Discover Boston
Bostonians will tell you that their metropolis is America's "Walking City," where the treasures, wonders, and spirit of the land can be appreciated only at a slow, street-level pace. From Quincy Market to Haymarket, from Copley to Kenmore, from the North End to Newbury Street, Boston's lively mixture of commerce and culture demands careful exploration by patient pedestrians.
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Others insist that Boston is the "Hub of the Universe," and even the most stubborn tourist cannot convince them otherwise. Although Beantown may not be the Alpha and Omega of the Cosmos---or even New York---its intriguing blend of 20th-century progress and 18th-century history allows Boston to make as good an argument for the title as anywhere else. The brick colonial architecture of Faneuil Hall, the Old State House, and Paul Revere's House contrasts with towering commercial monoliths, even though the Freedom Trail and the Financial District are only a few hundred yards from one another.
But this complex tapestry of Protestantism and capitalism does have downsides---try buying alcohol on Sunday, using public transportation after midnight, or clubbing after 2am, and you'll quickly learn what "blue laws" means. If New York is the city that never sleeps, then Boston dozes off before Craig Kilborn comes on. All in all, however, the life of the Bostonian is one to envy. With so many cultural and historical resources situated on a few square miles of land barely above sea level, you wonder how the citizens manage to keep a serious, hardworking attitude amidst all the invigorating local treasures.
When to Go
Early autumn months---September and October---will show you Boston at its best. The crimson, gold, and orange foliage usually peaks in the second week of October, and fall is the only time you could call Boston's weather "pleasant." Winter is dark, cold, and seemingly unending (don't expect warm days until May), but the occasional pristine snowfall makes the season bearable. Spring does not really exist in New England. Summer, which begins immediately after winter ends at the end of May, is hot and humid. Boston's 42-degree latitude, however, brings long hours of daylight in June and July. The rule of thumb for Boston's weather in any season goes like this: "You don't like the weather? Wait a minute. It'll change."
Spring
There is a legend that spring does exist in Boston---but it usually moves too quickly for anyone to see. Nevertheless, the transition from winter to summer occasions a number of compelling events. The Bambino-cursed Red Sox open their season at historic Fenway Park in their annual effort to defy the baseball gods and win the World Series. But if you want to see athletes who have every right to chuckle at a ninety-foot run between bases, the Boston Marathon showcases the world's best runners in an extreme test of endurance, from overcoming Heartbreak Hill to hitting the wall in Kenmore Sq.
Summer
In summer months, children of all ages populate trolleys (red clanging beasts) and Duck Tours (on boat/tractor half-breeds) to circle the city's 300 years of history in a laid-back hour. Those who want a more intimate view of Boston's urban treasures prefer to walk, spending the hot afternoons following the Freedom Trail and the cool evenings cruising down Newbury St. The summer also offers free concerts and movies at the Hatch Shell on the Charles, where the Boston Pops orchestra plays as fireworks explode overhead at the annual Fourth of July festivities. All summer long, different ethnic festivals are held all over the city, as each neighborhood celebrates its heritage with music, food, and fun.
Autumn
In the fall, hundreds of thousands of weepy parents and weaning collegiates move their supplies of inflatable furniture, Ramen noodles, shower sandals, and iMacs into the dorms of Boston's numerous universities and colleges. This influx of students does not prevent travelers from enjoying the city, but rather offers them even more options, such as the Head of the Charles Regatta or the thumping beats at the clubs on Lansdowne Street. The brilliant New England foliage is an absolutely stunning melange of reds and browns---for about three days, after which every tree in the region is sadly bare.
Winter
The blustery Boston winters can cause natives to bustle more and talk less, but the frigid air is infused with the warmth of holiday cheer. Bright lights and sparkling stars decorate the giant Christmas trees at the Prudential Center and Quincy Market, where the proud holiday tradition of disguising crass commercialism as the spirit of giving can be seen in full bloom. The variety of events involved in the nation's first First Night presents a New Year's Eve alternative to the conventional mixture of sloppy drunkenness and Dick Clark. Winter is also the time of year when face-painted modern-day Sons of Liberty increase the price of Lipton's stock by pouring tons of Earl Grey into the Harbor, in the re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party. It's also a great time to do as the locals do and head for the hills, taking advantage of the nearby skiing and snowboarding opportunities.
The Lay of the Land
Boston, capital of Massachusetts and the largest city in New England, sits on a peninsula that juts into the protective waters of Boston Harbor in Massachusetts Bay. Downtown is still the same compact three square miles settled in 1630. Aristocratic Beacon Hill marks the territory west of Downtown. The Fitzgerald Expwy. (I-93) divides Downtown from the Italian North End, which in turn lies across the Charles River from up-and-coming Charlestown. Chinatown and the Theatre District lie to the south. At the center of all these neighborhoods is the green Boston Common. West of the Common, the brownstones of Back Bay stand upon a landfill (don't worry, the smell subsided 100 years ago). The Mass. Pike (I-90), which continues west across most of the state, separates the Back Bay from the artsy South End. Home of the Red Sox, the Fenway spreads out along the Charles River to the east of Back Bay. Across the river, you'll find Boston's Left Bank, the Kremlin on the Charles, otherwise known as Cambridge, Massachusetts.
But that's not all. Underrated Allston faces Cambridge on the other side of the river, offering budget-friendly bars and restaurants. Separated from suburban Brookline by Frederick Law Olmsted's famous Emerald Necklace are Boston's outer neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester, each of which offers its own rewards to the adventurous traveler. The pub-hopper's dream, Irish South Boston occupies the land on the other side of the Inner Harbor.
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