The Boston Travel Guide Book

Whether you’rean American on vacation,or you’replanning a holidayin the UnitedStates, Boston, Massachusetts is a citythatyou mightwant to visit.

It doesn’t have the Broadway playsand glitzy shoppingof New York City down the coast, but this cityis steeped in UnitedStates history…as in the “BostonTea Party”steeped in history.OK Enoughfor bad puns.

Itis one of the oldestcities in the UnitedStates….foundedin 1630 by the pilgrimsfromEnglandif you really want to know. (Notthe pilgrimsthatcomeoveron the Mayflower to Plymouth, by the way.)

Duringthe UnitedStates Revolutionseveralmajor battles took placehere… the Battle of Bunker Hill is one of the mostfamous. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought nearby.It was fromthe Old NorthChurch thatPaul Reveretook his famous”midnight ride” crying the warningof the approach of the British….. As the poemgoes,

“…One if by land,and two if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,

Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm…..”

Walkthe Freedom Trail. Thistwo and a halfmileroute will helpyou get acquainted with the cityand efficientlyvisit manyof the city’shistoriclandmarks.Allowyourself at leastthree hoursfor this tour… a full day to really see everythingwould be better. If walkingisn’t for you, thereare trolleytoursthatwill let you hop on and hop off at the sites.

Strollthroughthe historicPublic Garden. It is adjacentto the BostonCommonand is the nation’soldestbotanical garden. Rideone of the famousSwan Boats… Locals and visitorshave been ridingin them duringthe summer monthssince1877.

Seethe FaneuilHall marketplace… alsoknown as Quincymarket. For over250 years,the marketplacehas played an integral role in the lifeof this city’sresidents.Thisindoor-outdoormarket is still a great placefor shoppingand dining.

Eat in the Union OysterHouse, the city’soldestrestaurant. Walkthroughthe “buryinggrounds”,the cemeteries. You can find the graves of severalfamousearlyAmericans.

Visitthe colleges and universities… thereare severalin the area. Harvard, justacross the Charles Riverin Cambridgemightbe the mostfamous. It is the oldestinstitution of higherlearning in the U.S. You can alsovisit, Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT),and Brandeis University amonga couple of dozenothers nearlyas well known.

In the summertime, sit on the green along the Charles Riverand listen to the BostonPops play in the Hatch Shell…a wonderful free concert.If you’retherefor the July 4th concert you’llhear Tchaikovsky’s1812 Overture complete with cannons and fireworks.(You’ll need to be thereplenty earlyfor thatpopular concert!)

Bostonhas great museums, and thereare moreacross the river in CambridgearoundHarvard. There are sportsteams for baseball,basketball,football and ice hockeyfans,and thereis always shopping.

It’s a great starting point to explore the USA’s New Englandstates. Withall it has goingfor it, give Bostona look when you’remakingtravelplans.