May 18, 2012

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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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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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5 Things You Must See in Boston Massachusetts

Boston - Freedom Trail: Old South Meeting House

Image by wallyg via Flickr

Boston, Massachusetts is a great city rich in history and culture. History buffs will love it there; fashionistas will love it there; kids and adults will love it there. Boston has something for everyone. Here are five things you must see in Boston Massachusetts

Boston Common
Boston Common is the oldest park in the country and is almost 50 acres big. Until 1830, cattle grazed the park and through 1817 public hangings took place at Boston Common. This was also the site where British troops camped out prior to the Revolution. Now, there are beautiful flower gardens, playgrounds, statues, and the famous frog pond.

Duck Tours
This is a unique tour of Boston aboard a “DUCK”, which is a WWII amphibious landing vehicle. You’ll go by famous Boston landmarks like the state house, Bunker Hill, and Quincy Market. And, just when you thought that was it, the Duck boat will drive right into the Charles River for magnificent Boston views.

Prudential Center
The Prudential Center is the shopping hub of Boston. There is over 75 stores and restaurants in the building. At the top of the second tallest building in Boston there is the Prudential Center Skywalk, giving a bird’s eye view of Boston and The Top of the Hub restaurant.

The Freedom Trail
This is a walking tour of historical Boston, easily spotted by the red line painted on the sidewalk. There are 16 official sites on the Freedom Trail, including Boston Common, Granary Burying Ground, Old South Meeting House, site of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, and the USS Constitution. You can walk the trail on your own, or go with a group on a guided tour.

The New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium is home to 20,000 animals, including penguins, sharks, sea turtles, barracuda, stingrays, eels, crabs, star fish, and much more. The highlight of the aquarium is the 200,000 gallon cylindrical tank that simulates a Caribbean coral reef that is open at the top and has a spiral walkway that goes all the way down to the first floor.

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Boston’s Children’s Museum

Boston’s Children’s Museum is more than ninety years old. It began taking in public visitors in 1912. It is located at an unmistakable location at Children’s Wharf. Way back then, the museum only had very small exhibits to showcase, like rocks and minerals. Now the repertoire of exhibits have grown in volume and variety. It is estimated that now the museum has more than fifty thousand exhibits to showcase. This is a staggering count for a children’s museum.

It was the leading attraction in Boston for quite many years. The museum seeks to entertain children. This not-for-profit museum is not affiliated to any government organization. Internationally recognized for its pioneering activities in the research and development space, and also for exhibitions of interest to children, this museum also undertakes educational activities.

All kinds of collections are exhibited. They may be of historic interest or cultural interest. There are also some exhibits that are permanent fixtures at this museum. Construction zone is one exhibit that lets kids get to the works like working for a construction company. The kids will get to ride a bobcat, and indulge in simulated construction activities. There are tunnels and bridges to be built. It will give kids a real structural experience in constructions.

Countdown to kindergarten is another innovative concept that lets kid in a mock kindergarten classroom. Teachers can interact with parents and parents can do the same too. Kids can use the school bus, fill books in their backpacks, and practice going to kindergarten. This is indeed quite a concept, because when the real time comes, kids will obey their parents to a fault!

The Boston Children’s Museum has many more activity-exhibits. Parents and kids can keep busy the whole day. The museum has three floors full of exciting things for kids. Food will not be a problem, as there are restaurants nearby. So if you are in Boston with kids, make sure you visit this place.

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Boston’s Varied Attractions

Boston’s Museum of Science is situated at the Science Park, which close to the river Charles. It has various exhibits of interest. It has live demonstrations too. Almost every day there is a live science and technology presentation. The Museum also has lots of animals that were rescued from dangerous situations. Visitors can get to see such animals here. The Museum was previously used to store hunted-animal skins. It will be a great place to see the latest scientific innovations.

Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art is another place for art aficionados to visit. It features various art exhibits from local and international artists. The main focus of this Institute is the showcasing of current trends in art. Modern art has a place of its own. Although there have been great artistic works in the past, probably the greatest, modern artists are trying to repeat history by attempting to create masterpieces.

The Institute of Contemporary Art’s building design itself is noteworthy. It has evoked critical acclaim. There is a staircase at this building that is outside, and built in such a way as if to also have some intrusion into the harbor that surrounds it.
Now if you have had enough with museums and exhibits you could consider visiting the Boston Navy Yard. It is also known as Charleston Navy Yard. This place is mainly concerned with the building of ships. Around the 1970′s its activities were closed. It was later handed over to the organization that looked after the Boston National Historic Path. Even though it is closed, a large part of the navy yard is fit enough to be used by the USS Constitution.

This Navy Yard’s shipbuilding activities became official during the war for independence of America. The USS Independence was the ship that was built here. A point to note is that the USS Independence holds the distinction of being the first ship. With so much history backing it, this Navy Yard should be visited.

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