Boston is the largest city in New England, the capital of the state of Massachusetts, and one of the most historic, wealthy and influential cities in the United States of America. Its dozens of museums, 62 historical sights, nearly 2000 restaurants, and wealth of live performances all explain why the city gets 16.3 million tourists a year, making it one of the ten most popular tourist locations in the country.
Although technically not part of Boston proper, the cities of Cambridge (just across the Charles River, home to Harvard and MIT), Newton, Brookline and Somerville are in many ways an integral part of the larger city and are an essential component to any visit to Boston.
Districts
Boston is a city of diverse neighborhoods, many of which were originally towns in their own right before being assimilated into the city itself. These neighborhoods still go by their original names and people will often tell you they are from "JP" (Jamaica Plain), "Southie" (South Boston), "Dot" (Dorchester) or "Eastie" (East Boston) rather than from "Boston". Alternatively, people from the suburbs will tell you they are from Boston when in fact they live in one of the nearby (or even outlying) suburbs. If in doubt, you can look for "Resident Parking Only" signs which will tell you what neighborhood you are in.
These distinctions can cause problems when trying to send mail or when using directory assistance to search for phone numbers. When sending letters to residents, zip codes will often be valid for several different neighborhood labels. "Boston" will work, but so will "Dorchester", or even sub-neighborhoods such as "Neponset", "Uphams Corner" and "Fields Corner." Residents still use them with pride.
To this day, if you dial 411 to search for a phone number, the listing may not be found under "Boston," but in the neighborhood where the person/business is located.
Also be aware that geographic references tend to mean little. For example, South Boston is different from the South End, which is actually west of South Boston and north of Dorchester and Roxbury. Some other confusing notables: East Boston and Charlestown are further north than the North End. The West End is in the northern part of town (bordering the North End and Charles River). Dorchester Heights is located well within South Boston.
Each neighborhood and neighboring city has more specific listings than what's on this page.
City of Boston
Among Boston's many neighborhoods, the historic areas of Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Chinatown, Downtown, the Fenway, the Financial District, Government Center, the North End, and the South End comprise the area considered "Boston Proper." It is here where most of the buildings that make up the city's skyline are located.
Boston neighborhoods (nicknames in parentheses):
Allston and Brighton are abutting neighborhoods. Brighton is rather suburban, large and home to the largest population of Asians in the City of Boston --even more than Chinatown in total numbers if not percentage of population. Allston is more urban than Brighton and smaller. It is closer to the City and quite close to Harvard Square in Cambridge. In fact Harvard University has recently published plans to expand "Harvard Sq." into North Allston. You will often hear them called Allston-Brighton, although they are quite distinct. They are connected to the rest of the city by a narrow neck of land between the Charles River and the town of Brookline.
East Boston is on a peninsula across Boston Harbor from the main bulk of the city. Logan Airport is in East Boston. Several underwater tunnels connect East Boston to the rest of the city.
Charlestown is across the Charles River, on the part of the mainland where Cambridge and Somerville are located. It's where you'll find the Bunker Hill Monument.
The South End, North End, South Boston, and the West End are not the neighborhoods farthest in these respective directions. They are named for their positions relative to the original penninsula of Boston, which as been landfilled to such an extent that the South End is now landlocked.
The Back Bay is one of the few neighborhoods with streets organized in a grid. It is so named because it used to be mud flats on the river, until the city filled in the bay in a land-making project ending in 1862. It is now one of the higher-rent neighborhoods in the city. The north-south streets crossing the axis of Back Bay are organized alphabetically. Starting from the east, at the Public Garden, and heading west, they are: Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester (pronounced 'gloster'), and Hereford. After Hereford is Massachusetts Avenue, more commonly known as Mass. Av., and then Charlesgate, which marks the western boundary of Back Bay. The alphabetical street names continue a little way into the Fenway neighborhood on the other side of Charlesgate, with Ipswich, Jersey, and Kilmarnock, but the streets are no longer arranged in a grid.
There are also several "districts" you might hear mentioned. "Districts" are generally areas of common interest located within a larger neighborhood:
When to visit
As many know, the weather in New England is very unpredictable and becomes moderately cold in the winter, as well as rather humid summers. Late May through late September, you'll be comfortable with no jacket or sweater.
When the heat does start, there are miles and miles of beaches within the city -and just outside of it- that are available for swimming. (The old Standells classic "Dirty Water" doesn't really apply anymore as the water is very safe to swim in thanks to the 15-year old Boston Harbor Cleanup project.)
Early summer tends to be nice, but you don't know when that will be year to year. In that time however, the temperature will be perfect, and there will be no humidity. The remainder of summer tends to be very warm with uncomfortably high humidity. Walking around Boston in this weather can be very uncomfortable. You'll be best off taking a cab, bus, or the T (air-conditioned, unlike the London Underground).
If you opt to visit during the less busy wintertime, rest assured that the nearby Atlantic Ocean has a large moderating effect on temperatures. The average low in January is 22F , so as long as you dress appropriately, you should be fine.
Understanding
The father of American jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes) once called the Boston statehouse "the hub of the solar system", but common usage has expanded to the now-current Hub of the Universe. This half-serious term is all you need to know to understand Boston's complicated self-image. Vastly important in American history, and for centuries the seat of the USA's social elite, Boston lost prominence in the early twentieth century, largely to the cities of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Over the past two decades, Boston has regained political, cultural, and economic importance. Is it the center of everything? Don't expect a straight answer from a wry Bostonian.
The city was founded in 1630 by members of the Massachusetts Bay colony, Puritan religious dissidents who had fled England to find freedom in the New World. Because of its easily-defended harbor and the fact that it is the closest harbor to Europe it rapidly assumed a leading role in the fledging New England region, with a booming economy based on trade with the Caribbean and Europe. The devastating Fire of 1760 destroyed much of the town, but within a few years the city had bounced back.
