, another major shopping centre is the Faneuil Hall Quincy Marketplace. Originally built in 1826 as a meat and green grocery hall, it now contains over 100 shops, cafés and restaurants.

Book-hunting is a good excuse to cross the river and wander the Harvard Square area of Cambridge. Wordsworth has not only tens of thousands of often discounted titles but also an annex of excellent children’s books, activities and related toys called Curious George Goes to Wordsworth, 30 Brattle Street. The original Filene’s and Filene’s Basement are at 426 Washington Street. The Basement is the place for committed bargain-hunters, while upstairs is a sensibly priced department store with the full range of products.

Culture

Boston prides itself on being an extremely cultured city. Listings for the exhaustive number of cultural events that prove this can be found in the Thursday editions of the Boston Globe and the Boston Phoenix and the Friday edition of the Boston Herald. The Boston magazine (website: www.bostonmagazine.com ) has a monthly overview of the city’s events as does Where (website: www.bostonwhere.com ) which is usually found in hotel guest rooms.

Ticketmaster (tel: (617) 931 2000; website: www.ticketmaster.com ) sells tickets for all cultural events. Bostix (tel: (617) 723 5181, recorded information), whose kiosks are located at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Chatham Street and Copley Square, sells ‘same day’ half-price tickets for cash from 1100, as well as the usual ticket sales. The kiosks are open Monday-Saturday 1000-1800 and Sunday 1100-1600.

Music: The Boston Symphony Orchestra plays at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue (tel: (617) 266 1492; website: www.bso.org ). Perhaps their most widely known event is the 4th July Concert or ‘Boston Pops’. The venue for the occasion is the Hatch Memorial Shell, at Esplanade off Storrow Drive, often stages free concerts throughout the summer. The Symphony Hall is also the base for the Boston Symphony Chamber Players.

The Boston Philharmonic (tel: (617) 236 0999; website: www.bostonphil.org ) performs classical music at three different locations: Sanders Theatre, Cambridge and Quincy Streets, Cambridge (tel: (617) 496 2222), Symphony Hall, (see above) and its home, the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street (tel: (617) 536 2412). Built in 1903 and renowned for its acoustics. The Boston Chamber Music Society (tel: (617) 349-0086; website: www.bostonchambermusic.org ) performs at Jordan Hall on Fridays and Sanders Theatre on Sunday. Another acoustic gem is the King’s Chapel, 58 Tremont Street (tel: (617) 227 2155).

Opera is provided by the Boston Lyric Opera Company, 45 Franklin St (tel: (617) 542 6772; website: www.blo.org ), with performances at the Shubert Theatre in the Wang Center for the Performing Arts, 270 Tremont Street (tel: (617) 482 9393; website: www.wangcenter.org ). The country’s oldest musical organisation, with performances on record from 1815, is the Handel & Haydn Society, 300 Massachusetts Avenue (tel: (617) 266 3605; website: www.handelandhaydn.org ).

Theatre: The Theater District is on the south side of Boston Common, centred along Tremont, Boylston, Stuart and Washington Streets. The Boston Center for the Arts, 539 Tremont Street (tel: (617) 426 5000; website: www.bcaonline.org ), is a complex with three small theatres. Other options include: the Charles Playhouse, 74 Warrenton Street (tel: (617) 426 6912; website: www.broadwayinboston.com/html/theatres/charles ) which is the home to the long running Blue Man Group; the Colonial Theater, 106 Boylston Street (tel: (617) 426 9366; website: www.broadwayinboston.com/html/theatres/colonial ); the Emerson Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street (tel: (617) 824 8000; website: www.maj.org ); the Shubert Theatre in the Wang Center for the Performing Arts (see Music above); and the smallest of the District’s traditional theatres, the Wilbur Theatre, 246 Tremont Street (tel: (617) 423 4008; website: www.broadwayinboston.com/html/theatres/wilbur ).

Over in Cambridge, the Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle Street, Harvard Square (tel: (617) 547 8300), has two theatres and is the home of the American Repertory Theater.

Dance: The city’s top classical dance company is the Boston Ballet, 19 Clarendon Street (tel: (617) 695 6950; website: www.bostonballet.org ), which performs at the Wang Center for the Performing Arts (see Music above). The season runs September-May. Every Christmas there is a special performance of The Nutcracker. There is also the Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre (tel: (617) 354 7467), a nonprofit professional performance company and school which performs mostly classical and contemporary dance at the Emerson Majestic Theatre, 219 Tremont Street (tel: (617) 824 8000). Art of Black Dance and Music (tel: (617) 666 1859), perform African and Latin American-style dance at various venues.

Film: All the latest Hollywood releases show throughout the city, but Boston also has a strong alternative and art-house scene. Try the Sony/Loews Theater, 100 Huntington Avenue (tel: (617) 266 1300), The Brattle Theater, 40 Brattle Street, Harvard Square, Cambridge (tel: (617) 876 6837), the Harvard Film Archive at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, 24 Quincy Street, Cambridge (tel: (617) 495 4700; website: www.harvardfilmarchive.org ) and the free showings at the Hatch Memorial Shell, at Esplanade off Storrow Drive.

