This section attempts to answer briefly the second most-asked question visitors have for Boston residents: "Where do people who live here go?" (The most-asked question is "Why aren't there more public bathrooms?" We wish we knew.)
Boston is a city of neighborhoods, some of which I've described in talking about the Freedom Trail and in the walking tours. Here are several other areas that are fun to explore. Bear in mind that many of the buildings you will see are private homes, not tourist attractions.
Beacon Hill--The original Boston settlers, clustered around what are now the Old State House and the North End, considered Beacon Hill outlandishly distant. Today the distance is a matter of atmosphere; climbing "the Hill" is like traveling back in time. Lace up your walking shoes (the brick sidewalks gnaw at anything fancier, and driving is next to impossible), wander the narrow streets, and admire the brick and brownstone architecture.
At Beacon and Park streets is a figurative high point (literally, it's the high point): Charles Bulfinch's magnificent State House. The 60-foot monument at the rear illustrates the hill's original height, before the top was shorn off to use in the landfill projects of the 19th century. Beacon and Mount Vernon streets run downhill to commercially dense Charles Street, but if ever there was an area where there's no need to head in a straight line, it's this one. Your travels might take you past former homes of Louisa May Alcott (10 Louisburg Sq.), Henry Kissinger (1 Chestnut St.), Julia Ward Howe (13 Chestnut St.), Edwin Booth (29A Chestnut St.), or Robert Frost (88 Mount Vernon St.). One of the oldest black churches in the country, the African Meeting House, is at 8 Smith Court.
These days, Alcott probably wouldn't be able to afford even the rent for a home on Louisburg Square (say "Lewis-burg"). Twenty-two homes where a struggling writer would more likely be an employee than a resident surround the lovely park. The iron-railed square is open only to tenants with keys.
Your wandering will probably lead you down to Charles Street. After you've had your fill of the shops and restaurants, you might want to investigate the architecture of the "flats," between Charles Street and the Charles River. Built on landfill, the buildings are younger than those higher up, but many are just as eye-catching. This is the area where you can look for signs that MTV's "The Real World" passed through. You might recognize the converted firehouse where the cast of the 1997 show lived, and also a one-time Spenser: For Hire set, it's at Mount Vernon and River streets.
T: Red Line to Charles/MGH, Green Line to Park Street, or Blue Line to Bowdoin (weekdays only).
Chinatown--This close-knit residential and commercial community is constantly pushing its borders, expanding into the nearly defunct "Combat Zone" (the red-light district, now sometimes called the Ladder District) on Washington Street and crossing the Massachusetts Turnpike extension into the South End. It's also including more Vietnamese and Cambodian residents. The Expressway, the downtown shopping district, the Theater District, and the Tufts University medical complex border the heart of Chinatown.
Start your visit where Beach Street meets the Surface Artery, at the three-story Chinatown Gateway. The arched gate with four marble lions was a bicentennial gift from the government of Taiwan.
Beach Street is the closest thing Chinatown has to a main drag, and the streets that cross it and run parallel are nearly as congested and equally interesting. You'll see fish tanks full of entrees-to-be, produce stands, gift shops, and markets. The wares in the gift shops run from classic to cartoonish, and prices tend to be reasonable. After wandering around for a while and working up an appetite, stop at a restaurant for dim sum or at a bakery -- perhaps Hing Shing Pastry, 67 Beach St. (tel. 617/451-1162), or Ho Yuen Bakery, 54 Beach St. (tel. 617/426-8320) -- for giant walnut cookies, pastries in the shape of animals, fried sesame balls, and moon cakes.
During the celebration of Chinese New Year (Jan or Feb, depending on the moon), masses of people turn out even in the harshest weather to watch the parade. Dragons dance in the streets, and firecrackers punctuate the musical accompaniment. In the summer, you'll see the August Moon Festival, a local street fair. Call the Chinese Merchants Association, 20 Hudson St. (tel. 617/482-3972), for information on special events. The building's bronze bas-reliefs represent the eight immortals of Taoism, and there are mirrored plaques along Oxford Alley to ward off evil spirits.
Before you leave, you might want to stop at a food store for supplies to take home. One of the largest in size and selection, the 88 Supermarket, 50 Herald St., at Washington Street (tel. 617/423-1688), is across the Pike extension. It's not just Chinese -- every ingredient of every Asian cuisine seems to be on the shelves somewhere, and the fresh produce ranges from lemons to lemon grass. In Chinatown proper, See Sun Co., 25 Harrison Ave. (tel. 617/426-0954), isn't as large, but the selection and prices are good.
T: Orange Line to Chinatown, or Green Line to Boylston.
The South End--One of the city's most diverse neighborhoods is also one of its largest, but fans of Victorian architecture won't mind the sore feet they have after trekking around the South End.
The neighborhood was laid out in the mid-19th century, before the Back Bay. While the newer area's grid echoes the boulevards of Paris, the South End tips its hat to London. The main streets are broad, and pocket parks dot the side streets. The gentrification movement of the 1970s saw many South End brownstones reclaimed from squalor and converted into luxury condominiums. That trend accelerated in the late 1990s, driving out many longtime residents and making construction materials as widespread as falling leaves. Even on the few remaining run-down buildings, you'll see wonderful details.
With Back Bay Station to your left, walk down Dartmouth Street, crossing Columbus Avenue. Proceed on Dartmouth and explore some of the streets that extend to the left, including Chandler, Lawrence, and Appleton streets. This area is known as Clarendon Park. Turn left on any of these streets and walk to Clarendon Street. Its intersection with Tremont Street is the part of the South End you're most likely to see if you're not out exploring. This is the area where businesses and restaurants surround the Boston Center for the Arts (tel. 617/426-7700 for events; 617/426-0320 for box office). The BCA's Cyclorama building (the interior is dome-shaped), at 539 Tremont St., is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Here you can see a show, have a meal, or continue your expedition, perhaps to Shawmut Avenue or Washington Street. This is not the greatest neighborhood to roam through at night, but in daylight you can feel comfortable wandering and exploring all the way to Mass. Ave. From there, you can take the no. 1 bus to the Back Bay or into Cambridge, or the Orange Line downtown.
T: Orange Line to Back Bay, or Green Line to Copley.
Jamaica Plain--You can combine a visit to the Arnold Arboretum with a stroll around Jamaica Pond or along Centre Street. Culturally diverse Jamaica Plain abounds with interesting architecture and open space. The pond is especially pleasant in good weather, when people walk, run, skate, fish, picnic, and sunbathe. Many of the 19th-century mansions overlooking the pond date to the days when families fled the oppressive heat downtown and moved to the "country" for the summer.
After you've had your fill of nature (or before you set out), Centre Street makes a good destination for wandering and snacking. The AIDS Action Committee's excellent resale shop, Boomerangs, 716 Centre St. (tel. 617/524-5120), is worth a look for its upscale merchandise and reasonable prices. Another favorite destination is JP Licks Homemade Ice Cream, 674 Centre St. (tel. 617/524-6740). Across the street from the T stop is the Dogwood Café, 3712 Washington St. (tel. 617/522-7997), a family-friendly bar and restaurant with plenty of beers on tap and tasty pizza.
T: Orange Line to Forest Hills.
