"Big Ol' Honkin' Boston" a Boston Travel Page by gilescorey

I've lived in Boston a few times in my life. Born here, attended school here, worked here. And, of course, being Irish, about half my relatives have lived and died in The Hub. Thus, there were many trips South to Boston, where Mom and Dad dragged us to the pubs & funeral homes of Dorchester, while the patrician world of The Back Bay remained foreign to me.

There's a lot more here than meets the eye. Beantown is deceptively large: a 20 mile radius from city hall tops a population of six million. Statistically, Old World, tiny borders get Boston listed as a smaller city. Yeah. Right. The Hub makes cities like San Diego look like Mayberry. And, while she may not be the World powerhouse of Colonial times, Boston underwent a massive resurgence in the late nineties, and the city now pulses with the energy of any top destination.

Now having grown and travelled wider, I'm perplexed by some of the strange impressions travellers have(or don't have) of Boston.

One, as mentioned above, is the contention Boston is a "small" city. The Hub's influence reaches three other states: Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. She's also one of the major connectors between Europe and America via sea and air. The Boston/Worcester/Manchester N.H metro area is the fifth largest in the United States, and separate cities such as Cambridge, Somerville, Quincy, Malden, Watertown, etc - blend seamlessly into one urban swath; even as their populations are not included in Boston's statistical analysis.

I'm also perplexed at how often Boston is overlooked as a city of beauty. Now, don't get me wrong, I've lived in Beantown and don't expect to move back - but the cult of San Francisco I've experienced while living on the West Coast is bizarre....The City By the Bay has a stunning natural setting, yes, but the city itself would rate "slum" by Boston standards. In fact, central Boston is so beautiful, so well manicured, so "pretty" that it almost rings "Disney does the American City". Did you know that film crews use Boston as an inexpensive location to shoot "London" city scenes?

The bustling character of this tightly packaged city allows for cosmopolitan flair, functional mass transit, the ability to walk from neighborhood to neighborhood, or to hail a cab, should you so desire. And, if that cab winds from Cambridge through Boston to the South End, you'll blink and think you're in London. And, is that so bad?

Do not drive in Boston unless on cocaine and coffee.

Bring a book because the nightlife is surprisingly lame.

Bring a camera, because it's the most beautiful city in the U.S.

Must, MUST do the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.

Love the "T". So efficient and convenient, except for the clackety green line.

Wear big hair and acid wash jeans to "blend in"

Eat at the original Pizzeria Regina.

Take the train to Salem.

Write to City Hall and demand rent control.