American Express--The main office is at 1 State St. (tel. 617/723-8400), opposite the Old State House. It's open weekdays from 8:30am to 5:30pm. The Back Bay office, 222 Berkeley St. (tel. 617/236-1334), is open weekdays from 9am to 5:30pm. The Cambridge office, 39 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square (tel. 617/868-2600), is open weekdays from 8:30am to 7:30pm, Saturday from 11am to 5:30pm, and Sunday from noon to 5pm.

Area Codes--Eastern Massachusetts has eight area codes: Boston proper, 617 and 857; immediate suburbs, 781 and 339; northern and western suburbs, 978 and 351; southern suburbs, 508 and 774.

Note: To make a local call, you must dial all 10 digits.

ATM Networks--Cirrus (tel. 800/424-7787; www.mastercard.com), PLUS (tel. 800/843-7587; www.visa.com), and NYCE (www.nycenet.com) cover most Boston-area banks.

Babysitters--Many hotels maintain lists of reliable sitters; check at the front desk or with the concierge. Local agencies aren't a cost-effective option; most charge a steep annual fee on top of the daily referral charge and the sitter's hourly wage. If you're in town on business, ask whether the company you're visiting has a corporate membership in an agency.

Tip: If you already know that your visit will include a child-free evening out, make arrangements when you reserve your room.

Convention Centers--Hynes Convention Center, 900 Boylston St. (tel. 617/954-2000 or 617/424-8585 for show info; www.jbhynes.com); World Trade Center, 164 Northern Ave. (tel. 800/367-9822 or 617/385-5000, or 617/385-5044 for show info; www.wtcb.com); Bayside Expo Center, 200 Mt. Vernon St., Dorchester (tel. 617/474-6000; www.baysideexpo.com). The Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, 348 D St., South Boston (tel. 617/269-4924; www.mccahome.com), is scheduled to open in the summer of 2004.

Dentists--The desk staff or concierge at your hotel might be able to suggest a dentist. The Massachusetts Dental Society (tel. 800/342-8747 or 508/651-7511; www.massdental.org) can point you toward a member.

Doctors--The desk staff or concierge at your hotel should be able to direct you to a doctor, but you can also try the physician referral service at one of the area's many hospitals. Among them are Beth Israel Deaconess (tel. 800/667-5356), Brigham and Women's (tel. 800/294-9999), Massachusetts General (tel. 800/711-4MGH), and Tufts-New England Medical Center (tel. 617/636-9700). An affiliate of Mass. General, MGH Back Bay, 388 Commonwealth Ave. (tel. 617/267-7171), offers walk-in service and honors most insurance plans.

Drugstores--Downtown Boston has no 24-hour pharmacy. The pharmacy at the CVS at 155-157 Charles St. in Boston (tel. 617/523-1028), next to the Charles T stop, is open until midnight. The pharmacy at the CVS in the Porter Square Shopping Center, off Mass. Ave. in Cambridge (tel. 617/876-5519), is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Some emergency rooms can fill your prescription at the hospital's pharmacy.

Emergencies--Call tel. 911 for fire, ambulance, or the Boston, Brookline, or Cambridge police. This is a free call from pay phones. For the state police, call tel. 617/523-1212.

Hospitals--Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit St. (tel. 617/726-2000), and Tufts-New England Medical Center, 750 Washington St. (tel. 617/636-5000), are closest to downtown. At the Harvard Medical Area on the Boston-Brookline border are Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave. (tel. 617/667-7000); Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St. (tel. 617/732-5500); and Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave. (tel. 617/355-6000). In Cambridge are Mount Auburn Hospital, 330 Mount Auburn St. (tel. 617/492-3500), and Cambridge Hospital, 1493 Cambridge St. (tel. 617/498-1000).

Hot Lines--AIDS Hotline (tel. 800/590-2437 or 617/451-5155), Poison Control Center (tel. 800/682-9211), Rape Crisis (tel. 617/492-7273), Samaritans Suicide Prevention (tel. 617/247-0220), Samariteens (tel. 800/252-8336 or 617/247-8050).

Internet Access--For a tech-happy area, Boston has few cybercafes. Your hotel might have a terminal for guests' use. The ubiquitous Kinko's charges 10¢ to 20¢ a minute. Locations include 2 Center Plaza, Government Center (tel. 617/973-9000); 10 Post Office Sq., Financial District (tel. 617/482-4400); 187 Dartmouth St., Back Bay (tel. 617/262-6188); and 1 Mifflin Place, off Mount Auburn Street near Eliot Street, Harvard Square (tel. 617/497-0125). Tech Superpowers, 252 Newbury St., third floor (tel. 617/267-9716; www.newburyopen.net), also offers access by the hour.

Liquor Laws--The legal drinking age is 21. In many bars, particularly near college campuses, you might be asked to show identification if you appear to be under 30 or so. At sporting events, everyone buying alcohol must show ID. Liquor stores and a few supermarkets and convenience stores sell alcohol. Liquor stores (and the liquor sections of other stores) are closed on Sunday, but restaurants and bars may serve alcohol. Most restaurants have full liquor licenses; some serve only beer, wine, and cordials. Last call typically is 30 minutes before closing time (1am in bars, 2am in clubs). Some suburban towns, notably Rockport, are "dry."

