Boston is both a port of call on cruises and an embarkation port for cruises. It is a frequent stop on cruises to New England and Canada
and it is a point of origin for cruises to Bermuda as well as New England/Canada cruises. Cruisers will find that Boston is a large cosmopolitan city. It has many historical and cultural attractions. Yet, Boston retains a friendly and open atmosphere that is tourist friendly. Indeed, 12 million visitors come to Boston each year. The City of Boston has a population of 617,000 but the Greater Boston area includes about six million people, making it the tenth largest metropolitan area in the USA. It is the capital of the Commonwealth (i.e. State) of Massachusetts. However, it is also a financial, educational and high technology center. Bostonians are passionate about their sports teams. Because of its intimate size, Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is an excellent place to view a professional baseball game. The currency is the U.S. dollar and other currencies are not generally accepted. Major credit cards, however, are widely accepted. Boston has one of the highest costs of living in the United States. Boston is made up of neighborhoods. There is the elegance of Back Bay and the ethnic charm of the North End. There is the 21st Century efficiency of the Financial District and the greenery of the Boston Commons/Public Garden area. What is may be surprising is that all of these are within walking distance of each other. |
Above: Boston has a modern skyline.
Below: Trinity Church in Boston's Copley Square. |
Above: The North End is known for its Italian-American restaurants. Above left: Chinatown is one of the only historically Asian districts in New England. Left: Cheers Beacon Hill (originally The Bull and Finch Pub) was used in the filming of the television series "Cheers." Below: The TD Garden is home to the Boston Celtics (basketball) and the Boston Bruins (hockey) as well as a venue for concerts and other events.
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The Greater Boston area is home to some 50 colleges and universities. As a result, there is a large number of
young people in the area as well as establishments catering to the young. Best known of the universities is Harvard University in Cambridge. Visitors can walk through the grounds and admire the Georgian architecture |
While the Boston skyline is not a cluster of skyscrapers, Boston does have some very tall buildings. The John Hancock Tower (above left) has 60 stories within its 790 foot height. It is the tallest building not only in Boston but in New England. Standing at 749 feet with 52 floors is Boston's second tallest building, the Prudential Building, locally known as the Pru. However, if you count the Pru's radio antenna, it becomes the tallest. After the observation deck on the Hancock Tower was closed following the attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11), the observation deck on the Pru became the highest publicly accessible observation deck in New England.
Cruise destination - Boston - history