Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
convenience stores sell alcohol. Liquor
stores and the liquor sections of other
stores are open Monday though Saturday;
in communities where it's legal, open at
noon on Sunday. Serving alcohol before
noon on Sunday is technically illegal,
which you may find out if you try to
order a drink at a morning brunch. Most
restaurants have full liquor licenses; some
serve only beer, wine, and cordials. Last
call typically is 30 minutes before closing
time (1am in bars, 2am in clubs).
Do not carry open containers of alco-
hol in your car or any public area that
isn't zoned for alcohol consumption. The
police can fine you on the spot. And
nothing will ruin your trip faster than
getting a citation for DUI (“driving
under the influence”), so don't even think
about driving while intoxicated.
Driving Rules
See “Getting There and
Getting Around,” p. 32.
Drugstores
Downtown Boston has
no 24-hour pharmacy. The
CVS
at 587
Boylston St., off Copley Square in the
Back Bay (
&
617/437-8414
), is open 24
hours, 7 days a week, as is its pharmacy.
The same goes for two CVS locations in
Cambridge: 1426 Massachusetts Ave.,
Harvard Square (
&
617/354-4420
), and
36 White St., off Mass. Ave. in the Porter
Square Shopping Center (
&
617/876-
5519
). The Back Bay
Walgreens,
841
Boylston St. (
&
617/236-1692
), is open
24 hours, and its pharmacy is open until
10pm on weeknights, 7pm on weekends.
Electricity
Like Canada, the United
States uses 110-120 volts AC (60 cycles),
compared to 220-240 volts AC (50
cycles) in most of Europe, Australia, and
New Zealand. Downward converters that
change 220-240 volts to 110-120 volts
are difficult to find in the United States,
so bring one with you.
Pack a
connection kit
of the right
power and phone adapters, a spare phone
cord, and a spare Ethernet network
cable—or find out whether your hotel
supplies them to guests.
Embassies & Consulates
All
embas-
sies
are in the nation's capital, Washing-
ton, D.C. Most nations have a mission
to the United Nations in New York
City. The countries listed below have
consulates
in major American cities;
check embassy websites for details. If
your country isn't listed below, call direc-
tory information in Washington, D.C.
(
&
202/555-1212
) or check
www.
embassy.org/embassies
.
The embassy of
Australia
is at 1601
Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20036 (
&
202/797-3000;
www.
austemb.org). The office of the local part-
time
honorary consul
is at 55 Thomson
Pl., Boston, MA 02210 (
&
617/261-
5555
).
The embassy of
Canada
is at 501
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20001 (
&
202/682-1740;
www.canadian
embassy.org). The local
Canadian con-
sulate
is at 3 Copley Place, Suite 400,
Boston, MA 02116 (
&
617/262-3760
).
The embassy of
Ireland
is at 2234
Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington,
DC 20008 (
&
202/462-3939;
www.
irelandemb.org). The local
Irish con-
sulate
is at 535 Boylston St., Boston, MA
02116 (
&
617/267-9330
).
The embassy of
New Zealand
is at 37
Observatory Circle NW, Washington,
DC 20008 (
&
202/328-4800;
www.nz
embassy.com). Contact the
honorary
consul
to the Boston area at P.O. Box
1318, 57 N. Main St., Concord, NH
03302 (
&
603/225-8228
).
The embassy of the
United Kingdom
is at 3100 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Wash-
ington, DC 20008 (
&
202/588-7800;
www.britainusa.com). The Boston-area
British consulate
is at 1 Memorial Dr.,
15th floor, Cambridge, MA 02142
(
&
617/245-4500
).
