Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
inviting than it was as recently as 2
years ago, but it's still not quite a desti-
nation.
Seaport Boulevard
and
Northern Avenue
are the main drags.
Chinatown
The fourth-largest Chi-
nese community in the country is a
small area jammed with Asian restau-
rants, groceries, and gift shops. China-
town takes up the area between
Downtown Crossing and the Mass.
Pike extension. The main streets are
Washington Street, Kneeland Street,
and
Beach Street.
The tiny
Theater
District
extends about 1
1
⁄
2
blocks in
each direction from the intersection of
Tremont and Stuart streets; be careful
there at night after the crowds thin out.
The South End
Cross
Stuart Street
or
Huntington Avenue
heading south
from the Back Bay, and you'll find
yourself in a landmark district packed
with Victorian row houses and little
parks. The South End has a large gay
community and some of the city's best
restaurants. With the gentrification of
the 1980s and '90s,
Tremont Street
(particularly the end closest to down-
town) gained a cachet that it hadn't
known for almost a century.
Washing-
ton Street
and, to a lesser extent,
Har-
rison Avenue
are up-and-coming
destinations for diners and shoppers.
Long known for its ethnic, economic,
and cultural diversity, the neighbor-
hood is now thoroughly yuppified
nearly all the way to Mass. Ave.
Note:
Don't confuse the South End with
South Boston, a residential neighbor-
hood on the other side of I-93.
The Back Bay
Fashionable since its
creation out of landfill more than a
century ago, the Back Bay overflows
with gorgeous architecture and chic
shops. It lies between the Public Gar-
den, the river, Kenmore Square, and
either
Huntington Avenue
or
St.
Botolph Street,
depending on who's
describing it. Students dominate the
area near
Mass. Ave.
but grow scarce as
property values soar near the Public
Garden. This is one of the best neigh-
borhoods in Boston for aimless wan-
dering. Major thoroughfares include
Boylston Street,
which starts at
Boston Common and runs into the
Fenway; largely residential
Beacon
Street
and
Commonwealth Avenue
(colloquially referred to as Comm.
Ave.); and boutique central,
Newbury
Street.
Huntington Avenue
The honorary
“Avenue of the Arts” (or, with a Boston
accent, “Otts”), though not a formal
neighborhood, is where you'll find the
Christian Science Center, Symphony
Hall (at the corner of Mass. Ave.),
Northeastern University, and the
Museum of Fine Arts. It begins at Cop-
ley Square and touches on the Back Bay,
the Fenway, and the Longwood Medical
Area before heading into the suburbs.
Parts of Huntington can be a little risky,
so if you're leaving the museum at night,
stick to a cab or the Green Line, and try
to travel in a group.
Kenmore Square
The white-and-red
CITGO
sign that dominates the skyline
above the intersection of
Comm. Ave.,
Beacon Street,
and
Brookline Avenue
tells you that you're approaching Ken-
more Square. Its shops, bars, restau-
rants, and clubs attract students from
adjacent Boston University, and the
Hotel Commonwealth and its high-
end retail outlets lend a touch of class.
The college-town atmosphere goes out
the window when the Red Sox are in
town and baseball fans pour into the
area on the way to historic Fenway
Park, 3 blocks away.
Cambridge
Boston's neighbor across
the Charles River is a separate city. The
areas you're likely to visit lie along the
MBTA Red Line.
Harvard Square
is a
