DESTINATION - BOSTON

Boston is on a small peninsula in the middle of Massachusetts' Atlantic Coast, a little over 200 miles (320 km) northeast of New York City. Most of the city's sights are contained in less than 5 square miles (8 sq km). Cambridge (Harvard and MIT) is a short drive or subway ride north across the Charles River.

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The North End, occupying the northeastern tip of the peninsula, is the historic city center. Boston's oldest neighborhood and home to much of the city's Italian population. The heart of the Italian section is crammed with bakeries, cafes and delis. The North End and the eastern waterfront are separated from the rest of the city by the Central Expressway (I-93), which is soon to be demolished when The Big Dig is complete.

Just south of the expressway are Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Government Center. The Financial District is a few blocks further south and contains many of the city's skyscrapers. Beacon Hill is directly west, Boston Common and the Public Garden (the city's main parks) and Chinatown to the southwest. The Backbay, South End and Fenway are further to the southwest. The city of Brookline, technically separate but physically part of Boston is home to a large Jewish population and tree lined avenues and parks.

Irish Famine Memorial Park

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Irish Famine, Boston's Irish community unveiled a $1 million memorial park on June 28,1998. Located in downtown Boston close to Border's Bookstore, the park is sited along the city's Freedom Trail, and is visited annually by over three million people.

Two sculptures by Robert Shure show one Irish family in agony from the Great Hunger stalking the land and another hopeful as they arrive on America's shore. They're meant to depict the odyssey of the Irish immigrant from tragedy to triumph over the past 150 years. They're also meant to remind those who stop and look to remember that we must never be indifferent to the suffering of others

The American Ireland Fund is proud to have been part of this wonderful project.

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Places To See

Fenway Park is the country's oldest ballpark still in operation. Fenway Park is a jewel box of a stadium. With real grass, and an audience close in and at field level, the stacks of green bleachers provide approximately 34,000 spectators an oasis in the city. There are still hand operated score boards in the outfield, and "bullpens" close enough for players to talk to fans. Hallowed ground to baseball purists, this cozy, quirky park has been the Boston Red Sox home field since 1912. The most distinctive feature of this classic baseball park is the 37-foot-tall left field wall, known as the "Green Monster."

Freedom Trail
The red line on the sidewalk leads you on this 2.5-mile, self-guided tour of Revolutionary sites, which starts at the Boston Common, America's oldest public park, and ends up at the famed Bunker Hill Monument.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
A Venetian palace in the middle of Boston, Gardner's home is now a museum displaying her impressive, eclectic collection of European, American and Asian art, including sculpture, paintings, furniture, ceramics and textiles. Visitors can stroll or rest in a spectacular skylit courtyard filled with plants and flowers.

USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides")
The oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy and undefeated in battle, Old Ironsides earned its famous nickname with its legendary ability to repel any shot fired. Active-duty sailors guide visitors around the ship.

Paul Revere House
This National Historic Landmark is the home from which silversmith Paul Revere, in 1775, set out on his famous midnight ride to warn his compatriots that the British were coming. You can view the colonial furnishings and the famous Revere silver, including a 90-pound bell in the back yard.

Museum of Fine Arts
Boston's oldest, largest and best-known art institution, the MFA houses one of the world's most comprehensive art collections and is renowned for its Impressionist paintings, Asian and Egyptian collections and early American art.

Museum of Science
Spend a couple of hours or the whole day at this hands-on museum that has something exciting for everyone.

Newbury Street
Boston's chic shopping address mixes elegant boutiques with funky salons and trendy galleries.

Old State House
Boston's oldest public building was the site of the city's first reading of the Declaration of Independence.

Quincy Market
A National Historic Landmark, this 535-foot granite building sits between the brick North and South Markets at Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Boston Common
What was once America's oldest public park and grazing ground for cattle, is now the first stop on the Freedom Trail.

Boston Public Garden
This Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park, famous for its Swan Boats, has over 600 varieties of trees and an ever-changing array of flowers.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Located in the heart of downtown Boston, this bustling complex of novelty carts, distinctive shops, national chain stores, performers, food stands and restaurants brought new life to a historic meeting place.

Trinity Church, Boston
This National Historic Landmark, one of America's great buildings, was built in 1877 by architect H.H. Richardson

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