Bostonians were the instigators of the independance movement in the 18th century and the city was the center of America's revolutionary activity during the Colonial period. Several of the first Revolutionary War skirmishes were fought there, including the Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, and the battles of Lexington and Concord -which were fought nearby. Boston's direct involvement in the Revolution ended after the Battle of Bunker Hill and, soon afterwards, the ending of the Siege of Boston by George Washington. The residents' ardent support of independence earned the city the nickname The Cradle of Liberty.
Throughout the 19th century, Boston continued to grow rapidly, assimilating outlying towns into the metropolitan core. Its importance in American culture was inestimable, and its economic and literary elite, the so-called Boston Brahmins assumed the mantle of aristocracy in the United States. Their patronage of the arts and progressive social ideals was unprecidented in the New World, and often conflicted with the city's Puritan foundations. They helped drive unprecedented scientific, educational and social change that would soon sweep the country. The Abolitionist movement, anesthesia and the telephone are a few examples of this.
Education was another area that was vitally important to the elites and citizenery in general. The first public school in America, Boston Latin, was founded in 1635. The oldest elementary school in America, the Mather School, opened in 1635. (Its current structure, built in 1905, is the oldest continuously-operated school building in America.) Harvard College in nearby Cambridge became, and in many ways remains, America's premier center of learning. Boston was also the first city in America to adopt a public library.
At the same time, the city's working class swelled with immigrants from Europe. The huge Irish influx made Boston one of the most important Irish cities in the world -- in or out of Ireland. Gradually the Irish laborer population climbed into city's upper class, evidenced no better than by the continued importance of the Kennedy family in national politics.
From the early twentieth century until the 1970s, Boston's importance on the national stage waned. Cities in what was once the frontier, like Chicago, San Francisco, and later Los Angeles, shifted the nation's center of gravity away from liberty's cradle. In the past two decades, Boston's importance and influence has increased, due to growth in higher education, health care, high technology, and financial services. It remains America's higher educational center; during the school year, one in five Bostonians is a university student. There are more college students per square foot in Boston than any other city in the Western Hemisphere.
Boston's nicknames include "Beantown", "The Hub" (shortened from Oliver Wendell Holmes' phrase 'The Hub of the Universe'), "The City of Higher Learning" (due to the plethora of universities and colleges in the Boston area) and - particularly in the 19th century - "The Athens of America," on account of its great cultural and intellectual influence. If you don't want to stand out as a tourist, don't refer to Boston by any of these nicknames. Locals, with the exception of the media when writing snappy headlines, generally don't use any of them.
Get in
By plane
Boston Logan International Airport is the main gateway to Boston and New England. It is located in East Boston a few kilometers from downtown. All major U.S. carriers serve Boston Logan with extensive flights to major cities across the country. Many European carriers also fly to Boston from their hubs including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (London), Air France (Paris), Alitalia (Milan, Rome), Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich), Aer Lingus (Dublin, Shannon), Swiss (Zurich), Icelandair (Reykjavik) Iberia (Madrid) and NWA/KLM (Amsterdam). Getting to Boston from Asia will require at least a one stop connection.
From all terminals, free Massport shuttle buses provide connectivity to subway, water transit, and parking.
The MBTA Blue line is convenient and inexpensive provided that you are not carrying much luggage. For the bus to Airport station, look for the blue and white Massport shuttle bus with the electronic sign that says "SUBWAY" or "ROUTE 22". Subway fare is $1.70, or 2.00 w/o Charliecard, and exact change is not needed. The last Blue Line train leaves Airport station shortly after about 12:30 AM.
The 'Airport station was completely rebuilt in 2004. Change at Government Center for Green Line trains and at State Street for Orange Line trains. If you need a Red Line train, you could take a Green Line train from Government Center to Park Street, but the Silver Line (see below) is a better bet.
The Silver Line began service to Logan airport in June 2005. The large, low-floor articulated bus stops at each terminal roughly every 10 minutes on weekdays and every 15 minutes on weekends. From the airport the bus travels through the occasionally-clogged Ted Williams Tunnel, and then through a dedicated bus tunnel to an underground stop at South Station. Convenient transfers are available to the Red Line, westbound/southbound commuter rail trains, and Amtrak trains. The fare is $1.70, or $2.00 w/o Charliecard, exact change only.
Taxis are more expensive than in many other cities. Fortunately, the airport is very near the city so the fare is not extremely expensive. It would be about $25 for fares to Boston, and less if you are staying downtown in the financial district.
Airporter, Phone: +1 781-899-6161, toll free: +1 877-899-6161, reservations@theairporter.com, . Between Logan and the suburbs, door to door.
Driving to Logan from the north, take the Callahan Tunnel; from the south or the west, take the Ted Williams Tunnel. Routes are well marked, and there is no toll in this direction. Driving from the airport to downtown Boston or to points north, including Interstate 93 northbound, take the Sumner Tunnel; for points south and west, including Interstate 93 southbound & Interstate 90, take the Ted Williams Tunnel. There is a $3 toll for either tunnel. Routes are well marked, but the airport road system is complex... read the signs carefully and be sure you're in the correct lane, or you may be forced to swerve across several lanes of traffic to catch an unexpected off-ramp.
Alternative airports
Due to congestion at Logan, two regional airports have been designated as alternatives to Logan Airport. Flying into one of these airports may be an option for travelers visiting points north or south of Boston or those who wish to fly Southwest (which flies into both of these airports, but does not serve Logan). Unless one of those conditions applies, it is recommended that you just fly into Logan, as both airports are some distance from Boston and not well served by public transportation.
General Aviation traffic is mostly served by Hanscom Field () off Route 128/I-95 near Lexington and Burlington.
By train
Amtrak arrives at South Station, which intersects with the MBTA's Red Line and the waterfront branches of the Silver Line. You can take the Amtrak Northeast Corridor or Acela Express from South Station all the way to Washington D.C. and beyond. Average Acela time from Boston to New York City is 3 1/2 hours, while a trip to Philadelphia takes about 5 hours. Another popular Amtrak train is the Lake Shore Limited service between Boston and Chicago (requiring a layover in Albany). This isn't as high quality or high speed as the Acela, but at around $75, the price is right (note that in order to get the low-low fare, you have to purchase your ticket a few weeks in advance). All trains to South Station also stop at Back Bay Station, which is much smaller, but more convenient to Back Bay, Beacon Hill and the South End. It is on the Orange Line on the subway and most of the Commuter Rail lines that terminate at South Station.
