I am planning a trip to Boston. Can somebody help me with some questions?

Question

1. What are the most photogenic spots? Like what landmarks are worth taking a picture of?

2. If I wanted to immurse myself with the sights and sounds of Boston what area should I stay in? Like a place that has a lot of jazz, blues, celtic music and whatnot.

3. I will be renting a car from the airport. What is traffic like? What are the rush hour times?

4. Is there crime in Boston??? I know that every major city has crime, but just how bad is it to walk around late at night? What areas are the bad areas? What areas should I stay out of anytime, if any?

Thank you for all your help. Any other suggestions and comments are greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

Hello Lex,



To immerse yourself in the wights and sounds of Boston, I would recommend staying in a hotel in either the Back Bay or The Faneuil Hall area. Faneuil Hall in particular is chock full of clubs and pubs where young people congregate for evening music.



I would not recommend renting a car. Traffic is pretty heavy, parking is a nightmare. Boston has an excellent mass transportation system called "The T" and you will find that it is possible to walk just about anywhere from either Faneuil Hall or The Back Bay. In addition, both areas are perfectly safe for late at night walking around....I would recommend walking around, rather than through the Boston Common and Public Garden after 10 PM, though.



The Financial Section and Downtown Crossing pretty much shut down after business hours, so anyone in the area late at night is going to be rather sketchy. I would avoid those areas late at night. Nothing to do there then, anyways!



As for photogenic spots...in addition to the usual monuments and historical buildings on the Freedom Trail, I think there are a few spots that are particularly lovely:

The view of Downtown from Boston Harbor

The view of Back Bay from the Charles River

The view from The Public Garden, at Arlington Street entrance, looking toward Downtown.
Have a drink in the Top of the Hub there are lots of lovely views of the harbor, Back Bay, Cambridge, Charles River> The best part about taking photos from there is that the ugliest building in Boston---The Prudential Center---will NOT be in the photo :)



Hope you enjoy your trip.

Answer 2

I answer your Question 3 first: DO NOT RENT A CAR IN BOSTON!!!!!!

The traffic is horrible and many of the streets narrow and curvy - laid out more for 17th century cows than for 20th century cars. Boston has an excellent public transportation system - use it! If you want a car to explore outside Boston where trains do not go then rent a car only for a day or two to do that.



The Boston music scene (actually you should think Boston/Cambridge - both cities are prosperous and vibrant and they stare at each other across the river) is diverse but also spread out - there is no real center for venues and clubs like there is in - say- Memphis or Nashville. The closest areas approximating that are

in the Fenway to Massachusetts Avenue area (home of the Berklee School of Music and also the New England Conservatory) and the Davis Square area in nearby Somerville (easily reachable by subway). Mass Avenue in Cambridge from Harvard to Central Squares also has a cluster of clubs and performance venues.



Boston/Cambridge is a low crime city FOR AN AMERICAN CITY!! It is also a very walkable city (more people walk to work in Boston as a percentage of the population than in any other major American city). The most dangerous areas are a swath from Jackson Square to Dudley to Uphams Corner, and the Bowdoin to Franklin Field part of Roxbury/Dorchester. Both areas are not near the central city. But even though these are the worst, they are not sufficiently awful that I avoid driving through them. There is nothing like L.A.' South Central

in Boston.



Most people take pictures of the historical buildings and maybe street scenes. The best panoramas of Boston would be from the B.U. Bridge and the Cambridge side of the river, from the harborfront near Maverick Square, and perhaps from the top of Parker Hill.



If I were to recommend the best centralized area to stay in it would be the area from Downtown Crossing to North Station. Most of the hotels are expensive but there are a handful of more moderately-priced (comparatively!!) and a youth hostel.

Answer 3

The first few answers are quite excellent (Jeffrey -- it's the Hatch Shell, but you knew that), I'd just like to add in a few of my favorite spots. And to say DON'T DRIVE. Everything you want to see is on the T or on foot.



Acorn Street, Mt. Vernon Street, and Louisburg Square in Beacon Hill, quite photogenic as is much of Beacon Hill. Look for the purple tinge of the original windows. New State House with the gold dome.



