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Boston:
Insider Tips on the City
Boston is a city made for walking. The narrow cobblestone
streets are the same ones the colonists walked years ago. The architecture
of the buildings and many of the churches have a history rich from the
making of early America. When taking a tour of the city, it's best to
break it up into sections. There's the downtown area with confusing and
narrow streets, but with a charm that makes Boston what it is today.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace, also known as Quincy Market, is downtown
directly across the street from Faneuil Hall, a historic meeting house.
Opened in 1826, the marketplace is alive with restaurants, shops, street
vendors and performers. It is located off I-93 between Chatham and Clinton
Streets.
The waterfront area offers a park appropriately named,
Waterfront Park, offering some breathtaking harbor views, shops and
sightseeing tours. Beacon Hill is the heart of old Boston. Located on Mt.
Vernon Street and Louisburg Square, stately old townhouses still remain
from Boston's first families. If the visitor is looking for Paul Revere's
house or the Old North Church, visit the North end. The visitor will find
both among the narrow red brick streets that is now a wonderful
Italian-American community.
Things
to Do in Boston:
There's never a shortage
of things to do when visiting Boston. In fact, the visitor might want to
pick one particular area and plan several more trips just to see it all.
In order to avoid missing the history of the city, take the Freedom Trail
and see just about every important sight in Boston from its colonial and
revolutionary past. The trail lines the sidewalks and connects downtown
Boston, the North end and crosses the Charlestown River. Start the trail
at the Visitors Information Center on the Common. The Old Granbury Burying
Ground dates back to 1660. Here the visitor will find the graves of John
Hancock, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and the parents of Benjamin Franklin.
The Old State House was Boston's 18th century seat of
government, the building was erected in 1713. In 1776 the Declaration of
Independence was first read in Boston from the balcony at the Old State
House. It continues to be read in the same place on July 4th of every
year.
No trip to Boston would be complete without visiting the
Public Garden with its graceful swan boats gently cruising the quiet pond.
Adjacent to Boston Common across Charles Street, visit the Boston Common
Visitor Center.
USS Constitution, famously known as Old Ironside, sits in the
Charlestown Navy Yard. Built in Boston in 1797, Old Ironside has won 40
sea battles and is the oldest commissioned warship in the world.
There are all kinds of whale watching cruises to take in New
England. Since 1926, Boston Harbor Cruises has offered Sightseeing and
Constitution Tours, Whale Watching Tours and Boston Harbor Island Ferries.
The sightseeing tours can take up to 90 minutes depending on which tour
the visitor chooses and the whale watching tour is anywhere from three to
five hours.
Boston: What to Pack
when Visiting:
The best time to visit
Boston is in the fall. The leaves are changing on the outskirts of the
city and the weather is nice with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. During
the fall, days are usually clear and breezy. Pack walking shoes and a
light jacket that can be worn or wrapped around the waist.
The nights in Boston during the fall can dip into the 40s.
Winter is cold and it snows, sleets and ices in the city. If the visitor
travels to Boston in the winter, expect to pack warm clothes and bring
water-resistant boots for walking. Spring reaches into the 50s, but Boston
is still thawing out. During the summer, expect humidity and temperatures
in the 80s and 90s. Nights along the waterfront can still be cool. |
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Did
You Know?: The U.S. frigate 'Constitution' is the world’s
oldest warship still afloat. Commissioned in 1797, she is thus over 200
years old. Despite extensive overhauls and repairs over the years, she
still retains her original keel and therefore is considered an 'original
ship'. She lies today as museum ship in Boston. In 1812, during combat
with HMS 'Guerriere', American sailors observed that the British frigate’s
balls could not penetrate ‘Constitution’s hull, earning her the
everlasting nickname, 'Old Ironsides'. |