Amtrak also uses North Station at the TD Banknorth Garden (previously called the Fleet Center) for their Downeaster service to Haverhill, Peabody, and Maine.
Remember, Boston's North and South stations are not linked, and are over a mile from one another. In order to travel in between, hop on the Red Line subway at South Station and switch to the Orange Line to North Station. You could always take a cab, but the subway (known locally as the "T") is significantly cheaper. Your best option is to go between North Station and Back Bay station, since they are directly linked by the Orange Line.
If you have a first class Acela ticket, you may use the Amtrak Metropolitan Lounge in the historic, renovated South Station. There is no lounge at Back Bay Station. You may use Quik Track machines to buy your ticket without standing in line, or to pick up tickets you have reserved online.
Arriving by train has the advantage of putting you within easy reach of most downtown destinations by public transit.
By bus
Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus serve many cities from South Station but are generally much more expensive than the Chinatown buses, with Greyhound and PPB averaging $30 to New York. However, eSaver fares available online make the Greyhound fare between Boston & NYC as low as $15 each way. The Chinatown buses (AKA Dragon Buses) now use South Station also and serve Hartford, Connecticut and New York City. Fares are competitive, but not as low as they once were (for example, Fung Wah was $10 each way and is now $15). Some significantly lower quality Chinatown buses average $12.50 one way.
It should be noted that Fung Wah Transportation has recently been in the headlines for several accidents involving its buses.
By car
If you are driving in, you may seriously want to consider dropping your car at a lot and taking the "T" in. If you're heading downtown for the touristy sites, you will consider having a car a curse rather than a blessing. Parking at MBTA commuter rail and terminal subway locations is dirt cheap. In particular, the Riverside (Grove Street) stop at the end of the Green D line is right off I-95, and is $3.75 to park ALL DAY. You can even park overnight for something like a dollar more. Commuter rail stations are even cheaper. See the Public Transit section in the "Get around" section below.
Boston has two major highways entering it, I-93 and I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike, or "Mass Pike", or "Pike"; locals do not call it "I-90"). I-93 enters the city from the north and the south; the section running from Boston southward is referred to as the "Southeast Expressway" but the northern section is just "93 North." The Pike enters Boston from the west. The Mass Pike is a toll road - expect to pay $1.00 to enter the city via the Pike, in addition to the tolls charged when arriving at the I-90 / I-95 interchange in Weston, just outside the city (variable based on distance travelled, max price is $3.60 if you drive all the way from the automatic ticket machines near the New York border). Also, if you enter The Pike in East Boston (at Logan Airport) the toll is $3.00. There are minor roads, of course, that enter Boston as well, including Route 9 (Old Worcester Turnpike), Route 2, and US 1. Another major highway, I-95 (also known as Route 128) encircles the Boston area.
There are many car rental places around Boston, but one of the most unique is Zipcar, an hourly car rental service. If you don't plan to do much driving, this may be an economical alternative to owning a car. If you want to use Zipcar, you should try signing up in advance (students of universities in Boston may be able to get a discount). It is not instantaneous. Rental fees and taxes differ between Boston and Cambridge, but the rental agencies at Logan Airport (in East Boston) are still usually less expensive and have a greater fleet of cars available.
In addition to the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), the Sumner Tunnel is a toll road (coming from the airport only), along with the Ted Williams Tunnel (from airport only), and the Tobin Bridge (southbound/from the North Shore only).
If driving on a major highway during rush hour, do not be surprised to see cars driving in the breakdown lane on the shoulder. This is permitted in certain areas, at certain times, as indicated by signs along the road.
As a general rule, especially as a tourist unfamiliar with the city, alternatives are favored over driving - even when just getting in or out of the city. Boston is one of the densest major cities in the U.S. - perfect for walking, biking, or using the collection of mass transit systems known as the T. Driving can be confusing and dangerous with numerous one way streets, narrow roads, and continuous road construction.
By boat
Get around
Navigating Boston's streets is very hard if you are not familiar with the area. Driving is to be avoided if possible. While other cities have their streets laid out in a grid (New York, Chicago, Indianapolis) or along a river, lake, or other geographical feature (New Orleans, Cleveland), the streets of Boston are essentially paved versions of the 17th-century cattle trails and dirt roads they replaced. There are many one-way streets, usually arranged haphazardly and poorly marked for drivers. Signage is nothing short of terrible and often you will have no clue what street you are crossing. Bostonians have adapted to this lax signage by — in many cases — completely ignoring street names outside their immediate neighborhoods. Most navigate by landmark and memory. Watch out for lots of double-parked vehicles. Boston's drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists are notorious for being aggressive. Especially avoid driving during rush hour on weekdays; streets and highways become extremely crowded (the downtown population doubles each workday). Walking, especially downtown, is the best way to go.
For most tourist destinations in Boston and Cambridge, you should leave your car behind and take the subway. You'll do a bit more walking, but that will give you a chance to see the sights. However, much of the parking in Boston and surrounding towns is limited to neighborhood residents, who have stickers identifying their cars. You should therefore check whether parking on a particular street is open to you, and consider using metered parking or public or private lots.
If you are unfamiliar with the area and don't plan on going beyond the areas covered by the subway then it is best to avoid a car. You will save yourself a lot of money and aggravation.
Parking
Parallel parking is a necessary skill in Boston. If you're not up the challenge, however, there are many garages downtown close to the sights. They include Quincy Market, the Aquarium, the new State Street Financial Center, the Theater District and the Boston Common. There are three levels of parking under the Common. The garage is very clean and its central location makes it a good starting point for a day trip in the city. To get in and out of the garage, there are four pavilions on the Common; each has stairs and an elevator. Once out of the garage, the Park Street and Boylston Street subway stops are only a two or three minute walk away.
