BostonPosted By: on 17 January, 2007Boston, MA Boston, a city founded in 1630, is one of the oldest and wealthiest cities in the United States along with being the capital of Massachusetts. It is recognized as a global or world city and citizens of this city are called Bostonians. Along with a rich culture, Boston's economy is based on higher education, finance, biotechnology and health care. A pretty large portion of Boston is the colleges and universities, there are more than 100 in the metropolitan area. Some of the most famous universities in the world are located in Boston with more than 250,000 students attending college in Boston and Cambridge. The nation's oldest institution of higher education, Harvard, is located in Cambridge with the business and medical schools in Boston. Berklee College of Music is also located in Boston along with the Boston Conservatory and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Boston is different than the rest of the United States, sharing many cultural ideas with the greater New England. This includes a dialect of Eastern New England access which is now known as Boston English and regional eateries with a big emphasis on seafood and dairy products. Boston also has its own slang language that most other U.S. residents find entertaining. The city has a number of theatres such as the Boston Opera House, The Wang Center for the Performing Arts and the Orpheum Theater. Everyone has heard of Boston's performing arts groups including the Boston Ballet, Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Lyric Opera Company. Boston also has some of the most renowned media in the world with The Boston Globe and The Boston Herold. Another large part of Boston is seen in their sports clubs. Everyone in the states must have watched Curt's bloody ankle in the World Series where the Boston Red Sox finally got their ray of sunshine. Everyone says that Bostonians are the most loyal fans to their sports and this has got to be the truth because for almost one hundred years the fans kept coming even though the Red Sox hadn't done much to deserve it. There are also the New England Patriots of the NFL who have won 3 Super Bowl Championships. The Boston Celtics of the NBA play basketball at TD Banknorth Garden. For hockey it's the Boston Bruins, who also play at TD Banknorth Garden. There are even a soccer team, New England Revolution, and a Lacrosse team, the Boston Cannons, to complete the sports lover's palette. Of course, if you're not a fan of any of those sports, there are many other things to see in Boston such as the Boston National Historical Park which has preserved the city's role in the American Revolution. Boston Common is the the oldest public park in the United States and, along with the adjacent Boston Public Garden, it is part of the of the Emerald Necklace which is a string of parks designed to encircle the city. The Back Bay district includes many sights to see that include the Boston Public Library, the John Hancock Tower and the Christian Science Center. Visitors will want to check out the self-guided walking tours like Harbor Walk, which follows the entire shore of the Boston Harbor. For a guided tour, try the Boston Duck Tour which uses World War II-era duck boats. Visitors will also want to take a trip to the place where everybody knows your name, the Bull & Finch Pub, which is renowned from the television show Cheers where they used many exterior shots of the building in the show. One more stop on your itinerary should be Newbury Street which is lined with 19th centurty brownstones that contain hundreds of shops and restaurants. The shops begin with the most expensive boutiques near the Boston Public Garden and become gradually less expensive and more bohemian toward Massachusetts Avenue. While in Boston, use the saying my grandfather always used: "We're gonna do something to day, even if it's wrong." |