Boston is the capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States, and the largest city in New England. The city is located on the Atlantic coast of the northeastern United States. Founded in 1630, it is one of the oldest and most culturally valuable cities in the United States. Boston was the site of some important events during the American Revolution and was once an important shipping port and manufacturing center. Today, the city is a center of higher education and health care, its economy is based on research, finance and technology - especially bioengineering - and is considered a global or cosmopolitan city.
The city is located in the center of the Greater Boston metropolitan area, which includes all of Suffolk County and the cities of Cambridge, Quincy, Newton, Somerville, Revere, and Chelsea, as well as several small towns. and suburbs away from Boston, including part of New Hampshire. The Greater Boston metropolitan area ranks 11th among metropolitan areas in the United States in terms of population.
Boston's universities are a major factor in the city's and the entire region's economy. Not only are they major employers, they also attract high-tech industries to the city and nearby areas, including computer hardware and software companies, and bioengineering companies such as Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Boston receives the most annual funding from the National Health Association of any U.S. city.
Other important industries include the financial industry (especially mutual funds) and the insurance industry. Boston-based Fidelity helped popularize mutual funds in the 1980s, making Boston one of the top financial cities in the United States. The city also has the regional headquarters of major banks such as Bank of America and Sovereign, and is a center for venture capital. Boston is also a center for the printing and publishing industry. Textbook publisher Houghton Mifflin is headquartered in the city. The city has four major convention centers: the Haynes Convention Center in Back Bay, the Bayside Expo Center in Dorchester, the Boston World Trade Center and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the waterfront area of ??South Boston. Law and Government is another major component of the city's economy due to its status as a state capital and federal regional center.
Major companies headquartered in the city include Gillette (owned by Procter & Gamble) and Teradyne, one of the world's top manufacturers of semiconductors and other electronic test equipment. New Balance is headquartered in Boston. Other large companies are headquartered outside the city, primarily along Massachusetts Route 128. The Port of Boston is one of the major seaports on the East Coast of the United States and one of the oldest still active commercial and fishing ports in the Western Hemisphere.
Logan International Airport is located in neighboring East Boston and operates most of Boston's scheduled passenger traffic. There are also many smaller airports within a 30 mile (48 km) radius of the city.
The streets of downtown Boston have no rules, for they were formed out of necessity and unplanned centuries ago, gradually filling up the tiny peninsula. Some winding streets, each section has a different name, suddenly disappear, and sometimes randomly divided into several alleys. The March 2006 issue of Bicycle Magazine ranked Boston as one of the least bike-friendly cities in the United States. Boston has been described as a "City of Squares," with intersections of major avenues traditionally named after historical figures from the city. On the other hand, streets in Back Bay, East Boston, South Boston, and South Boston are named using a grid system. These grids of streets were built on the outskirts of the chaotic streets that formed in the city's early days.
Boston is the eastern starting point of Interstate 90 (also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike), which leads directly to Seattle; Interstate 95 surrounds the city, locally known as Massachusetts Route 128, and leads directly to Miami; 93 Interstate 11 runs through the city from north to south and to Vermont in the north. The Central Artery passing through downtown Boston had a heavy traffic volume, so it was replaced by an underground tunnel (Big Dig) through the city center.
The Boston Subway is the first underground rapid transit system in the United States and has been expanded to 65.5 miles in length, stretching from Malden to the north, Braintree to the south, and Newton to the west. . Boston's suburban commuter rail network stretches more than 200 miles to the Merrimack Valley in the north, Worcester in the west, and Providence in the south. There is a train from Boston as far away as Virginia. Boston has 31.5% of commuters using public transportation. Due to the compact layout of the city and the large number of students, the number of walkers in Boston reaches 13, far more than in cities of the same size in the United States.
Boston, like the entire New England region, has a unique accent that does not pronounce r, which is called the New England accent or Boston accent (Boston English); and the local cooking materials use seafood and dairy products. many.
Irish Americans were influential in Boston's political and religious institutions.
