In the 360-plus years since its founding, Boston (pop. 589,000) has witnessed more historically significant events than any American city even twice its size. The youthful energy of the city’s many college students certainly helps cloak it’s traditional Puritan parochialism, while the high-tech economic boom (and the breaking of the “Curse of the Bambino” by the 2004 World Series champion Boston Red Sox baseball team) have helped loosen up a city previously best known for baked beans and banning sexy books.
There are lots of places to start a Boston tour, but a personal favorite is the Old North Church, (daily; $3; 617/523-6676), at 193 Salem Street, a Boston landmark since well before Paul Revere set off on his midnight ride. The steeple has been rebuilt, but almost everything else dates back to colonial times. Paul’s house, the oldest in Boston, is a few blocks away at 19 North Square, and the surrounding neighborhood, the predominantly Italian North End, is the city’s oldest and most pedestrian-friendly quarter, its narrow streets jutting out toward Boston harbor.
With its abundance of universities, museums, and cultural centers, Boston is packed with places to improve your mind. One of the nicest has to be the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum, (closed Mon.; $11; 617/566-1401) at 280 The Fenway. In the late 19th century, “Mrs. Jack” Gardner built her home in the style of a Venetian palazzo, crammed it with exquisite art, and then opened it as a museum. Her idiosyncratic taste is part of the charm of this place, along with the lushly landscaped interior courtyard. (Note: Anyone named “Isabella” gets in free!). The much bigger Museum of Fine Arts, (daily; $15; 617/267-9300; $15) at 465 Huntington Avenue is only a short walk away, and has more than 200 world-class galleries of just about every type and era of fine art, including perhaps the best Japanese art collection in the United States.
Of course, for baseball fans, Boston’s must-see is Fenway Park (tickets 617/267-1700), home of the Red Sox. Located off Boylston Street at 4 Yawley Way, this is the oldest, smallest, and arguably most entertaining stadium in the nation.
