Boston Guide
Colourful and kitsch, only in Boston will you find redbrick townhouses, verdant public gardens and historic landmarks wedged between Italian groceries, obsessed sports fans, some of the country's finest universities and the tastiest white clam chowder.
Get ready to walk the walk. Learn about the American Revolution on the Freedom Trail; celebrate the achievement of 19th-century African Americans on the Black Heritage Trail; and tread the path of intellectual giants on the Literary Trail of New England.
Join the well-heeled at designer stores on Newbury Street or at Barney's of New York in Copley Place. Students and locals go to Cambridge's Porter Square for something more colourful from shops like Nomad, with its one-of-a-kind merchandise. Find souvenirs, chain stores and tourists at Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
Check out the Swan Boats at the odd-shaped pond in The Boston Public Garden. Cruise across Charles Street to where cows once grazed at The Boston Common, the country's oldest park. Too crowded? Escape to the Emerald Necklace, the six parks that circle Fenway, Jamaica Way and Riverway.
In a city with so many top-notch universities, culture is a given. Harvard University alone has six museums. The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) has objet d'arts dating from 6000BC. Bostonians will tell you that their theatre, opera and symphony are first class, and the Boston Pops outdoor 4th of July concert is a patriotic event.
Bostonians cling to their codfish, chowders, cream pies and ethnic foods. Pasta dominates the Italian North End. Gussy up (dress up) with Bostonians to dine on innovative cuisine at the trendier Back Bay and Beacon Hill spots. Sun or snow, there is always ice cream.
Inside the world of the Mapparium, a whisper becomes a shout. The nine-metre stained glass globe at the Mary Baker Eddy Library treats visitors to exceptional acoustics and an atlas with 1935 borders.
