BOSTON

Back Bay/South End
Nestled between Arlington Street and Massachusetts Avenue, and between Beacon Street and Shawmut Avenue. It is abutted by Downtown, the Theatre District and Beacon Hill. This neighborhood is full of posh boutiques, outdoor cafes and grand Victorian town houses. The creative professions — advertising, publishing, art and upscale retailing — are the Back Bay's stock-in-trade. Accordingly, the ambience is chic.

Newbury Street, best known as the Back Bay's premier spot for high-fashion shopping, is chock-full of trendy hair salons, sidewalk cafes and gift shops. The first several blocks of Newbury, are punctuated by fine art galleries and designer boutiques; lower Newbury, closer to Massachusetts Avenue and the hip Berklee College of Music, has developed a funkier flavor that attracts artists, students and New Agers.

Boylston Street, one block over from Newbury, is anchored by the beautiful architecture of Copley Square, an ideal spot for a gourmet treat.

During the summer at the Public Garden, swan boats float on a man-made pool, weeping willows offer shade to families of ducks, and brilliant displays of flowers create a Monet-like landscape.

The South End, Back Bay's hipper sibling, begins at Huntington Avenue. This is a racially diverse residential community of renovated brownstones and West Indian, Syrian and Hispanic markets. The upper end of Tremont Street is where the renowned Boston Ballet and a number of restaurants, art galleries and boutiques are located.

Beacon Hill Situated between Cambridge and Beacon streets, and Memorial Drive and Bourdoin Street. Beacon Hill exudes an aura of elegance and European charm. The heart of Beacon Hill — and its only retail area — is Charles Street, two blocks away from the Charles River. Flanked by gas streetlights and brick sidewalks cracked with age, Charles Street boasts many antique shops, art galleries and gift shops. At twilight, when the gaslights come on and the setting sun bounces off the Charles River and the state house dome, few spots in Boston are as beautiful.

Downtown/Waterfront Located between Tremont and Park streets, and Atlantic Avenue and Prince Street. Downtown/Waterfront area is a bustling hub of activity, a lively retail and commercial district with more than its share of historic attractions. Within its boundaries are the Granary Burial Ground where Samuel Adams and John Hancock are interred; the locales of the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea party; and the meetinghouse (Faneuil Hall) where the seeds of independence were sown. The major hub of this section of Boston is Downtown Crossing, a pedestrian mall one block from the Boston Common.

At the Waterfront find plenty of nightlife and shopping action at the nearby Faneuil Hall Marketplace complex and its surrounding shops. But for more cerebral pursuits, the Computer Museum, Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum, and the New England Aquarium offer many quieter diversions. Visitors' tip: it's best o steer clear of the Downtown area around 5 p.m.; when government offices let out for the day. The happy-hour crowd jams most watering holes and also makes for some very congested subway riding.

Theatre District/Chinatown Situated between Stuart and Kneeland streets and Downtown Crossing; abutted by Back Bay and Downtown. Whether your taste leans toward comedy, drama, musicals or ballet, you'll find it all in Boston's compact Theatre District.

Chinatown is a three-by-twelve-block area north of Kneeland and east of Washington, crammed with Asian bakeries, grocery stores and restaurants. Home to the third-largest Chinese community in the country, this neighborhood is one of the true late-night sections of Boston; Chinatown restaurants typically stay open as late as 3 a.m., making it a great after-theater destination.

The North End Between Commercial Avenue, North Washington Street and Route 93; abutted by Downtown and the Waterfront. A stronghold of Italian culture, the North End is well known for its sense of community and love of good food and old-world traditions. Bostonians flock to this neighborhood in the summer for the annual Saints' Feasts held every weekend from mid-July through August.

Cambridge Across the Charles River and west of Boston. An ethnically rich community, Cambridge is comprised of tightly knit neighborhoods with their own individual identities. The jewel in Cambridge's crown is unquestionably Harvard Square, home of one of our nation's oldest universities and more bookstores per square foot than any other city in the country. But despite the lofty image that its academic moniker evokes, Harvard Square is more variety show than scholastic ivory tower. Street performers are found in almost every doorway.