Tourist Services: Contact the Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2 Copley Pl., #105 (617-536-4100 or 888-733-2678), for general information and maps of Boston and its environs. For a virtual tour, you can see the city on the internet at www.boston.com.
Accommodations: Cheap accommodations are hard to find in Boston. In September, the city fills with parents depositing their college-bound children; in June, parents help remove those children from the city. Reserve a room at least six months in advance during those times. Visitors with cars should investigate the motels along highways in outlying areas. For recommendations and reservations on other accommodations in Boston, contact Boston Reservations, 1643 Beacon St., #23, Waban, MA 02168 (617-332-4199; fax 617-332-5751); open M-F 9am-5pm.
Food: Beyond its traditional seafood and baked beans, Boston dishes out an impressive array of international cuisine. Garlic permeates most of the North End, near the New England Aquarium, where an endless array of Italian groceries, bakeries, caf?s, and restaurants line Hanover and Salem St. Chinese Fu dogs guard the entrance to Chinatown, near Boston Commons, and watch over the countless restaurants that lie along the tiny, crowded streets. At the open-air stalls of Haymarket on Fridays and Saturdays, local Bostonians of all accents haggle over fresh produce, fish, fruits, and cheese.
Nightlife: Boston’s local music scene runs the gamut from folk to funk; Beantown natives-gone-national include the Pixies, Aerosmith, Tracy Chapman, Dinosaur Jr., The Lemonheads, Bobby Brown, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Cruise down Landsdowne St. and Boylston Pl. to find concentrated action. Every Thursday, a new copy of the Boston Phoenix ($1.50) has the latest club and concert listings.