Copley Square -- great views from every angle. Trinity Church reflected in the Hancock Tower, the Boston Public Library, Old South Church.



The USS Constitution in Charlestown Navy Yard. Great tall ship. Take the water taxi from there to Long Wharf for spectacular views of the city. (Cheapest harbor cruise ever -- $2.00 per person, 15 minutes.)



The new ICA in the Seaport District. Great building, great views.



Old State House -- historic tiny building surrounded by modern skyscrapers.



The french chateau at the corner of Comm Ave and Hereford. The Comm Ave mall (long skinny park, not shopping) has interesting statues and people walking dogs and babies.



The Public Garden any time of year, but the Swan Boats go away in the Fall/Winter.

Answer 4

Boston is a great walking city, so you should have plenty to photograph. Downtown Boston is Historic, there are a ton of photographic possibilities, the State House, across from the State House, is the monument to the Mass 54th Regiment, (made famous by the movie Glory). You have the historic grave site or burial grounds, not to mention the Boston Commons and Boston Gardens (not the palatial home of the Bruins and Celtics) but the beautifully landscaped public gardens. Also you will see the Majestic Swan Boats inside the gardens too. Along that way is the Bulfinch Pub (Cheers), you have the Footbridge (Arthur Fiedler), if I'm not mistaken that will take you over to the Charles River. Along the Charles is a magnificent landscape that you can photograph, you will have on one side MIT's campus, you will have the Hat Shell, home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a host of other great photo opportunities. Along Boylston Street, Newbury Street and the entire Copley Square area, you will have excellent photographic spots to explore.



Boston is great because as its well known that its a World Class City, it also is very diverse. The neighborhoods are segregated and your taste in culture, life, music and sounds will dictate which neighborhood you should explore. South Boston is a predominantly White Irish area, you will find a culture that is strong in their Irish Pride, great place to visit and its on the water. Roxbury is a predominantly Black area and it is home to Roxbury Community College, Dudley Square, Malcolm X park and the former home of Malcolm X. It is a great neighborhood and it is home to the one of our Nations first Fire Dept's. Dorchester is a very mixed neighborhood, you will find groups from all places melded together in this old towne neighborhood. One of Boston's great treasures is this neighborhoods beautiful homes, from single family Victorians, to many, many 3 and 6 family dwellings, Dot is a great place to raise a family. The South End is the Cultural Center of Boston and this is the place to be for great Theatre, Music and other forms of Entertainment. It's also home to Boston's Gay and Lesbian Community. You will also find its home to many of Boston's Hispanic Community as well. Mattapan is a great area, it's mixed altough it has a large population of folks from the Carribean. Mattapan like Dot is a great place to raise family it's more suburban than urban, but it has it's own pulse. You also have Allston-Brighton, Hyde Park, Charlestown and a few other sub-divisions that all have their own uniqueness.



Coming from the Airport can be difficult, pay close attention to the road signs and you should be fine. There is a toll leaving the airport, so have two or three dollars in cash on you. Rush hour starts about 7:00am through 9:30am and picks up again around 3:30pm to 6:30pm of course we have our special brand of driving, so get used to it or take the T. We turn right on red here, please be aware of crosswalks, it's a $200.00 fine. If you need to read street signs, please pull over and get your bearings, Boston has some pretty agressive drivers.



Yes Boston has crime, we are not national leaders in any category that I know of, but its disturbing none the less. Roxbury has a high crime rate, but it's localized and very rarely spills into other areas of the city. Mostly its gang related violence and although there is always a chance and innocent civilian can be injured or worse killed, it is not common. You can travel most places relatively safely, but just use common sense: Don't flash cash or jewels or anything of material value; don't ask for directions from anyone on the street at night, if you need help, ask a cab driver or a bus driver; we do have our share of gypsy cabs and they are a great resource if you need to get somewhere. Lastly, the city has done a great job putting up emergency call boxes, if you feel threatened in any way, use them.

Answer 5

I'm responding to this question simply so I can save it as we're also going to Boston and your questions and answers are really useful to us. Hope you have a fab time :)