As a rule, if you think you may be illegally parked, you probably are. Read the street signs very carefully. Watch for street cleaning, resident parking zones, and commercial parking zones - all of which will vary depending on the day and time. Parking meters are enforced heavily throughout the city. Meters in different parts of the city will turn off at different times (ie. 8PM downtown or 6PM in many other neighborhoods). A broken meter entitles you to one hour without having to pay.
Public transit
Public transit in Boston is convenient and relatively inexpensive, and can take you directly to most points of interest. A single public transit agency serves the Boston Metro area, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority ("MBTA", or "the T" for short). The MBTA is the fourth-largest transit system in the U.S. For complete schedules, maps, and other information, see their official website at http://www.mbta.com.
After decades of using tokens for fare payment, the entire MBTA system has been converted to the new CharlieCard and CharlieTicket system. Dispensing machines at all stations accept cash, credit cards, and debit cards. As with many such systems, tourists are expected to use the temporary paper CharlieTickets rather than the more permanent plastic CharlieCards, but at the cost of a slight surcharge for using the tickets. With that said, you can certainly obtain a CharlieCard as a tourist, but it will take some effort to find a vendor selling the cards: the machines at the stations only give out CharlieTickets, and most station employees don't have CharlieCards readily available.
Bicycles are usually welcome on the MBTA. They are allowed on MBTA boats and ferries at any time. On commuter rail trains, they are allowed anytime except weekday rush hours, as noted on individual train line schedules. Bikes are allowed on the Blue, Red, and Orange subway lines only, and only at certain times of the day. Bikes are always allowed on MBTA buses that are equipped with bike racks. The MBTA is currently installing bike racks on many bus routes - check the MBTA website for the latest updates. Please visit the MBTA website for complete rules and regulations regarding bikes on the MBTA.
The T consists of several components: subway, bus, water shuttles, and commuter rail.
Subway (or "the T")
The subway is composed of four color-coded rail lines. The Red and Orange lines travel generally north-south; the Blue and Green lines travel generally east-west. Google Earth has the subway lines built into its map of Boston. Googlemaps has all the subway stops listed, though not what line they're on. Short of particular non-touristy spots in the suburbs, the subway can get you anywhere.
The Green Line splits into four branches going west that are known as the B, C, D and E lines. Going west on the Green Line, the E line branches off at Copley Square station, the other three split at Kenmore Square station. Just after the lines split, these lines all run above ground and become "streetcar" lines. The B line branch of the Green Line runs through Boston University and ends at Boston College; therefore, during the school year, B-line trolleys are often very crowded with students, particularly at night. The B, C, and D lines all run near Fenway Park and get heavy usage before and after Red Sox home games. The T usually does a good job at running extra trolleys to accommodate the heavy load; nevertheless, during the baseball season, visitors may want to keep in mind that they will be facing large crowds if they travel near the Kenmore and Fenway stations those days.
The Red Line splits in two directions going south that are known as the Braintree and Ashmont branches, the latter of which connects to a streetcar line to Mattapan. Going south, the Red Line splits at JFK/UMass station.
When Bostonians say they use the T, they're usually referring to the subway. While the MBTA refers to the Silver Line as a subway route (it appears on subway maps), most Bostonians consider it part of the bus system.
The subway system is slightly confusing in that directions are often marked "inbound" and "outbound", rather than with a destination. "Inbound" means "into the center of Boston", where all four lines converge at four stops: State (Blue and Orange), Park Street (Red and Green), Government Center (Blue and Green), and Downtown Crossing (Orange and Red). "Outbound" means "away from the center of Boston". Of course, once one is in the center, the lines may indicate the actual destination of the trains, because all directions are "outbound". Nevertheless, note that the four stations listed above surround the center; for example, travel from Park Street to Government Center on the Green Line would be Inbound, but further travel on the same train would be Outbound. One of the better ways to determine which way to go is to note the last stop of the train (usually denoted on the subway platform maps).
Note that subway and light rail service generally stops between midnight and 2AM. Each line (green, blue, etc.) has a "last train" time, starting at one end of the line and going to the other. For example, Alewife, the north end of the red line, has a last train leaving at 1:15AM, which means it'll most likely arrive at Park St. going south between 1:35AM and 2AM, depending on the number of people using the T that night. Therefore, make sure to check with a T employee (usually someone is available by the turnstiles) or with a bus driver to get the "last train" time for the subway or bus line you want to take.
Unlimited-ride subway and bus passes are available from the T. If you're going to be riding a lot around town, these are worth investigating. See http://www.mbta.com/fares_and_passes/ for complete fare information on passes. A Visitor's Pass costs $7.50 for 1 day, $18 for 3 days, and $35 for 7 days (or, instead, locals use their 1-Day LinkPass for $9 or 7-Day LinkPass for $15). The 7-Day LinkPass is valid for 7 days from the date and time of purchase. The LinkPass gives you unlimited travel on Subway, Local Bus, Inner Harbor Ferry, and Commuter Rail Zone 1A.
The cost of a one-way ride on the MBTA Subway is $1.70 plus FREE subway and local bus transfers (if done on a CharlieCard), or $2.00 if done on a Charlie Ticket or paying by cash. This will get you to most destinations. Parking at the Alewife station on the Red line is ample but will cost you $5 no matter when you come and go (for each 24 hour period). The Grove Street/Riverside Station just off I95 has plentiful parking for $3.75 for ALL DAY.
Bus
Unlike the subway, buses tend to run circumferential routes rather than through the center of the city, e.g. from Brighton to Cambridge. Bus service is variable in performance, and buses can fill up rather quickly. Bus fares on the CharlieCard (plastic) are $1.25 plus FREE bus transfers, $2.80 Inner Express, and $4.00 Outer Express and then on the Charlie Ticket or by using cash costs $1.50, $3.50 Inner Express, and $5.00 Outer Express.
