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Home - City Guide - Boston - Sightseeing | ||
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Sightseeing As one of the oldest settlements in the USA, Boston has plenty of history to experience, yet, with a large, young student population and a coastal and countryside location, there is also plenty to actively enjoy. The River Charles ostensibly separates Boston from Cambridge but effectively they make one city for the tourist. The main attractions are actually walking tours. The Freedom Trail takes in the city's revolutionary past, while the Black Heritage Trail highlights Boston's part in the USA's anti-slavery history. Boston's oldest section and now the Italian quarter is North End, which also contains Boston's narrowest house, at 44 Hull Street, which is 9.5ft (under three metres) wide. Boston Common is as old as the city and provides a huge central plot of greenery where cattle and sheep originally grazed. To its north and northeast sides is Beacon Hill, historically the centre of power and wealth. The gilded dome of the Massachusetts State House is a useful marker. To the south side of the Common are Chinatown and the Theater District. Over the river, Harvard Square is actually a triangle and a focal point for old buildings clad in Virginia creeper and the gamut of cafÉs, bookstores, shops and eating places necessary for a thriving student community. Toward the mouth of the river, Charlestown, a centre of the Irish-American community, is where shipbuilding used to be the major industry. The USS Constitution, launched in 1797 and better known as 'Old Ironsides', having survived many hard-fought campaigns on behalf of Thomas Jefferson, is open for tours. For views of the city, with your feet still on the ground, go either to North End's Copp's Hill Burying Ground or across the river to the Bunker Hill Monument. Tourist Information Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau 2 Copley Place, Suite 105 Tel: (617) 536 4100 or (888) 733 2676. Fax: (617) 424 7664. E-mail: visitus@bostonusa.com Website: www.bostonusa.com Tourist information booths are located at Boston Common and the Prudential Center, 101 Huntington Avenue. Passes The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau website (www.bostonusa.com) lists 98 deals comprising discounts, family offers and coupons for sightseeing, dining, shopping and accommodation. These include Passport to Savings, which are coupons, the Family Friendly Visitor Pass and the Boston VIP Card, with up to 50% discounts. The major visitor pass is the CityPass (website: www.citypass.com), which allows free admission to six attractions -Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, New England Aquarium, John F Kennedy Library and Museum, John Hancock Observatory and the Harvard Museum of Natural History. It costs US$28.25 (concessions available), lasts for nine days and can be purchased from the attractions on the day or online in advance. |