Everything YOU need to know before you travel to Boston Massachusetts in the USA. Boston is the hub of New England, in the Northeast of the United States. Visiting Boston is like a history class in person. Boston is the cradle of much of the US’s history including playing a significant role in the American Revolution, having the first public library in the US, and the first lighthouse. Boston is a city of Neighborhoods, with 23 distinct neighborhoods. Boston has lots of Parks — public green space is 17 percent of the city. You are never more than a half mile from a park. Boston is very compact.. Downtown Boston is roughly 2 square miles. About 13% of Boston citizens commute by foot, giving it the highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in major cities of the United States.
2 – Top Attractions
Freedom trail
A red-brick path connecting the most famous sites. 2.5 miles long.
16 of Boston’s most historic sites including:
Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the Paul Revere House and Old North Church.
North End
The end of the Freedom Trail, and home to Boston’s Little Italy district.
Make sure to get a cannoli from Mike’s Pastry or Modern Pastry.
Boston Common was declared America’s first public park in 1634
Right next to it is the Boston Public Garden, America’s first Botanic Garden
JFK Presidential Library
All about the life of the US’s 35th president… a bit of the beaten path, but worth it for history buffs.
Beacon Hill
Known as Boston’s most “beautiful” neighborhood
Known for its charming, narrow cobblestone streets, federal style row houses and gaslit streetlamps. It’s also considered to be one of Boston’s most desirable and expensive residential areas in the city
Fenway Park
Home to the Boston Red Sox, built in 1912, it’s the Oldest Major League Baseball Stadium still in use.
3 – Food
Quincy Market
great gathering spot and place for lunch, with over 35 stands offering a wide food selection.
Seafood
Scrod – Catch of the day
Chowders, Lobster Rolls
Italian Food
Dunkin Donuts started here.. And yes, there’s one on every corner.
Beer: Visit the Sam Adams Brewery opened in 1984. Tours are free.. And with free beer tasting!
There’s **NO HAPPY HOUR**
Boston has banned after work drink specials. Time-of-day deals are limited to food. So you’ll find cheap food options from 4pm-6pm, but not alcohol.
4 – Getting In
You’ll likely be flying in to Boston Logan International Airport, which is just a short 3 miles away from Boston. 40 airlines that serve Boston, and 3 hotels onsite
You can also take the Blue Line Subway, but you have to take the Massport shuttle bus to get to the Subway stop.
Bus: Silver Line SL1 will take you in to the city along the waterfront to South Station — it’s free for passengers arriving at the airpor
5 – Getting Around
Getting around Boston is like navigating a maze
6 – When to go
Summer is peak tourist season (June-August)
But locals recommend Fall, September & October. The leaves are changing color, and the weather is much more pleasant.
Winter is cold! And long! With lots of snow! You’ve been warned!
Spring often has lots of rain.
Biggest Holidays are St Patrick’s Day and the Boston Marathon
Re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party every year on DECEMBER 16
7 – Language
English.. But the Boston accent is pretty thick, and there’s some interesting local slang
Not everyone has the Boston Accent… but you’ll definitely hear it
8 – Wicked Wifi
I mentioned Wifi means good… Wicked Wifi is the cities metropolitan wifi network. The SSID is “WickedFreeWifi”
9 – Hotels
Boston is old, and so are the hotels and AirBNBs. If you are expecting an elevator and A/C, call to check in advance.
10 – Universities
More than 20 colleges in Boston alone… and Harvard, and MIT which are technically not in Boston, but in Cambridge across the river.
140,000 college students call Boston home.
Makes for lots of cheap eats, and nightlife options.