The Academic Town of Boston, Massachusetts
The long history of Boston draws many tourists. The city of Boston is one of the most populated city in the United States and is a city that is the economic and cultural center of Greater Boston which has about 8.2 million residents.
The city has pioneered many places such as the first subway system (Tremont Lane, 1897), public park (Boston Common, 1634), the first public or state school (Boston Latin School, 1635).
Boston is a cosmopolitan and youthful city with its museums, music, theatre, entertainment and restaurants and is also a vibrant academic hub today. The several colleges and universities in the Boston area which makes it a world leader in higher education, including law , medicine, engineering, and industry, and the city is considered a national tech and entrepreneurship powerhouse with nearly 5,000 startups. Cambridge over the Charles Canal, is a summer recreation area is part of Boston and linked by the same transit system for tourism purposes. Here you’ll find two of America’s most prestigious and important universities, Harvard and Massachusetts Technology Institute (MIT).
For the intellectuals and those who love history and art, there are so many places in Boston to visit. Here are a few of some of them:
HARVARD SQUARE AND HARVARD ART MUSEUMS
There’s no other city than in Harvard which is considered a place with more places to buy ice-cream than any other US city! In Harvard, you will find Harvard Square which is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street, near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts. A major place to visit in this city is Harvard University, founded in 1636 which is America’s oldest higher learning institution and considered one of the world’s leading intellectual centres. The Square has a lively and enjoyable free campus walk led by a student sharing history. Harvard Yard situated in Harvard Square is a bustling center for teachers and tourists, packed with restaurants and bookstores.
Not many universities have a vast display of art collections like Harvard does. Art collections include Fogg Art Museum, Busch-Reisinger which basically covers European art. In addition, there is Indian, Japanese and Chinese art as well as Greco-Roman antiques.
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS BOSTON
One of the country’s largest art museums. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts features impressionist sculptures, ancient Egyptian artifacts, Asian and Persian decorative arts, and works from ancient Greece and the Middle East. This museum is dedicated to the memory of the thirty-fifth U.S. president and comprises of a memorabilia of former President John F. Kennedy’s life. The museum is JFK’s official national monument, designed by architect I.M. Pei opened in 1979.. There’s also an impressive collection of American paintings, furniture, decorative arts, folk art, jewelry, glassware, and architecture dating from pre-Colombian arts to the Art Deco and Modernist periods.
THE BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
It is one of the world’s most acoustically sound concert halls, inaugurated in 1900. Its inaugural concert at Symphony Hall was an iconic one. Conductors include the iconic individuals like Pierre Monteux, Serge Koussevitzky, Charles Munch, Seiji Ozawa, and James Levine. Besides its daily symphony season, the hall houses the Boston Pops Orchestra, which sets a regional benchmark for lighter music performances.
For many visitors, the highlight of a trip is a Pops concert, either in Symphony Hall or at the Hatch Memorial Shell.
BOSTON COMMON
Victorian style monuments, sculptures, statues, the famous Swan Boats and the likes is what you will find here. In the city’s heart is Boston Common, America’s oldest park and the beginning of Freedom Trail begins. In this vast green area, commonly used by residents during the year, are numerous monuments and the 1756 Central Burial Ground. From November to mid-March, you can rent skates to use on the Frog Pond and in the summer, watch young people spray in the wading pool.