Water shuttle
The MBTA runs a number of water shuttles, but the most useful for tourists is the shuttle from Long Wharf to Navy Yard, which costs $1.70. This provides a convenient connection between the USS Constitution Museum and the area around Faneuil Hall and the New England Aquarium. There's also a shuttle from Long Wharf to Logan Airport, but it runs relatively infrequently, so the subway is your best bet for getting between these two destinations.
There are also public ferries available from several ports, notably the Aquarium and Long Wharf. Some may be through private companies, so be sure to check the fares at the companies' websites.
Commuter rail
Commuter rail in Boston is primarily used for traveling to towns outside of the city. Due to its limited frequency compared to the subway, it's not recommended for travel within the city itself. Commuter rail fares range from $1.70 to $7.75, depending on the distance traveled. Tickets can be bought on board trains, but at a slight surcharge.
Trains heading north of the city leave from North Station, while those heading south or west leave from South Station. Both stations have connections to the subway: North Station is on the Green and Orange Lines, and South Station is on the Red and Silver Lines.
As noted above, the two stations are not directly connected: you cannot board a train north of the city and take it to a point south of the city. Such a journey will require a subway ride in between train trips to make the connection. There has been talk of building an underground tunnel to connect the two stations, but this is not expected to happen for decades, if ever.
Taxi
Your current alternative to late-night public transit is a taxi. Taxis can be hailed at any significant street corner, such as Kenmore Square or Copley Square. Expect to spend at least $5 and possibly up to $30 in the immediate surroundings (this includes the initial fare, a small tip for the driver, small one-way streets, bad traffic, construction, tolls for bridges, tolls for tunnels, tolls for the Mass Pike, and any wait time). To get further out of Boston, expect to spend much more (for example, from the airport to Wellesley, a Boston suburb, would be around $80, which includes the actual driving and tolls along the way).
By foot
Boston's downtown core is very compact and easily walkable. Most major tourist attractions can be visited on foot, although visiting some neighborhoods will require rail and/or bus connections. The climate is rather cold from December to April, and the city, contrary to another city's slogan, is actually the most windy in America. Snow can also be an obstacle.
If, late at night, you feel you can deal neither with the cost of a taxi nor the wait involved with the MBTA, consider that Boston is a relatively small and safe city (the recent crime wave notwithstanding: it is mostly confined to neighborhoods most travelers would be unlikely to visit) and thus walking is always an option. Just remember to use the same common sense you would in any city.
See
Museums
Events
Do
Sports
Boston is a sports town, and its professional teams are much-loved. These include the Red Sox (baseball), Celtics (basketball), Bruins (hockey) and New England Patriots (football).
Buy
The biggest shopping areas in the inner Metro are the Back Bay and Downtown Crossing. In addition, there are two large malls in and near the center of the city.
More local color can be experienced outdoors at any of several popular commercial areas:
Eat
Boston has excellent seafood from the nearby New England coast. Local specialties include baked beans, cod, and clam chowder. Another local specialty is ice cream.
A variety of excellent ethnic restaurants can be found in neighborhoods such as the North End, Chinatown, or Coolidge Corner.
The best sit-down restaurants can be quite crowded in the evenings on weekends. Unless you have a reservation, be prepared to wait anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, depending on how refined your tastes are.
If you are indecisive, visit one of the outdoor commercial areas listed in the previous section and walk around until you find something that sounds tasty and in your price range.
Italian
The North End is full of Italian eateries, and it's certain that you'll find something here to your liking. Take the Green or Orange Lines to the Haymarket station, follow the pedestrian passageway through the Big Dig, and then follow the signs to Hanover Street, the main commercial thoroughfare. Most of the good restaurants are on this street or on side streets.
Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a state in the United States of America. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the unofficial capital of the New England region; the city of Boston had an estimated population of 596,638 in 2005. However, the city lies at the center of America's eleventh-largest metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, which is home to 4.4 million people. Residents of the city are called Bostonians.
In 1630, Puritan colonists from England founded the city on the Shawmut Peninsula. During the late 1700s, Boston was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Several early battles of the American Revolution, such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston, occurred within the city and surrounding areas. After the revolution, Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing center, and its rich history now attracts 16.3 million visitors annually. and college, Harvard College (1636) in neighboring Cambridge, as well as the first subway system in the U.S.
Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded throughout the peninsula. It has become one of the most culturally significant cities in the United States, and is recognized as a global city. With many colleges and universities within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education and a center for health care. The city's economy is also based on research, finance, and technology — principally biotechnology. Boston is also struggling with gentrification issues, and has one of the highest costs of living in the United States.
History
Boston was founded on September 17 1630 by Puritan colonists from England. Boston's early European settlers first called the area Trimountaine, but later renamed the town after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, from which several prominent colonists emigrated. Massachusetts Bay Colony's original governor, John Winthrop, gave a famous sermon entitled "A Model of Christian Charity," which captured the idea that Boston had a special covenant with God. (Winthrop also led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, which is regarded as a key founding document of the city.) Puritan ethics molded an extremely stable and well-structured society in Boston. For example, shortly after Boston's settlement, Puritans founded America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635),
In the 1770s, British attempts to exert more stringent control on the thirteen colonies, primarily via taxation, prompted Bostonians to initiate the American Revolution.
The Embargo Act of 1807, adopted during the Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812 significantly curtailed Boston's harbor activity. Although foreign trade returned after these hostilities, Boston's merchants had found alternatives for their capital investments in the interim. Manufacturing became an important component of the city's economy and by the mid-1800s, the city's industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance. Until the early 1900s, Boston remained one of the nation's largest manufacturing centers, and was notable for its garment production and leather goods industries.
In the 1820s, Boston's population began to swell and the city's ethnic composition changed dramatically with the first wave of European immigrants. Irish immigrants dominated the first wave of newcomers during this period. By 1850, about 35,000 Irish lived in Boston. In the latter half of the 19th century, the city saw increasing numbers of Irish, French Canadians, and Russian and Polish Jews settle in the city. By the end of the 19th century, Boston's core neighborhoods had become enclaves of ethnically distinct immigrants — Italians inhabited the North End, the Irish dominated South Boston, and Russian Jews lived in the West End.