Many people think of Boston as a very educated city, perhaps because of its reputation as an intellectual; much of Boston's literature originated from its universities. [27] The city is home to some gorgeous theaters, including the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston Opera House, Wang Center for the Performing Arts, Shubert Theater, and Orpheum Theatre. Notable performing arts groups include the Boston Ballet, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Baroque, and the Handel and Haydn Society (the oldest choral group in the United States). There are also many important events here every year, such as the first-night performance on New Year's Eve and the week-long Harborfest during Independence Day, with Boston Pops concerts and fireworks on the banks of the Charles River.
Because of the city's important role in the American Revolution, several historic sites related to the period are preserved as part of the Boston National Historical Park. Many of these are along the Freedom Trail, a route marked with a red line or bricks planted into the ground. The city is also home to several excellent art galleries, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Gardner Museum. The University of Massachusetts houses the John F. Kennedy Library on its campus in Columbia Point. The city also has the Boston Athenaeum (one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States), the Boston Children's Museum, the Bull & Finch Pub (the building is famous for the filming of the TV series "Cheers"), Boston Museum of Science and New England Aquarium.
Boston is also one of the birthplaces of the music genre hardcore punk. Boston musicians contributed greatly to this musical form. In the 1990s, Boston had top third wave ska and ska punk live performances, with famous bands including The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Allstonians, Skavoovie and the Epitones, and Dropkick Murphys et al. In the 1980s, hardcore punk rockers organized a gathering of bands in the genre called "This is Boston, Not Los Angeles." Some nightclubs at the time were known to feature bands of this genre, but all of those nightclubs were razed during urban renewal.
Hatch Shell Open-air Performance Stage
Music or performance activities are held everywhere in Boston in the summer, among which the Hatch Shell, located on the banks of the Charles River, is the most famous. Hatch Shell is an open-air performance stage, somewhat similar to a bandstand, except that it is much larger and the nearby hinterland is much larger and more beautiful. In front of the Hatch Shell is a large grassland, surrounded by a vast riverside linear park. People can find a favorite corner to sit or lie down and enjoy the performance at ease.
About 80% of Boston’s famous summer performances are held at the Hatch Shell, which can accommodate 30 to 40,000 people at a time to listen or watch performances at the same time without affecting the Transportation nearby.
Boston National Sports
Except for the "Night and Night" program from the end of June to the Fourth of July, there are about two to three programs a week. Most of the performances include performances by different orchestras and dances, and there are regular movie screenings every Friday night.
For foreign tourists, there is no need to worry about missing any show you want to watch, because going to Hatch Shell to listen to music and watch performances is a tradition for Bostonians and a "national sport". Almost every Bostonian you meet while walking on the street will clearly tell you anything you want to know. Otherwise, you will get a complete program list when you go to the venue. The program is free. Of course, if you are willing to donate US$25 to the organizer, that would be more welcome.
Fourth of July Boston Symphony Orchestra
Fourth of July Hatch Shell. It is a famous traditional show in Boston that tourists must not know about.
Listen to the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 8 to 10 pm, and then everyone stays there to watch the fireworks display. Because the performance level of the Boston Symphony Orchestra is first-rate, if you want to listen to it, you have to buy very expensive tickets, and it is held indoors. Only on the National Day, they move it outdoors, and it is free. Many Americans wait for this day a year to enjoy this high-level music feast.
As for the members of the orchestra, they are also proud to perform here. For example, when the former conductor of the symphony orchestra, John William, retired in 1993, he chose to perform on the night of National Day. Performed a farewell performance at Hatch Shell before retiring. On that day, the organizer gave each of the audience an electronic fluorescent candle. When the performance reached its climax, the lights in the entire venue suddenly went out, and all the bright and extinguishing fluorescent candles were seen were waving everywhere. And kept shouting "John!", "John!" and "Thank you, John!", "Thank you, John!" to the beat of the music. The scene was very touching. Farewelling an outstanding musician in this way is much more meaningful than any official ceremony or medal-presenting event.