May 18, 2012

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Boston – A Business Giant

Boston is not only a great place to visit and play, it is also a great place to live and work. With its rich history, fantastic shows, stunning ocean views, friendly locals and constant flow of activity, living and working in Boston is very appealing. Boston has a designated neighborhood, the Financial District, where many of the most famous banks and investment professionals have set up office. Business in the area include the world headquarters for State Street Bank and Eastern Bank, as well as offices for Fidelity Investments, PricewaterhouseCoopers, The Debt Exchange, Putnam Investments, Bank of America, Hilton Hotel, Merrill Lynch, and The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

The buildings in the financial district are packed closer together than in other areas in Boston, like Back Bay, even though Back Bay is where Boston’s two largest buildings are located, the Prudential Center and the John Hancock Tower. This makes it rather easy to spot the financial district, even though it doesn’t have any specific boundaries. The majority of the buildings in the Financial District are around 500 feet tall and most of them have more than 40 stories.

As you move into the city, there are tons of retail stores, boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and department stores. Just take a look at the Prudential Center, with over 75 stores and restaurants in one place, people can live and work on the same street. There is a business for everyone in Boston, and great public transportation to take them from home, to work, to play without having to pay a fortune.

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Boston – A City of Theater Entertainment

Boston, Massachusetts is one of the most popular and well known cities in America. Visitors will never be bored when in Boston, with so many different things to see everyone will be happy with a vacation in Boston. Boston may not be Broadway, but it comes pretty darn close, and even has its own Theater District.

When looking to go to the theater in Boston, there are several places to choose from. The most popular shows always have a performance in Boston. Shows range from the long lasting popular Blue Man Group, and classics like West Side Story, Mary Poppins, and Hair. Boston also provides comedy shows that will have you laughing right off your seat. Of course, performances change throughout the year. Here are some of the older theaters in Boston:

The Charles Playhouse is home to the Blue Man Group. It was originally the Fifth Universalist Church, built in 1839 before becoming the first synagogue in Boston in 1864. It was also a Scottish Presbyterian congregation, YWCA, and a speakeasy. Other performances take place here so check online to see what’s playing while you are in town.

The Colonial Theatre was built in 1900 and is the oldest continuously operating theatre in Boston. This venue is great for both dramatic and musical productions. The first production held here was Ben Hur, where The Boston Globe stated, “Nothing so beautiful, pictorial and mechanical has ever been seen before on a Boston stage.”

The Wilbur Theatre opened in 1914 and has seem performances of many landmark productions before becoming the new home to the Comedy Connection, formerly located in Quincy Market. Both musical and comedy talent perform here.

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Boston Parades, Festivals, and Special Events

Boston is a city rich in culture, where many parades, festivals, and special events are celebrated throughout the year to commemorate the various ethnicities and religions of the city.

Parades
There are a few different parades throughout the year in Boston, of all sizes. In February, Boston celebrates the Chinese New Year with a huge parade with dancers and performers providing entertainment on several Boston streets. In March, the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade takes place, which is the second largest parade in the country. In April, there is a Greek Parade, in May there is a Haitian parade, and in October, there is the Roslindale parade.

Festivals
Bostonians take pride in the culture and ethnicity with feasts and festivals. In the summer months, there is some sort of feast or festival going on just about every weekend. There are too many to list, but the bigger festivals are religious ones, though anyone is welcome, no matter what your religion is. In June, come see the Santa Maria DiAnzano Procession, the Scooper Bowl, and the Annual Dragon Boat Festival. In July, there is the Cape Verdean Festival, Madonna Del Grazie Procession, Festival Betances, St. Rocco Procession, Saint Joseph Feast, and the Saint Agrippina Feast. In August, check out the Fest of Madonna della Cava, August Moon Festival, Feast of Madonna del Soccorso, kiddie Carnival, Saint Anthony’s Feast, and Saint Lucy Procession. In September, there is the Boston Art’s Festival, Saint Rosalie Procession, and Caliente: a Celebration of Latin Music. Harpoon Oktoberfest takes place in October. Chinese New Year is celebrated in February,

Races
Boston is home to the Boston Marathon, which takes place in April on Patriot’s Day and is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. In May, Boston hosts the 21-mile Walk for Hunger. June is the time when the Annual AIDS 10K walk or 5K run is held and the Heart Break Hill 5k. In October, there is the Annual Tufts Health Plan 10k for women and the Boston Light the Night 3k walk.

