Lonely Planet Boston , livre ebook

Boston

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Boston
Boston’s Top 10
What’s New
Need to Know
Top Itineraries
If You Like…
Month by Month
With Kids
Like a Local
Walk the Freedom Trail
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities

Explore Boston

Neighborhoods at a Glance
Charlestown
Top Sights
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Sports & Activities
Revolutionary Boston
West End & North End
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Beacon Hill & Boston Common
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Downtown & Waterfront
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
South End & Chinatown
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Boston by Night
Back Bay
Top Sights
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Kenmore Square & Fenway
Top Sights
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Sports & Activities
Seaport District & South Boston
Top Sights
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Seafood Capital
Cambridge
Top Sights
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Streetcar Suburbs
Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Sports & Activities
Day Trips from Boston
Sleeping

Understand Boston

Understand Boston
Boston Today
History
Arts & Architecture
Universities & Colleges

Survival Guide

Transportation
Arriving in Boston
Getting Around
Tours
Directory A–Z
Accessible Travel
Customs Regulations
Discount Cards
Electricity
Emergency
Internet Access
LGBT+ Travelers
Money
Opening Hours
Post
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Taxes & Refunds
Telephone
Time
Toilets
Tourist Information
Visas
Boston Maps
Charlestown
West End
North End
Downtown & Waterfront
Beacon Hill & Boston Common
South End
Chinatown, Leather District & Theater District
Back Bay
Harvard Square
Central, Kendall & Inman Squares
Kenmore Square & Fenway
Seaport District & South Boston
Brookline
Jamaica Plain

Table of Contents

Behind the Scenes
Our Writers
Welcome to Boston

Boston’s history recalls revolution and transformation, and today the city is still among the country’s most forward-thinking and barrier-breaking cities.

Art & Music
The arts have thrived in Boston ever since the 19th century, when this cultural capital was dubbed the Athens of America. Certainly, the intellectual elite appreciated their fine paintings and classical music, but they were also dedicated to spreading the cultural wealth, establishing museums, libraries and symphony orchestras for all to enjoy. Today the lucky residents of (and visitors to) Boston benefit from their largesse. These venerable institutions play an integral role on Boston’s cultural stage, which has significantly expanded to include dynamic contemporary art, music and theater scenes.

Sports
‘Fanatic’ is no idle word here. Boston fans are passionate about sports. And with the five-time world-champion Patriots, the long-overdue World Series–winning Red Sox, the winningest basketball team in history, the Celtics, and the highly successful and historic hockey team, the Bruins, there is a lot to be passionate about. Boston’s college teams also inspire fierce loyalties and staunch rivalries. No less spirited is the country’s oldest and most celebrated running event, the world-famous Boston Marathon, and the world’s largest two-day rowing event, the Head of the Charles Regatta.

Food
A word of advice: when in Boston, eat as much seafood as possible. Local specialties include the ‘sacred cod,’ fresh steamed lobster, oysters on the half-shell and thick, creamy chowder. You can eat seafood around the city, but especially in the fish-centered Seaport District, where it’s accompanied by spectacular harbor views. However, don’t miss the chance to devour delectable pasta in the North End or to sample diverse Asian dishes in Chinatown. Trendy fusion restaurants draw on all of these eclectic influences to present contemporary cuisine that is uniquely Boston.

History
For all intents and purposes, Boston is the oldest city in America. And you can hardly walk a step on its cobblestone streets without running into a historic site. The Freedom Trail winds its way through the city, connecting 16 historically significant sites, from the country’s oldest public park to a Revolutionary War battle site. These are the very places where history unfolded, especially the events leading to the American fight for independence from Britain. Other sites remember the city’s role in the abolition movement, its cultural contributions and more. In effect, Boston is an amazing outdoor history museum.