Irish and Italian immigrants brought with them Roman Catholicism. Currently, Catholics make up Boston's largest religious community and since the early 20th century the Irish have played a major role in Boston politics—prominent figures include the Kennedys, Tip O'Neill, and John F. Fitzgerald.
Between 1630 and 1890, the city tripled its physical size by land reclamation, by filling in marshes, mud flats, and gaps between wharves along the waterfront, a process Walter Muir Whitehill called "cutting down the hills to fill the coves." The largest reclamation efforts took place during the 1800s. Beginning in 1807, the crown of Beacon Hill was used to fill in a 50-acre (20 ha) mill pond that later became Haymarket Square. The present-day State House sits atop this shortened Beacon Hill. Reclamation projects in the middle of the century created significant parts of the South End, West End, the Financial District, and Chinatown. After The Great Boston Fire of 1872, workers used building rubble as landfill along the downtown waterfront. During the mid-to-late 19th century, workers filled almost 600 acres (2.4 km²) of brackish Charles River marshlands west of the Boston Common with soil brought by rail from the hills of Needham Heights. In addition, the city annexed the adjacent towns of Roxbury (1868), Dorchester (1870), Brighton, West Roxbury, and Charlestown. The last three towns were annexed in 1874.
By the early and mid-20th century, the city was in decline as factories became old and obsolete, and businesses moved out of the region for cheaper labor elsewhere. BRA subsequently reevaluated its approach to urban renewal in its future projects, including the construction of Government Center. By the 1970s, the city's economy boomed after thirty years of economic downturn. Hospitals such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women's Hospital led the nation in medical innovation and patient care. Schools such as Harvard University, MIT, Boston College, and Boston University attracted students to the Boston area. Nevertheless, the city experienced conflict starting in 1974 over desegregation busing, which resulted in unrest and violence around public schools throughout the mid-1970s.
In the early 21st century, the city has become a center of intellectual, technological, and political ideas. However, Boston has experienced a loss of regional institutions, which included the acquisition of the Boston Globe by The New York Times, and the loss to mergers and acquisitions of local financial institutions such FleetBoston Financial, which was acquired by Charlotte-based Bank of America in 2004. The city also had to tackle gentrification issues and rising living expenses, with housing prices increasing sharply since the 1990s. In 2004, the Boston metropolitan area had the highest cost of living of any in the country, and Massachusetts was the only state to lose population. The highest point in Boston is Bellevue Hill at 330 feet (101 m) above sea level, while the lowest point is at sea level. Boston is bordered by the cities and towns of Winthrop, Revere, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, Watertown, Newton, Brookline, Needham, Dedham, Canton, Milton, and Quincy—often known as, and considered a part of, Greater Boston.
Much of the Back Bay and South End are built on reclaimed land—all of the earth from two of Boston's three original hills, the "trimount", were used as a source of material for landfill. Only Beacon Hill, the smallest of the three original hills, remains partially intact; just half of its height was cut down for landfill. The downtown area and immediate surroundings consist mostly of low-rise brick or stone buildings, with many older buildings in the Federal style. Several of these buildings mix in with modern high-rises, notably in the Financial District, Government Center, the South Boston waterfront, and Back Bay, which includes many prominent landmarks such as the Boston Public Library, Christian Science Center, Copley Square, Newbury Street, and New England's two tallest buildings: the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center. Near the John Hancock Tower is the old John Hancock Building with its prominent weather forecast beacon — whatever light illuminates gives an indication of weather to come: "steady blue. clear view; flashing blue, clouds are due; steady red, rain ahead; flashing red, snow instead." Smaller commercial areas are interspersed among single-family homes and wooden/brick multi-family row houses. Currently, the South End Historic District remains the largest surviving contiguous Victorian-era neighborhood in the U.S.
Boston Common, located near the Financial District and Beacon Hill, is the oldest public park in the U.S. Along with the adjacent Boston Public Garden, it is part of the Emerald Necklace, a string of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to encircle the city. Franklin Park, which is also part of the Emerald Necklace, is the city's largest park and houses a zoo. Another major park is the Esplanade located along the banks of the Charles River. Other parks are scattered throughout the city, with the major parks and beaches located near Castle Island, in Charlestown and along the Dorchester, South Boston, and East Boston shorelines.
The Charles River separates Boston proper from Cambridge, Watertown, and the neighborhood of Charlestown. To the east lies Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The Neponset River forms the boundary between Boston's southern neighborhoods and the cities of Quincy and Milton. The Mystic River separates Charlestown from Chelsea and Everett, while Chelsea Creek and Boston Harbor separate East Boston from Boston proper.
Climate
Boston experiences a continental climate that is very common in New England, but with distinct maritime influences due to its position on the Atlantic Ocean. Summers are typically hot and humid, while winters are cold, windy and snowy. It has been known to snow in May or October but these events are rare.
The earliest recorded 90 °F (32.2 °C) temperature in a year was in late March 1998, while February in Boston has seen 70 (21 °C) degrees only once in recorded history, on February 24, 1985. Spring in Boston can be hot, with temperatures in the 90s when winds are from offshore, though it is just as possible for a day in late May to remain in the 40s due to cool ocean waters. The hottest month is July, with an average high of 81.9 °F (27.7 °C) and a low of 65.1 °F (18.4 °C), conditions are usually humid. The coldest month is January, with an average high of 35.8 °F (2.1 °C) and a low of 21.6 °F (-5.6 °C). Periods exceeding 90 °F in summer and below 10 °F in winter are not uncommon, but rarely prolonged. The record high temperature is 104 °F (40 °C), recorded July 4 1911. The record low temperature is -18 °F (-28 °C), recorded on February 9 1934.
