"Beantown" has just been in the headlines in recent days thanks to its hometown Celtics basketball team making history by winning a record-breaking 18th NBA championship title. But the capital of Massachusetts is also a venerable and perennial classic among U.S. cities, and a must-see destination not just for Americans but for anyone interested in U.S. history and culture, where nearly four centuries of history has left a legacy of dozens of world-class historic sites; cultural institutions; sports and entertainment venues; and fascinating neighborhoods to explore. We´ve outlined a half dozen here, but others well worth a mention include shopping/dining on famed Newbury Street; catching a Celtics game or Bruins hockey at TD Garden (or for that matter, watching the Red Sox play at Fenway Park); taking in the Boston Symphony at BSO Symphony Hall; and roaming the likes of Boston Harbor, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Fenway-Kenmore, and Cambridge. And we´d highly recommend getting a CityPASS and Go City cards, which cover a number of the important sites you´d want to visit as well as big discounts on a slew of dining, shopping, and entertainment options.
Boston Common
This famed 50-acre (20-hectare) swath downtown is the oldest public park in the United States (1634), and in its day it saw various uses, including whippings and even hangings under the Puritans; was turned into a British army camp during the Revolutionary War; and later was a venue for rallies, speeches, and myriad other public events. Today besides strolling and perhaps pedaling one of the "swan boats," you can also catch other activities here, too, such as free fitness class and music/theater performances, ice skating in winter, and a bite or drink at the Frog Pond Café. It´s easy to get here via "T" (subway) or just stroll over from downtown nearby.
Faneuil Hall/Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Another downtown must, right on Boston Harbor, Faneuil Hall (below) was built in 1742 and was the site of many important historical events: among them, colonists here famously protested the Stamp Act of 1764, declaring "no taxation without representation," and Samuel Adams, later one of the United States´ Founding Fathers and a governor of Massachusetts, once stood to call for a stand against the rule of the British crown. Decades later, many abolitionists and women's suffragists also stepped on soapboxes here. Today it´s a National Historical Park with a visitor center on the ground floor, the Great Hall is on the upper floor, and there are a slew of exhibits and programs about the building´s life and times. Right alongside it, Faneuil Hall Marketplace is comprised of Quincy Market, North Market, and South Market, and these days is home to some 112 food, souvenir, and craft shops along with a dozen or so restaurants. Visitors can use the "T" Blue Line to the Aquarium, State or Government Center stations, or exit in the Orange line's Haymarket station. Numerous bus routes stop one block away on Congress Street, and several parking garages are located within a couple of blocks.
Freedom Trail
Starting at Boston Common, this 2½-mile (four-kilometer) route connects 16 of Boston's most historical places, including Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House, the Massachusetts State House (see below), and the Old North Church. In order to see the entire trail's sights is at least one day (and a pair of suitable walking shoes). It´s certainly easy and straightforward to follow on your own, you can also get added value by navigating it with a $10 iPhone or Android app or signing on to one of several guided tours from guides in period costumes (one of which is included with the purchase of a Go City card).
Massachusetts State House
The seat of the state´s legislatuive and executive branches, just across the street from the Boston Common, was designed by Charles Bulfinch, had its foundation stone laid by Samuel Adams in 1795, and was completed in 1798. Its iconic copper dome was added in 1802 and was later covered with gold. It´s free to enter, and guided tours can be reserved on its website.
Museum of Fine Arts
Founded in 1870, one of the USA's largest - with more than 8,100 priceless artworks and artifacts - and most impressive art musuems is a cornucopia of culture, from old European masters to U.S. artists as well as treasures from across the world, including ancient Greece and Egypt, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Some of the most prominent artists represented include Paul Cézanne, John Singleton Copley, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, John Singer Sargent, Gilbert Stuart, Vincent van Gogh, and Andy Warhol.
North End
Boston´s oldest neighborhood is home to three stops on the Freedom Trail (the Old North Church, the Paul Revere House, and Copp´s Hill Burying Ground), but what gives North End its very special flavor is as Boston´s Little Italy, where immigrants settled starting the late 19th and early 20th century, following in the footsteps of English colonists, European Jews, African Americans, and Irish immigrants. Along main drag Hanover Street and surrounding streets you´ll find all manner of Italian (and other) eateries, with standouts such as 98-year-old Regina Pizzeria; more superb wood-oven pizza at Antico Forno; splended slices at Galleria Umberto; The Daily Catch for Sicilian-style seafood and pasta like black linguine (made by squid ink) and calamari "meatballs"; Mamma Maria on North Square for elegant dining; Giacomo's Ristorante for its delicious homemade pasta; and Bricco, which sells its bread and meat from its own shop just next door. For dessert, pick up cannoli at Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry and tiramisù at also 98-year-old Bova's Bakery (open round the clock!). Finally, Prezza is famous as a wine shop with a huge selection with numerous wines to pick from.
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Comments
An absolute classic!