Old State House | SEANPAVONEPHOTO / GETTY IMAGES ©

Why I Love Boston
By Mara Vorhees, Writer
Boston is wicked smaaht . I love that my city is motivated not by money or politics, but by learning. The academic institutions are a source of groundbreaking ideas, creative endeavors and renewable energy, which contribute to a dynamic, forward-looking city. But not all Bostonians are innovators: some are also scholars and conservators of history. After all, this is the ‘Cradle of Liberty’ and all that. So while it looks to the future, Boston also appreciates and celebrates the past, and maybe even learns from the compelling history that happened here.
For more, see Our Writers
Boston’s Top 10

Freedom Trail
1 For a sampler of Boston’s revolutionary sights, follow the red-brick road. It leads 2.5 miles through the center of Boston, from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument, and traces the events leading up to and following the War for Independence. The Freedom Trail is well marked and easy to follow on your own – an ideal strategy if you actually wish to enter some of the historic buildings and museums. Otherwise, there are plenty of tours that follow this trail, including the National Park Service’s (NPS) free option.

FANEUIL HALL | ZRFPHOTO / GETTY IMAGES ©

Boston’s Top 10
Fenway Park
2 There might as well be signs on I-90 reading ‘Now entering Red Sox Nation.’ The intensity of baseball fandom has only grown since the Boston Red Sox broke their agonizing 86-year losing streak and won the 2004 World Series. The hometown team has since repeated its feat – thrice – which means it continues to sell out every game. Catch the boys at Fenway Park, the iconic old-style ballpark that has hosted the Sox for more than a century.

JOSEPH SOHM / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Boston’s Top 10
Copley Square
3 Boston’s most exquisite architecture is clustered around this stately Back Bay plaza. The square’s centerpiece is Henry Hobson Richardson’s celebrated Romanesque masterpiece, Trinity Church. It’s lovely in reality and even lovelier as reflected in the mirrored facade of the modern John Hancock Tower. This assemblage faces off against the elegant neo-Renaissance facade of the Boston Public Library. The plaza itself is peppered with whimsical and serious pieces commemorating the city’s biggest sporting event, the Boston Marathon, for which Copley Sq is the finish line.

TRINITY CHURCH AND THE JOHN HANCOCK TOWER | MAREMAGNUM / GETTY IMAGES © ARCHITECT HENRY N COBB

Boston’s Top 10
Charles River Esplanade
4 When we talk about the ‘waterfront,’ we’re usually talking about the Boston Harbor. But there’s a second, equally appealing waterfront along Charles River. The Esplanade is a long and narrow riverside park that offers endless opportunities for outdoor recreation, from playgrounds and picnic areas to bike trails and ballparks. There’s no swimming in the river, but there is sunbathing, sailing, kayaking and canoeing. The Hatch Memorial Shell is a venue for (free) outdoor entertainment, including the annual July 4 concert by the Boston Pops.

RACHEL MOON / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Boston’s Top 10
Museum of Fine Arts
5 The collections at the Museum of Fine Arts span the centuries and span the globe, but it’s the Art of the Americas that make this museum shine. It’s the Americas – plural – so you might see Maya artifacts and Peruvian textiles alongside the world’s largest collection of American Colonial art. Highlights include countless paintings by John Singleton Copley and John Singer Sargent, as well as Paul Revere’s famed Sons of Liberty Bowl . It’s a niche – New World art – but the MFA fills it in a way that few other museums can.

JAY YUAN / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Boston’s Top 10
North End
6 What’s so special about eating in the North End? For starters, it actually feels like you’re in Italy. As one of Boston’s oldest neighborhoods, the narrow streets and brick buildings exude an Old World ambience that is only enhanced by its Italian-American population. It sounds like Italy, too, with local residents carrying on lively conversations in the mother tongue. Most importantly, it tastes like Italy. Packed with romantic restaurants, cozy cafes and aromatic bakeries, the North End will delight the senses and the stomach.

ROSAIRENEBETANCOURT 14 / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO ©

Boston’s Top 10
Rose Kennedy Greenway
7 This glorious green ribbon winds through Boston’s Downtown area, weaving through the city streets with blooming flowers, flowing fountains, art markets, beer gardens, food trucks, whimsical sculpture and one fabulous merry-go-round. It’s a green gateway to the big blue, that is the Boston Harbor and all the activities that take place along the waterfront. The fact that the Greenway used to be the site of a hulking overhead highway makes it all the more appealing. A highlight is the fantastic seasonal public art exhibits.

APCORTIZASJR / GETTY IMAGE