Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

For those who would rather take public transportation, the "T" (as the locals call it) is reliable, safe, and convenient. One token costs .00, and will get you just about anywhere you'd want to go.

If you must drive, parking can be found in the Boston Common garage. I think this is the cheapest lot in the downtown area, charging .00 for up to an hour, for two, for three, and a maximum 24 hour charge of . The flat rate on weekends is .00. It's also handily located for sightseeing.

The Union Oyster House is America's oldest restaurant serving - you guessed it! - oysters, cooked in any way imaginable. If you're a purist like me, you can get them on the halfshell at the raw bar. You can also get lobster there, and I'm pretty sure they offer traditional Boston Baked Beans. Nearby is the Bell in Hand Tavern where you can stop in for a cold one. A bit further on in the North End (Boston's answer to NYC's Little Italy), Italian restaurants and bakeries abound. Be sure to stop in to Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street and have a cappucino and biscotti. Pizzaria Regina's, also in the North End, is a must for pizza.

I ordered what I usually order when presented with a menu that has sushi on it: seaweed salad (5.95), miso soup (2.00), yellowtail, salmon, tuna (each 5.50) and sea urchin (6.95) - all sashimi-style - no rice for this purist!

Everything was really quite good, though not outstanding. (My new benchmark for sushi is a place boyphoenix and I went while in South Beach in December. We've never had anything that melted in the mouth like that - but I should be writing now about Q-vin.)

The service was very good, considering the size of the group, and the waitress was very accommodating to one of us who made a mistake in his order. All of the staff spoke very good English, making it easy to ask questions about the menu.

I'll definitely return with boyphoenix to sit at the sushi bar and dance to the jazz band!

Guided tours of the art and architecture of the building are given by volunteers, but they tend to be provided only once a day and the schedule varies, so call in advance. Of course, you can take a self-guided tour - more information can be found on the BPL website. My favorite room is Bates Hall. With the light streaming in and the green glass lamp shades, it calls up a turn of the century vision of young students poring over their books.

When you're finished with your tour, head over a block to Newbury Street for a cafe lunch and people watching. Or, walk up a block to Prudential Center for a shopping trip or a bite to eat in the Food Court.

Held on Fridays and Saturdays, here is where you can buy fruits, vegetables, fish, and olives from vendors hawking their wares - loudly and aggressively. This isn't your local supermarket, so don't expect the opportunity to carefully select and bag your own purchases. Nor should you expect to pay supermarket prices. Haymarket is cheap and no-frills, but an experience to be had.

Begin at the Tourist Information Center located in Boston Common behind Park St Station (Red and Green lines on the T). Get yourself a map (or snag one ahead of time from your hotel lobby) and follow the red line on the sidewalk which snakes throughout the city, taking you on a magical history tour. The past is one with the present as you explore Faneuil Hall where the Colonists debated separation from England while right next door your teenager can shop at Abercromby's!

The Trail can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on how much you take in at each historical site. Also, there are a number of interesting shops and eateries along the way. If you plan to do the Trail in one day, be sure to get over to Charlestown by 3:30 for the last tour of the U.S.S. Constitution.