Boston is a very popular location for film sets. Movies shot there over the years include: The Thomas Crown Affair (1967), Still of the Night (1981), The Bostonians (1983), From the Hip (1986), Field of Dreams (1988), Glory (1989), Malice and The Firm (both 1993), Good Will Hunting and Amistad (both 1997), Legally Blonde (2000) and Mystic River (2003). Due out for release in 2004 are The Human Stain, Stuck on You, Passionata and Mona Lisa Smile, all set and shot in or around the capital of Massachusetts.

Cultural Events: The summer is a popular time for large festivals. In June, there is the Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival, with performances across the city throughout one week. On odd-numbered years (2003, 2005), the Boston Early Music Festival takes place at various venues throughout the city with concerts, Renaissance costume shows and exhibitions. On 4 July, there is the now annual Boston Pops spectacular at the Hatch Memorial Hall, complete with fireworks and cannon fire. In early September, the Boston Film Festival occurs, while Newbury Street is usually closed to traffic for the weekend after Labor Day (first Monday of September) as around 30 galleries allow unlimited access for Art Newbury Street.

Literary Notes: Writing and Boston are inseparable from around 1840, before which Philadelphia was pre-eminent. From this time on, Boston was talked of as the ‘Athens of America’, drawing writers and artists from everywhere. The writer Bret Harte (1836-1902) commented that if an arrow were shot across the Charles River into the Cambridge area it would inevitably bring down a writer. In its heydays of the 1850s, several of America’s major works appeared from writers based in and near the city: The Scarlet Letter (1850) by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), who lived on Charles Street; Moby Dick (1851) by Herman Melville (1819-1891), who lived for a time at New Bedford; Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896), who had lived just outside west Boston at South Natick; Walden (1854) by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), who built himself a cabin on Walden Pond to ‘front only the essential facts of life’. The small town of Concord (see the Excursions section in Sightseeing) was home at various times to Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) and the Alcott family, including Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888), author of Little Women (1868). Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was born in Boston. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a Harvard professor of modern languages, lived at Craigie House (now known as the Longfellow National Historic Site) and published his famous poem ‘Hiawatha’ in 1855. In the 1850s, The Saturday Club, based at the Parker House Hotel, became a meeting point for the lions of literary society, including Longfellow, Lowell, Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes and members of a group calling themselves the transcendentalists, a term applied to Waldo Emerson’s ‘back to nature’ writing such as Nature (1836). Henry James (1843-1916) published The Bostonians in 1886.

Boston remained almost unchallenged as the cultural and literary centre of the country until the new century. Cambridge has been home to two world-renowned poets. T S Eliot (1888-1965) studied at Harvard and e e cummings (1894-1962) was born in Cambridge and also studied at Harvard. Eugene O’Neill (1888-1953) studied playwriting at Harvard in 1914. Both e e cummings and O’Neill are buried at Forest Hills Cemetery, 95 Forest Hills Venue. The city’s beloved baseball features in Dan Shaughnessy’s The Curse of the Bambimo (1991), which recounts the shudders that went through Boston society when the owner of the Red Sox sold the legendary ‘Babe’ Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1918.

Nightlife

Boston is a lively place, make no mistake, yet there are still odd throwbacks to the Pilgrim Fathers, such as 0200 being the official closing time for bars, 21 years the minimum drinking age and smoking is not allowed in any Boston or Cambridge establishment. There are some 24-hour diners, a few clubs that open beyond 0200 and some late-night restaurants in Chinatown. Some bars and clubs can admit under 21s; some do it on a fixed-night basis. Bars generally open at around 1100. Clubs have varying cover charges up to around US$15 but can often be free if you arrive early in the evening.

Student bars and clubs, of course, abound just over the river in Cambridge around Harvard and MIT but probably won’t allow credit cards. The gay scene is centred on South End and Bay Village, although various clubs have a specific gay night. The Thursday weekly Bay Windows (website: www.baywindows.com ) has the largest coverage of Boston’s gay and lesbian scene. Most nightclubs are to be found on Lansdowne Street near Kenmore Square and Fenway at the southwestern end of the city centre.

The Thursday editions of the Boston Globe (website: www.boston.com/globe ) and the Boston Phoenix (website: www.bostonphoenix.com ), and the Friday edition of the Boston Herald (website: www.bostonherald.com ) have full listings.

Bars: One of the joys of the USA now is the range of micro-brew (self-brew) pubs. Boston has several: Boston Beer Works, 110 Canal Street and 61 Brookline Avenue, Kenmore Square, where all the working ‘gubbings’ of the brewery are on show. Over the river, try the Cambridge Brewing Company, 1 Kendall Square, and John Harvard’s Brew House, 33 Dunster Street, Harvard Square. If you can’t resist the Irish legacy of Boston, there is a huge choice, often with live music. Try the Black Rose, 160 State Street, Faneuil Hall, the Littlest Bar, 47 Province Street, or in Harvard Square, Grafton Street Pub, 1232 Massachusetts, Cambridge.