The city averages about 42 in (108 cm) of rainfall a year. It also coincidentally averages about 42 in (108 cm) of snowfall a year, although this increases dramatically as one goes inland away from the city. Massachusetts' geographic location's jutting out into the North Atlantic also makes the city very prone to Nor'easter weather systems that can produce much snow and rain. Fog is prevalent, particularly in spring and early summer and the occasional tropical storm or hurricane can threaten the region, especially in early autumn.
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Demographics
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According to the census of 2000, there were 589,141 people, (the population estimate of 2006 was 596,638 people), 239,528 households, and 115,212 families residing in the city. The population density was 12,166 people per square mile (4,697/km²). There were 251,935 housing units at an average density of 5,203 per square mile (2,009/km²). However, the population of Boston can grow during the daytime to about 1.2 million. This fluctuation of people is caused by suburban residents traveling to the city for work, education, medical purposes, and special events. According to the census, the racial makeup of the city was 54.47% White, 25.33% Black, 0.40% Native American, 7.52% Asian American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 7.83% from other races, and 4.39% from two or more races. 14.44% of the population was Hispanic or Latino who can be of any race.
People of Irish descent form the largest single white ethnic group in the city, making up 15.8% of the population. Italians also form a significant segment of the city's population, accounting for 8.3% of the population. People of West Indian ancestry are another sizeable group (6.4%), about half of them are of Haitian ancestry. Some neighborhoods, such as Dorchester, have received an influx of Vietnamese residents in the past few years.
There were 239,528 households out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.4% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.9% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
Government
Boston has a strong mayor system in which the mayor is vested with extensive executive powers. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by plurality voting. The city council is elected every two years. There are nine district seats, each elected by the residents of that district through plurality voting, and four at-large seats. Each voter casts up to four votes for at-large councilors, with no more than one vote per candidate. The candidates with the four highest vote totals are elected. The president of the city council is elected by the councilors from within themselves. The school committee is appointed by the mayor.
In addition to city government, numerous state authorities and commissions play a role in the life of Bostonians, including the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport). As the capital of Massachusetts, Boston plays a major role in state politics. The city has several properties relating to the United States federal government, including the John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building and the Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building. The city also serves as the home of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, as well as the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston (the First District of the Federal Reserve). The city is in the Eighth and Ninth Congressional districts.
Criticism
The city's Election Department has been criticized for inaccuracies, and in 2005 agreed to oversight by the federal government after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit alleging coercion and other problems involving services for voters who do not speak English. Following the 2006 election, the Election Department is also under investigation by the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office. It is reported that the department's policy has been to distribute to the polling places only enough ballots for half the registered voters, despite a state law requiring each polling place to have enough ballots for all voters. The Secretary of the Commonwealth has announced an intention to take control of the Elections Department.
Crime
Boston's low crime rate in the last years of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st has been credited to its police department's collaboration with neighborhood groups and church parishes to prevent youths from joining gangs, as well as involvement from the United States Attorney and District Attorney's offices. This helped lead in part to what has been touted as the "Boston Miracle." Murders in the city dropped from 152 in 1990 (for a murder rate of 26.5 per 100,000 people) to just 31—not one of them a juvenile—in 1999 (for a murder rate of 5.26 per 100,000). In more recent years, however, the annual murder count has fluctuated by as much as 50% compared to the year before, with 60 murders in 2002, followed by just 39 in 2003, 64 in 2004, and 75 in 2005. Though the figures are nowhere near the high-water mark set in 1990, the aberrations in the murder rate have been unsettling for many Bostonians and have prompted discussion over whether the Boston Police Department should reevaluate its approach to fighting crime.
Economy
:See also: Major companies in Greater Boston
Boston's colleges and universities have a major impact on the city and region's economy. Not only are they major employers, but they also attract high-tech industries to the city and surrounding region, including computer hardware and software companies as well as biotechnology companies like Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co., Millipore, Genzyme, and Biogen Idec. According to a 2003 report by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, students enrolled in Boston's colleges and universities contribute $4.8 billion annually to the city's economy. Boston also receives the highest amount of annual funding from the National Institutes of Health of all cities in the United States.
Tourism comprises a large part of Boston's economy. In 2004 tourists spent $7.9 billion and made the city one of the ten most popular tourist locations in the country. Other major companies are located outside the city, especially along Route 128. The Port of Boston is a major seaport along the United States' east coast, and is also the oldest continuously-operated industrial and fishing ports in the Western Hemisphere.
Education
Boston's reputation as the Athens of America derives in large part from the teaching and research activities of more than 100 colleges and universities located in the Greater Boston Area, with more than 250,000 students attending college in Boston and Cambridge alone. Within the city, Boston University exudes a large presence as the city's fourth-largest employer, and maintains a campus along the Charles River on Commonwealth Avenue and its medical campus in the South End. Northeastern University, another large private university, is located in the Fenway district. Wheelock College, Simmons College, Emmanuel College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Wentworth Institute of Technology, founding members of the Colleges of the Fenway, are adjacent to Northeastern University. Suffolk University, a small private university known for its law school, maintains a campus on Beacon Hill. New England School of Law, a small private law school located in the theater district, was originally established as America's only all female law school. Emerson College, a small private college with a strong reputation in the fields of performing arts, journalism, writing, and film, is located nearby on Boston Common. Boston College, whose original campus was located in South Boston, moved its campus west to a site that straddles the Boston(Brighton)-Newton border. Boston College is expanding further into the Brighton neighborhood following the purchase of adjacent land from the Boston Catholic Archdiocese.
Boston is also home to several conservatories and art schools, including the Art Institute of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art, and the New England Conservatory of Music (the oldest independent conservatory in the United States). Other conservatories include the Boston Conservatory, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts and Berklee College of Music. Boston has one major public university, the University of Massachusetts Boston, located on Columbia Point in Dorchester, while Roxbury Community College and Bunker Hill Community College are the city's two community colleges.
