Boston Travel Guide

Address: Boston, MA, 02114

The Back Bay neighborhood is one of the richest areas in Boston, where many designer boutiques and upscale stores are located.

Back Bay began as a man-made swamp. The creation of two large dams nearby had soaked the area through and health officials considered the swamp to be hazardous to the health of the city. They began heaping dirt on the area in 1857, and by 1887 the ground was solid enough to build on. Back Bay was born.

Both Boylston Street and Copley Square make the neighborhood one of the premier shopping destinations in Boston, but the red-brick town homes along Commonwealth Avenue make it an attractive, inviting part of town as well.

The Back Bay was designed in the grid-like Parisian style, which, at the time of its construction, was found nowhere else in Boston. The Back Bay was designed to be new and different and to appeal to those in the city who could afford to live with every modern amenity.

The neighborhood is convenient to Fenway Park and much of it looks out over the river toward the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Admission: Free

Hours: 24 Hours

Address: Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts, 02114

10,000 people live in Beacon Hill, the affluent neighborhood in Boston. Named for the Beacon that used to anoint the top of the nearby hill, Beacon Hill is known for its expensive row houses, its proximity to the Massachusetts State House and the Boston Common park nearby.

Beacon Hill has been home to some notable names through history. When the area was mostly farmland, the residence of Declaration of Independence signer John Hancock was the only interruption to the grassy plains, his estate standing where part of the Massachusetts State House now stands.

Also from Beacon Hill: Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, David Lee Roth, Carly Simon, Louisa May Alcott and Charles Bullfinch.

Bullfinch designed and built several homes as the Beacon Hill area was beginning to become desirable among Boston's richest citizens, and his contribution to the neighborhood was recognized in the naming of the Bull & Finch pub at 84 Beacon St. The Bull & Finch pub inspired the popular television show "Cheers" and has since been renamed simply "Cheers."

Beacon Hill is bordered by Beacon Street, Somerset Street, Cambridge Street and Storrow Drive.

Hours: 24 hours

Admission: Free

Address: 175 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02111

The 50 acre Boston Common is the oldest city park in the United States.

Located in the heart of Boston, the Common has had many different uses over the years. Travel far enough back in its history and it was a pasture for cattle, shared by many families, fast forward just a little and it was the square used for public hangings. (During one stretch, the city of Boston used the square for both!)

Boston is steeped in history and the Common contains many monuments to its past. The Freedom trail rings the park and connects many of the city's historic landmarks. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument recognizing those who fought in the Civil War stands on Flagstaff hill, opposite the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, which commemorates the 51st regiment, the first black regiment comprised of free men in the Union Army.

Boston Common also contains one of the oldest cemeteries in Boston, the Central Burying Ground contains the bodies of many casualties from the battle of Bunker Hill.

But more than a tribute to the city's history, Boston Common is a place for people to gather and recreate. Warm afternoons will find the people of Boston out enjoying the weather playing ultimate frisbee, or kickball.

Hours: 24 hours

Admission: Free

Adjacent to the Arlington St, Boylston St, and Park St subway stops.

Address: Beacon St, Boston, 02108

The deep brick red, contrasting with the white marble columns, gives the Boston State House a smart, official air, as it looks out over the city toward Boston Common. Built between 1795 and 1797, the State House has become a tribute to the triumphs of the people of New England since colonial times.

Atop the State House sits a golden dome, at the top of which are two symbols of the forests of Massachusetts: a pinecone and a lantern. The dome was originally built out of wood slats, but in 1861 it was gilded and has remained that way ever since except during World War II when it was painted black so it could not be targeted by bombers.

Under the recognizable gold tower, the State House holds several museums it would interest many to see, as well as the Senate chamber and Reception room.

The museums include the Hall of Flags, which commemorates soldiers, Doric hall, which serves as a reception room full of even more marble columns, and the Nurses hall, where the statue of Massachusetts Civil War hero William Francis Bartlett rests.

Admission: Free

Hours: M-F 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Subway: Park Street (red, green)

Address: Clarendon Street, Boston, MA

The John Hancock Tower, or to Bostonians, "The Hancock," is a 60 story glass building in downtown Boston.

There have actually been three buildings that have gone by the name "The John Hancock Building," and all were built by the John Hancock Insurance companies, but only the current building remains in the local vocabulary.

The official name of "The Hancock" is Hancock Place. It is 790 feet tall and until two lead stabilizers were put in, the occupants of the building on the top floor complained of motion sickness caused by the building's swaying in the wind.

The Hancock is the tallest building in New England, but only the 45th tallest building in the United States and the 135th tallest building in the world. It's construction had many problems and was set back many years and when it finally opened, many of its windows had a tendency to pop off the building if wind speeds reached more than 45 mph. Although there was no official cause identified, it is widely believed that the lower air pressure in the atmosphere during high wind conditions sucked the windows out of the building.

The problem has since been remedied and the building is now considered safe.

Hours: Available for outside observation 24 hours. Hours vary inside.

Admission: Free.