Lost or Stolen Wallet--Be sure to tell all of your credit card companies the minute you discover your wallet has been lost or stolen and file a report at the nearest police precinct. Your credit card company or insurer may require a police report number or record of the loss. Most credit card companies have an emergency toll-free number to call if your card is lost or stolen; they may be able to wire you a cash advance immediately or deliver an emergency credit card in a day or two. Visa's U.S. emergency number is tel. 800/847-2911 or 410/581-9994. American Express cardholders and traveler's check holders should call tel. 800/221-7282. MasterCard holders should call tel. 800/307-7309 or 636/722-7111. For other credit cards, call the toll-free directory at tel. 800/555-1212.

Identity theft or fraud are potential complications of losing your wallet, especially if you've lost your driver's license along with your cash and credit cards. Notify the major credit-reporting bureaus immediately; placing a fraud alert on your records may protect you against liability for criminal activity. The three major U.S. credit-reporting agencies are Equifax (tel. 800/766-0008; www.equifax.com), Experian (tel. 888/397-3742; www.experian.com), and TransUnion (tel. 800/680-7289; www.transunion.com). Finally, if you've lost all forms of photo ID, call your airline and explain the situation; they might allow you to board the plane if you have a copy of your passport or birth certificate and a copy of the police report you've filed.

Luggage Storage & Lockers--The desk staff or concierge at your hotel may be able to arrange storage. Lockers at the airport are unavailable indefinitely. Ticketed Amtrak passengers can check bags (during the day only) at South Station; Back Bay Station has no luggage facilities.

Newspapers & Magazines--The Boston Globe and Boston Herald are published daily.

Pharmacies See "Drugstores" above.

Police--Call tel. 911 for emergencies.

Post Office--The main post office at 25 Dorchester Ave. (tel. 617-654-5302), behind South Station, is open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Radio--AM stations include 680 (WRKO: talk, sports, Celtics games), 850 (WEEI: sports, Red Sox games), 1030 (WBZ: news, Bruins games), 1090 (WILD: urban contemporary, soul), and 1510 (WWZN: sports talk). You can catch regular traffic updates on WBZ (every 10 min.) and WRKO (every 15 min.).

FM stations include 89.7 (WGBH: public radio, classical, jazz), 90.9 (WBUR: public radio, classical), 92.9 (WBOS: album rock), 93.7 (WQSX: dance hits), 94.5 (WJMN: dance, rap, hip-hop), 96.9 (WTKK: talk), 98.5 (WBMX: adult contemporary), 99.5 (WKLB: country), 100.7 (WZLX: classic rock), 101.7 (WFNX: progressive rock), 102.5 (WCRB: classical), 103.3 (WODS: oldies), 104.1 (WBCN: rock, Patriots games), 105.7 (WROR: '60s and '70s), and 106.7 (WMJX: pop, adult contemporary).

Restrooms--The visitor center at 15 State St. has a public restroom, as do most tourist attractions, hotels, department stores, coffee bars, and public buildings. The CambridgeSide Galleria, Copley Place, Prudential Center, and Quincy Market shopping areas and most branches of Starbucks outlets have clean restrooms.

You'll find eight free-standing, self-cleaning pay toilets (25¢) around downtown. Locations include City Hall Plaza, up the steps from Congress Street, and Commercial Street at Snowhill Street, just off the Freedom Trail. Check these facilities carefully before using them; despite regular patrols, IV-drug users have been known to take advantage of the generous time limits.

Smoking--Massachusetts is an anti-tobacco stronghold. In 2003, Boston banned smoking in all workplaces, including restaurants, bars, and clubs. Cambridge's laws are less strict, but a growing campaign to extend Boston's ban to the rest of the state may have succeeded by the time you visit. Always ask before lighting up.

Taxes--The 5% sales tax does not apply to food, prescription drugs, newspapers, or clothing that costs less than $175; the tax on meals and takeout food is 5%. The lodging tax is 12.45% in Boston and Cambridge.

Television--Stations include channels 2 (WGBH), public television; 4 (WBZ), CBS; 5 (WCVB), ABC; 7 (WHDH), NBC; 25 (WFXT), Fox; 38 (WSBK), UPN; and 56 (WLVI), WB. Cable TV is available throughout Boston and the suburbs.

Time Zone--Boston is in the Eastern time zone, 5 hours behind Britain, 6 hours behind western Europe, and 3 hours ahead of Los Angeles. Daylight savings time begins on the first Sunday in April and ends on the last Sunday in October.

Transit Info--Call tel. 617/222-3200 for the MBTA (subways, local buses, commuter rail) and tel. 800/23-LOGAN for the Massachusetts Port Authority (airport transportation).

Weather--Call tel. 617/936-1234.