Boston, USA

Country: United States of America
Location(s): Boston
Date of Visit: At least bi-annually, last visit in Easter 2007
Means of Transport: American Airlines

USA Details
Population: 301,874,000
Government: Federal Constitutional Republic
Primary Language(s): English, Spanish
Primary Religion(s): Protestant, Catholic
Currency: US Dollar



Review:
Well there is a very good chance that I'm gonna be biased about this review. Boston, one of my favorite cities in the world is the closest big city to my hometown and therefore very dear to me. Over the numerous times I have visited it still draws me back because it is so different to most American cities. It was designed like old English cities with no grid system and red brick buildings, unusual to find in most parts of the US. It can easily be said that Boston probably has some of the oldest history in the country seeing as it was one of the primary settlements for the Pilgrims and then a secondary hub (after New York) for immigrants moving to America.

Its hard to know where to start with Boston. The best thing to do first, is probably take a duck boat tour around the city. This will familiarize you with the surroundings and you can pick up lots of little snippets of knowledge from the very informative tour guides. You can pick up the boat outside the Prudential Center or the Museum of Science, both great places to visit as well.

The Prudential Center is one of the main shopping centers as well as office blocks in Boston. There are great restaurants also located under the tower including one of my favorites, The Cheesecake Factory. It also has its own stop on the very convenient subway called the T. Although the T is both a mix of streetcar and subway, I find Boston a very walkable city and it is possible to walk from one side of the city to the other in about an hour.

The North End is another place that visitors have to see. The Italian district is littered with amazing restaurants offering fantastic Italian food, but hands down, the most popular place is Pizza Regina which is in the back streets of the North End, but offers the city's best pizza.

Unlike some downtowns in America, Boston's is quite lively as there are many hotels and tourist attractions mixed in. For example, all the regular sites such as Faneuil Hall, Beacon Street and the parks are all right in the center of town. Copley Plaza is a focal point of downtown which is right adjacent to two of Boston's oldest churches and the Boston Library.

Now, it seems more often than not, that when I am in Boston, I'm usually going on a Red Sox pilgrimage. This means showing up at 5pm in the Fenway/Kenmore area (on the Green line), and getting to watch the highest quality of baseball America has to offer. The atmosphere at Fenway Park is out of this world, even if you aren't a baseball fan, the Red Sox are a big part of city culture and camaraderie, and its an experience worth doing.

For places to stay, I recommend the Hotel Commonwealth which is located in the Kenmore area. It is a little bit outside of downtown, but very near Fenway Park and many good restaurants. Its a bit more pricey, but if you are on a budget, during the summer, some of the Boston University dorms are turned into a youth hostel which is actually in a building of an old Howard Johnson hotel. For little money you can get a basic room with access to the T in 5 minutes. Also in this area, its quite likely that you would bump into Matt Damon or Ben Affleck as they live in the area and walk around on the streets.

If you are interested in academia, Boston is the place for that too. In Cambridge you can visit the famed schools of Harvard and MIT as well as the hundreds of other universities in the area of what is known to be called College Town, USA.

Boston has the best aquarium in the world in my opinion, of the ones I have seen anyway, although recently it has got even more expensive, it is definitely worth a visit because their tanks are very unique. Close to the aquarium is one of my favorite places, a quiet square that overlooks the Harbor and where you can watch the planes taking off. You can find it by seeing four large sheets of metal arranged in a square, apparently a piece of art called 'Untitled'.

Ah, well thats only touching the surface of Boston. If I think of anything else, I will be sure to blog it. Boston is definitely one of the greatest cities in the world.