Fodor's Boston 2001: Completely Updated Every Year, Color Photos and Pull-Out Map, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z (Travel Guide)

Provides information on hotels, restaurants, driving and walking tours, shopping and sightseeing, and nighttime entertainment.

DESTINATION BOSTON

We'll break it to you gently -- nowadays you can go for hours at a time without hearing the nasal, much-imitated Boston accent around town. But virtually everything else that's quintessentially Boston clamors for your attention: Revolutionary sights and Fenway Park, Swan Boats and lobster dinners, blue-nose Brahmins and scores of students. Hit the streets and you'll notice a fascinating mix of old and new. Vendors holler in a Colonial-era marketplace, entrepreneurs talk strategies in old Irish bars, and new generations slurp up oysters at Daniel Webster's favorite dining spot. This most historic of American cities is definitely keeping the pace.

Historic Sights

Fourth of July celebrations carry extra weight in the city that spawned the Sons of Liberty. Boston's past as a Colonial force and the hotbed of the American Revolution is powerfully evoked by its unmatched wealth of historic sights. Legendary figures like Paul Revere take on a new dimension once you've seen their homes, stepped into their churches, and visited their graves. The Granary Burying Ground, for instance, reads like a who's who of early America. Best of all is the sense of context -- walk through the tangles of streets lined with period buildings, gas lamps, and occasional cobblestones, and the events of past centuries seem a breath away.

Arts & Culture

Boston's cultural opportunities fly thick and fast. Wander through the orderly galleries of the Museum of Fine Arts to soak up some of the country's most extensive collections, which include French Impressionism and American, Asian, and Egyptian art. In the American galleries, look for paintings by Copely and Sargent, not to mention silver tableware by jack-of-all-trades Paul Revere. The nearby Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a different experience entirely. This century-old palazzo is crammed with its namesake's acquisitions, from Gothic tapestries to splendid old-master paintings, all left just as the audacious Mrs. Jack arranged them. For a quicker dip into the fine arts, try the Institute of Contemporary Art or some of the galleries along fashionable Newbury Street.

Dining

Think of eating out in Boston and one thing instantly springs to mind: seafood. This is not without reason -- it would be practically criminal to leave the city without trying a superbly prepared fish or lobster dish at a local institution like Legal Sea Foods or the Union Oyster House. But Boston's chefs look far beyond the harbor for inspiration. In contemporary restaurants like Biba, regional specialties get a fresh spin. Explore an ethnic neighborhood such as Chinatown or the Italian North End for menus ranging from traditional to fusion. Scads of Euro-bistros like Les Zygomates can satisfy your cravings for Mediterranean flavors or steak frites. Even those who like to singe their tastebuds can find their gustatory soul mate -- at the East Coast Grill.

Shopping

Flex your fingers: they may soon be diving into your wallet to pay for an unbelievable splurge -- or an unbeatable bargain. Even people who hate to shop have been known to slow down along Newbury Street as they pass its come-hither boutiques, glossy art galleries, and funky music stores. Antiques hounds head for Charles Street, one of the oldest thoroughfares in the city, where they rustle up everything from Colonial furniture to Chinese porcelain. Snatch a bargain at the original Filene's Basement or check Quincy Market for that last-minute souvenir. And book lovers -- well, start your engines. The fabulous bookstores here can supply you with reading material through the next millennium, whether your tastes run to avant-garde poetry or the latest mystery.

Cambridge

Stand in the middle of Harvard Square and you'll take in a prime cross section of Cambridge life: punks, street performers, pamphlet-flapping activists, suited-up business types. Above all, the aquare is flooded with college students -- all-American, international, or just plain stressed-out. The graceful buildings of Harvard Yard epitomize academia, but there's more to see than library stacks. Don't miss the excellent museums, including the Fogg Art Museum and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum. Then venture beyond Harvard, perhaps past the elegant mansions that line Brattle Street's Tory Row or to the scientists' stronghold, MIT.