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A Quick History of Boston Massachusetts

Boston is the capital city of Massachusetts, and the largest city in Massachusetts. Boston is also one of the oldest cities in the United States. Several Native American archaeological sites were excavated in Boston, revealing that the area was inhabited as early as 5000 BC. In 2009, the estimated population was 645,169, which makes it the 20th largest city in America.

In 1630, 10 years after the Pilgrims founding Plymouth Colony, Puritans from England came to the Shawmut Peninsula and founded Boston. These two groups also had different religious practices and are historically distinct. These two colonies were united by the formation of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1691.

In the 1770’s Britain tried to control the 13 colonies by taxing just about everything that came into the city. The colonists had enough and started revolting to become separate from England, which led to the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and soon after, the American Revolution. The battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston are all Revolutionary War battles that occurred in and around Boston. This is when Paul Revere made his famous ride at midnight through the city to warn the people of the British Red Coats.

After the Revolutionary war, Boston became a very important manufacturing center and shipping port. The city as a whole expanded beyond the Shawmut Peninsula through municipal annexation and land reclamation. Marshes were filled in, mud flats were filled in, and gaps between wharves on the waterfront will filled in and Boston tripled it’s size between 1631 and 1890.

Boston was first called Trimountaine, but was later renamed after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, the home of several prominent colonists. On March 4, 1822, the official name of Boston changed from “the Town of Boston”, to “the City of Boston”.

Many historical landmarks in Boston, mostly from the American Revolution, can be found by walking the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail is marked by a line of red bricks embedded in the ground. Visitors can walk the trail themselves, or take a guided tour.

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Boston – A City of Champions

L to R: Babe Ruth, Jack Barry, Bill Carrigan, ...

Image via Wikipedia

Bostonians love sports and it is clearly visible as you walk down any street in Boston and see people wearing Boston sport team apparel, signs, and billboards of the beloved sports teams in Massachusetts. The most popular sports teams in Massachusetts are the New England Patriots football team, The Boston Red Sox baseball team, and the Celtics basketball team. Boston also has a soccer team, the Revolution.

Fenway Park, one of the oldest baseball parks in the country that is still operating is in Boston. Here, the Boston Red Sox have played thousands of games, some they’ve won and some they’ve lost. Many Bostonians can tell you about the curse of the Bambino, where it was 86 years before the Red Sox won a championship, from 1918 when Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees, until 2004. Red Sox fans are some of the most dedicated sports fans of all time. Every home game since May 15, 2003 has been sold out, which is a Major League Baseball record that has been held for over seven years.

The Boston Celtics basketball team was founded in 1946 and plays their home games at the TD Garden. The Celtics have won 17 National Basketball Association Championships, which is the most for any NBA franchise. Big basketball stars that were on, or are on the Celtics include Larry Bird, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Dave Cowens, Bill Russell, Reggie Lewis, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale.

The New England Patriots, affectionately nicknamed the “Pats”, play at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Foxborough is 22 miles away from Boston. The Patriots are the second team in the National Football League to win three Super Bowls in four years, after the Dallas Cowboys. The Patriots have the longest winning streak of any football team, both regular season and playoff games, with a 21-game winning streak that ran from October 2003 – October 2004. In 2007, the Pats won their first 18 games, which was every single game that they played, until the Super Bowl, where they were defeated by the New York Giants.

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