Population:
577,100 in the city, 3.2 million in the metropolitan
area
Elevation: 10 feet
Time zone: Eastern Standard Time; (daylight
saving time is observed) When it is 12 noon in New York
City, it is 12 noon in Boston and 9AM in Los Angeles.
Telephone area codes: 617 / 781 (Area
codes are required for all numbers dialed, even if calling
locally from within the same dialing code).
Average Annual Rainfall: 41.5 inches
National
Public Holidays
1st
January - New Year's Day
Third
Monday in January - Martin Luther King Day
12th
February - Lincoln's Birthday
Third
Monday in February - Washington's Birthday
Third
Monday in April - Patriot's Day (Massachusetts)
Last
Monday in May - Memorial Day
4th
July - Independence Day
First
Monday in September - Labor Day
Second
Monday in October - Columbus Day
11th
November - Veterans Day
4th
Thursday in November - Thanksgiving
25th
December - Christmas Day
When
to Visit
Boston's
weather is changeable, so expect alternating sun and
precipitation all year. The summers (June to August)
are usually bright and sunny, with some humidity. The
winters (November to February) can be quite wet. Possibly
the best times to visit are in the late spring and early
fall (with spectacular autumnal colors throughout New
England), when the temperature is warm and not too hot.
Whatever the weather, there is always so much to see
and enjoy in Boston.
Internet
Access
Public libraries throughout the Boston area offer free
Internet access (sometimes with time limits per user).
Boston and Cambridge have numerous Internet cafes, especially
in tourist-frequented areas, that offer Internet access
at a fixed rate per hour.
Tax
The general sales tax in Boston is 5% and is applied
to meals, durable goods and services. It is also added
to the price of clothing in excess of US$175. Combined
state and city taxes on hotel occupancy are 11.45%.
Getting to Boston
By
Air
Logan
International Airport (BOS) is less than 3 miles from
downtown Boston. The airport, the eighth-busiest in
the U.S., is composed of Terminals B, C, D and E.
For information on airport traffic, parking availability
and ground transportation, telephone toll-free 800-235-6426.
By
Bus
Greyhound
Bus Lines
The Greyhound Terminal is at South Station. Toll-free:
800-231-2222.
Peter
Pan Bus Lines
Offers
express service from South Station to many destinations
in the northeastern U.S. and Canada. Toll-free: 800-343-9999
By
Train
Amtrak
Amtrak serves both Back Bay Station and South Station
in Boston. It provides connections south toward New
York City and Washington, D.C., with other East Coast
towns and west to Springfield, Massachusetts, with stops
in Framingham and Worcester.
By
Car
Unless visitors have plans that will require travel
far from the city, it is best not to drive in the area.
Public transportation within the city and in the surrounding
areas is excellent. Parking, when available, is expensive,
and street patterns are confusing. The main deterrent,
however, is known as “The Central Artery/Third
Harbor Tunnel Project”, or the "Big Dig."
This Federal multi-billion dollar undertaking is removing
downtown's elevated North/South expressway and replacing
it with an underground expressway. The newly opened
third harbor tunnel (Ted Williams Tunnel) now connects
directly to Logan Airport.
By
Water Shuttle
The Airport Water Shuttle provides transportation from
the airport to downtown Boston. From your airport terminal,
take the free No. 66 shuttle bus to the boat. The water
shuttle docks downtown at Rowes Wharf, behind the Boston
Harbor Hotel. During peak hours the boats depart every
15 minutes / off-peak and at weekends every 30 minutes.
617-330-8680.
MBTA
The
Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) operates
subways, buses, commuter trains and commuter boats.
It is the fourth-largest mass-transit system in the
U.S., serving 1.1 million riders each weekday on its
buses, rapid-transit and commuter-boat lines.
Boston's
subway (the T) is the backbone of the city's transit
system and is clean and reliable. Four color-coded lines:
Red, Green, Orange and Blue, span out from downtown
Boston.
(Remember:
Inbound is always toward downtown)
Trains run Monday-Saturday approximately 5 am-1 am.
On Sunday, service begins about 40 minutes later, and
the last trains leave downtown at 12:45 am.
Commuter
trains serve outlying areas as far as Worcester, Lowell,
Rockport and Providence, Rhode Island (their routes
are indicated by the purple lines on the MBTA map).
Trains heading north connect to the subway system at
North Station, trains to the south and west at South
Station. Tickets may be purchased at North Station,
South Station and Back Bay Station. Tickets also are
sold onboard, but there is a surcharge. A Boston Passport
Visitors Pass can be purchased which provides unlimited
use of all MBTA transportation. One-, three- and seven-day
passes are available
Ship
Cruise
ships visiting Boston dock at South Boston's Black Falcon
Cruise Terminal, which is 5-6 miles from downtown. Most
ships provide transportation for their passengers from
Logan Airport to dockside. Taxis are available at the
port.
Taxis:
Taxis
can be hailed on the street by waving (and yelling).
All cabs are metered
