Boston Travel Guide

A city of history and tradition, Boston offers a proud legacy of culture, education, and numerous sporting championships. The "shining city on a hill"s independent spirit has been displayed to the world ever since colonists were angry over a British tax on their beloved tea and dumped shiploads of it into the harbor in protest. In the early 1600s, the peninsula in Massachusetts that would become known as Boston was controlled by Native Americans until John Smith (English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and author) named the area New England to attract European settlers. Boston was founded in 1630 by John Winthrop, making it one of the oldest cities in the U.S. No other American city has made more of an effort to preserve its history, and you'll find buildings that pre-date the republic dotted throughout the region. But Boston isn't a city to dwell on the past: it has renovated and revitalized, in the process shedding its once deservedly parochial reputatio

As the major airport for New England, Logan provides frequent non-stop service to most major cities in the United States and almost all major European airports. Logan airport serves as a focus city forJetBlueand as a hub forDelta Air Lines, whileAmerican Airlinesis another major carrier. The regional airline Cape Air and commuter airline PenAir also make Logan their base of operations. Flights tend to be on time, but you never know with that wild New England weather. Try not to plan your connect

Unlike other large American cities, Boston is not laid out on a grid. Folklore says modern streets were designed by wandering cows, which is surely a myth. What's more likely is that existing Native American trails were reused and extended over the years. New paths were cut around hills and streams, and shallow marshes were hastily filled in wherever the force of commerce demanded. Even the burning of the city in 1872 wasn't widespread enough to trigger a comprehensive urban update.

In Boston, like the rest of the country,dial 911if there is an emergency. This free call will summon police, medical, and fire services to assist you.

In the early hours following St. Patrick's Day, 1990 two men posing as police officers enteredThe Isabella Stewart Gardner Museumand stole thirteen works of art valued around $500 million. The case remains unsolved today and is thought to be the largest theft of private property in history. The museum is still offering a reward of $5 million for information leading to the recovery of the stolen artworks.