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The Boston Traveler, Part II

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Last week I went on at length about South Station, but I know that eventually you will leave the station and set out to explore Boston. South Station is within walking distance of many of Boston's most enjoyable attractions; alternatively, the MBTA (Boston's subway, known as the "T") stops at South Station and the T can take you virtually anywhere in Boston and neighboring Cambridge.

Much of what is happening in Boston starts at Boston Common, the oldest public park in the United States. You may already be familiar with the 2 1/2 mile long Freedom Trail, which begins at the Common, and rambles throughout the Government Center neighborhood and the North End. The self guided tour brings you to such famous sites as the Old North Church and Paul Revere's home. Pick up a map at the visitor center on the Common.

Also engaging is the Black Heritage Trail, which likewise begins at the Common and moves through the Beacon Hill neighborhood. You can get a map at the Museum of Afro-American History, which is about three blocks north of the Common.

Another tour, a very unusual one, is the Innovation Tour. This is a two-hour bus tour that winds itself through Boston and Cambridge, and highlights the progress made by Bostonians in the areas of medicine, technology and finance. Stops include Harvard University, Genetown USA, and the Pioneer Telephone Museum, to name just a few.

Boston's Theater District, south of the Common, is very lively these days. Theater companies offer a whole range of live performances, from the avant garde to the traditional, to the national touring companies of Broadway musicals and plays. The Colonial Theater, Shubert Theater and the Emerson Majestic Theater are three fine theaters, offering first class entertainment. For theater, and other event information, pick up the Boston Phoenix newspaper.

Boston is home to many museums, not the least of which are the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Art and the Fine Arts Museum. However, if I had to choose one museum to visit on a brief trip, I would pick the Boston Museum of Science. This incredible institution has constantly changing exhibits that are really lots of fun, and informative too. Every time I go there, new exhibits have been created; plus, the place is so large that even in two or three trips you could not possibly cover it all.

Like other popular destinations, Boston offers many accommodation options. I have stayed at the Tremont Hotel, and the Radisson, and both provided excellent service with very comfortable rooms, complete with amenities such as data ports, coffee pots and hair dryers. However, the Tremont has now become part of the Wyndham chain, and I suspect that prices have risen accordingly. My best advice to you is to check out the listings on TurboTrip.com, where prices are significantly less than prices quoted by the hotels directly. In the past, I have gotten very good prices at both of these hotels, as well as hotels throughout the country, through TurboTrip.

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