Several major national universities located outside Boston have a major presence in the city. Harvard University, the nation's oldest institution of higher learning, is located across the Charles River in Cambridge. The business and medical schools are in Boston, and there are plans for major expansion into Boston's Allston neighborhood. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which originated in Boston and was long known as "Boston Tech," moved across the river to Cambridge in 1916. Tufts University administers its medical and dental school adjacent to the Tufts-New England Medical Center (Tufts-NEMC), a 451-bed academic medical institution that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and the Floating Hospital for Children. Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, on the South Shore, is the only evangelical Christian college in Metro Boston and is active in Christian ministry in the City of Boston.
Boston Public Schools, the oldest public school system in the U.S., enrolls 57,000 students from kindergarten to grade 12.
Culture
Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-rhotic Eastern New England accent known as Boston English, and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on seafood and dairy products. Irish Americans are a major influence on Boston's politics and religious institutions. Boston also has its own collection of neologisms known as Boston slang.
Many consider Boston a highly cultured city, perhaps as a result of its intellectual reputation; much of Boston's culture originates at its universities. The city has several ornate theatres, including the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston Opera House, The Wang Center for the Performing Arts, Shubert Theater, and the Orpheum Theater. Renowned performing arts groups include the Boston Ballet, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Boston Lyric Opera Company, and the Handel and Haydn Society (one of the oldest choral company in the United States). There are also many major annual events such as First Night, which occurs during New Year's Eve, and several events during the Fourth of July. These events include the weeklong Harborfest festivities and a Boston Pops concert accompanied by fireworks on the banks of the Charles River.
Because of the city's prominent role in the American Revolution, several historic sites relating to that period are preserved as part of the Boston National Historical Park. Many are found along the Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red line or bricks embedded in the ground. The city is also home to several prominent art museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. In December 2006 the Institute of Contemporary Art moved from its Back Bay location to a new contemporary building designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro located in the Seaport District. The University of Massachusetts campus at Columbia Point houses the John F. Kennedy Library. The Boston Athenaeum (one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States), Boston Children's Museum, Bull & Finch Pub (whose building is known from the television show Cheers), Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium are within the city.
Boston is also one of the birthplaces of the hardcore punk genre of music. Boston musicians have contributed greatly to this music scene over the years (see also Boston hardcore). Boston neighborhoods were home to one of the leading local third wave ska and ska punk scenes in the 1990s, led by bands such as The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Allstonians, Skavoovie and the Epitones, and the Dropkick Murphys. The 1980s hardcore punk rock compilation This Is Boston, Not L.A. highlights some of the bands that built the genre. Several nightclubs, such as The Channel, Bunnratty's in Allston, and The Rathskeller, were renowned for showcasing both local punk rock bands and those from farther afield. All of these clubs are now closed, and in many cases razed during recent gentrification.
Media
The Boston Globe (owned by the New York Times Company) and The Boston Herald are Boston's two major daily newspapers. The Christian Science Monitor, a third daily, is edited in Boston and printed in a series of regional presses across the U.S. The city is also served by other publications such as The Boston Phoenix, Boston magazine, The Improper Bostonian, The Weekly Dig, Barstool Sports and the Boston edition of Metro. The Boston Globe also releases a teen publication to the city's public high schools. The newspaper Teens in Print or T.i.P. is written by the city's teens and delivered quarterly within the school year.
Boston has the largest broadcasting market in New England, with the Boston radio market being the eleventh largest in the United States. Several major AM stations include talk radio WRKO 680 AM, sports/talk station WEEI 850 AM, and news radio WBZ 1030 AM. A variety of FM radio formats serve the area, as do NPR stations WBUR and WGBH. University radio stations include WZBC (Boston College), WERS (Emerson), WUMB (UMass Boston), and WMFO (Tufts University).
The Boston television DMA, which also includes Manchester, New Hampshire, is the seventh largest in the United States. The city is served by stations representing every major American network including WBZ 4 (CBS), WCVB 5 (ABC), WHDH 7 (NBC), WFXT 25 (Fox), WUNI 27 (Univision), and WLVI 56 (The CW). Boston is also home to PBS station WGBH 2, a major producer of PBS programs which also operates WGBX 44. Most Boston television stations have their transmitters in nearby Needham and Newton.
Sports
The Boston Red Sox (the "Sox" as they are colloquially called) are a founding member of the American League of Major League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Fenway Park, near Kenmore Square in the Fenway section. Built in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active use in the United States among the four major professional sports. Boston was also the site of the first game of the first baseball World Series, in 1903. The series was played between the Red Sox (then known as the "Pilgrims") and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The TD Banknorth Garden (formerly called the Fleet Center, and before that, the Boston Garden) is above North Station and is the home of two major league teams: the Boston Bruins ice hockey team of the National Hockey League and the Boston Celtics basketball team of the National Basketball Association. The Bruins were the first American member of the National Hockey League and an Original Six franchise. The Boston Celtics were founding members of the Basketball Association of America, one of the two leagues that merged to form the NBA. The Celtics have the distinction of having more national titles than any other NBA team with 16 championships from 1957 to 1986.
Although the team has played in suburban Foxboro since 1971, the New England Patriots are Boston's football team. The team was founded in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, a charter member of the American Football League, and in 1970 the team joined the National Football League. The team has won three Super Bowl titles (2001, 2003, and 2004) since the 2001 season. They share Gillette Stadium with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.
Boston's many colleges and universities are active in college athletics. There are four NCAA Division I members in the city: Boston College (member of the Atlantic Coast Conference), Boston University (America East Conference), Northeastern University (Colonial Athletic Association), and Harvard University (Ivy League). All except Harvard, which belongs to the ECAC Hockey League, belong to the Hockey East conference. The hockey teams of these four universities meet every year in a four-team tournament known as the "Beanpot Tournament," which is played at the TD Banknorth Garden over two Monday nights in February.
One of the most famous sporting events in the city is the Boston Marathon, the 26.2 mile (42 km) run from Hopkinton to Copley Square in the Back Bay. The Marathon, the world's oldest, is popular and heavily attended. It is run on Patriot's Day in April and always coincides with a Red Sox home baseball
