Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
The Best of Boston
F
or the past 25 years, downtown Boston has changed in some significant way almost
daily. A gargantuan construction project with a cute name (the Big Dig) proceeded
slowly but unstoppably, making a mile-long strip of prime real estate look like a scene
from a post-apocalyptic movie before it finally looked better. Today, the elevated high-
way that once sliced across the city like a green scar is a distant memory, and the green
we see everywhere is the color of trees, plants, and flowers.
A subterranean highway carries traffic through the new Boston, a modern metrop-
olis that's also a relentlessly historic destination, with buildings of all ages and styles,
from colonial-era to Frank Gehry's latest brainstorm. From the South Boston water-
front, once a wasteland of parking lots and fish carcasses, to the Back Bay, Boston's
architecture is newer, taller, and more dramatic than before. Walking around down-
town provides a good reminder: The building boom may overshadow the city's famous
18th- and 19th-century architecture, but even rampant development can't change
central Boston's colonial character.
It's not perfect, of course. Nightmarish traffic, daredevil drivers, and grating accents
don't help any city's reputation. Although Boston is the biggest college town in the
world, it doesn't have much of a late-night scene. And far from gone is the inferiority
complex epitomized by the description “like New York, but smaller.” Still, as it has
since 1630, Boston offers cosmopolitan sophistication on a comfortable scale, balanc-
ing celebration of the past with pursuit of the future.
Here's hoping your experience is memorable and delightful.
1 The Most Unforgettable Travel Experiences
•
A Sky Full of Fireworks:
The
Fourth of July fireworks flash over the
Charles River; Boston's New Year is
hailed by the First Night show flaring
above the Inner Harbor. See “Boston
Calendar of Events,” in chapter 2.
•
A Ride on a Duck:
Board a recondi-
tioned amphibious World War II
landing craft (on Huntington Ave.
near the Prudential Center, or at the
Museum of Science) for a sightseeing
ride that includes a dip in the river—
for the Duck boat, not you. See
p. 174.
•
An Afternoon Red Sox Game:
Since
1912, baseball fans have made pil-
grimages to Fenway Park, the “lyric
little bandbox of a ball park” (in John
Updike's words) off Kenmore Square.
Soak up the atmosphere and bask in
the sun. See p. 185.
•
A Walk Around the North End:
Boston's Little Italy (but don't call it
that!) has an old-world flavor you
won't want to miss. Explore the shops
on Salem Street, and be sure to stop
for coffee and a pastry at a Hanover
Street
caffè.
See “Welcome to the
North End,” on p. 169.