Boston has several gay bars. For an eclectic artistic experience ranging from poetry nights to bluegrass music in a student atmosphere travel over the river to the Cantab Lounge (upstairs) and Third Rail at 738 Massachusetts Avenue.

The ultimate TV-theme experience, if queues are not off-putting, is the Bull and Finch Pub, Hampshire House, 84 Beacon Street, which was shipped over from England and became the inspiration for Cheers, although it doesn’t look much like the TV bar inside. A replica of the TV Cheers bar has just opened at Faneuil Hall.

Casinos: Casinos are illegal in Massachusetts – only offshore cruise ships and the permanently located Leisure Casino Cruises, One Douglas Drive, Rockport (tel: (800) 453 1179) which goes offshore twice daily can operate and Horizon's Edge Casino Cruises, 76 Marine Boulevard Lynn, 20 miles N.E. of Boston (tel: (877) 412-7700 or (781) 581-7733). Across the border in Connecticut, two huge casinos operate - Foxwoods Resort Casino, Route 2, Mashantucket (tel: (800) 369 96637; website: www.foxwoods.com ), and Mohegan Sun, 1 Mohegan Sun Boulevard, Uncasville (tel: (888) 226 7711; website: www.mohegansun.com ).

Clubs: Avalon, 15 Landsdowne Street, and Axis, 13 Landsdowne Street, both huge clubs in their own right, combine for Sunday’s gay night, allowing free movement between the two. Otherwise, both have their own range of themed nights and music styles. Avalon is also a good live rock venue. Bill’s Bar, 5 Landsdowne Street, is smaller and its 1950s atmosphere is popular with students. The Roxy, 279 Tremont Street, in the Theater District, is done out as a huge ballroom but has all kinds of dance and music from salsa to chart and even has magic shows. For a professionals class of singles night visit Sonsie, 327 Newbury Street.

Live Music: The jazz is great and the atmosphere colourful at the intimate Wally’s Café, 427 Massachusetts Avenue. Ryles, 212 Hampshire Street, Cambridge, one of the area’s oldest of the jazz clubs draws local as well as international artists. Not cheap, but with modern jazz and unbeatable views, is the Top of the Hub (top of the Prudential Tower). Soft sounds and a view of Faneuil Hall Market is what you’ll find at the comfortable Atrium Lounge, 9 Blackstone Street. Some of Boston’s best jazz, blues, Latin and funk are featured at Les Zygomates, 129 South Street, one of the city’s hidden treasures.

City Statistics

Location: Massachusetts (MA), northeast USA.
Population: 600,000 (city); 3.2 million (metropolitan area).
Ethnic mix: 59% white, 41% various origins (African Americans, Hispanics, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and others).
Religion: Predominantly Protestant.
Time zone: GMT -5 (GMT - 4 from the first Sunday in April until the last Sunday in October).
Electricity: 110 volts AC, 50Hz; flat two-pin plugs or plus third round pin are used.
Average January temp: - 2ºC (29ºF).
Average July temp: 23ºC (73.5ºF).
Annual rainfall: 1,054mm (41.5 inches).

Special Events

January-First Day Concert in Cambridge, Boston Baroque Sanders Theatre Thursday, 1 Jan
Annual Boston Wine Festival, Boston Harbor Hotel, Jan
Swanboats season opens, Apr
Patriot’s Day (recreates the midnight ride of Paul Revere, when he and William Dawes warned everyone that the British army was on the march against the American rebels), 19 Apr, from North End to Lexington
Boston Marathon, 19 Apr
Kite & Flight Festival, second and third Sat of May, Franklin Park
Boston Dairy Festival and Scooper Bowl (cows and other farm animals ceremonially brought back to graze on Boston Common, plus ‘scoops’ of ice creams available), Tues, Wed and Thurs of first week of Jun, City Hall Plaza
Boston Folk Festival, Jun, Umass, Boston
Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival, Jun, throughout city
Harborfest (waterfront concerts), late Jun-4 Jul
Boston Pops (concert and spectacular), 4 Jul, Hatch Memorial Hall
August Moon Festival (dragon parades, fireworks and street markets), Aug, Chinatown
Italian Fiestas (dancing, music, games and parades), last fortnight Jul, North End
Boston Film Festival, 10-19 Sep, Loews Boston Common
Arts First Cambridge (free music, theatre, dance, and visual arts events) 6-9 May, Harvard
Cambridge River Festival (street party with music, food and dancing), Jun, Memorial Drive
Columbus Day Parade, Sun closest to 12 Oct, East Boston
Head of the Charles Regatta (boat race), 23-24 Oct, Charles River
Boston Tea Party Re-enactment (march from the Old South Meeting House to the Harbor), nearest Sun to 16 Dec

Cost of Living

One-litre bottle of mineral water: US$1.39
33cl bottle of beer: US$1
Financial Times newspaper: US$1
36-exposure colour film: US$6.69
City-centre bus ticket: US$1.00
Adult American Football ticket: US$49-99
Three-course meal with wine/beer: From US$30

1 American Dollar (US$1) = £0.57; C$1.16; A$1.31; ¬0.83
Currency conversion rates as of October 2005