Boston is not a quaint, compact display that can be quickly seen like a theme amusement park. What makes Boston different and unique is that historical sites and national landmarks are located side-by-side with businesses, hotels, and residential neighborhoods. The people on the streets are by no means all tourists. Shoppers and businessmen share the same sidewalks and restaurants with visitors. Most Bostonians are proud of their city and may usually be depended upon to give directions cheerfully and willingly. It is said that there is still a good deal of the European standard of polite service left in New England's Capital city.
Boston was founded in 1630 and was a cultured metropolis when most of the American Continent was rough frontier. The colorful history of the city includes dealing with Indian Chiefs, hanging witches and fighting hostile armies. The violence remembered in the Boston Tea Party, The Battle of Bunker Hill and the Boston Massacre is contrasted with the serenity of the First Public Park in America (Boston Common) and the Swan Boats in the Public Garden. Boston's glorious past and her attachment to the sea are still preserved along the waterfront where a monument to the builder of the Clipper Ships that made Boston one of the most important ports in the world overlooks a modern jetport across the harbor.
Boston, of course, depended upon the rivers and the sea for its life and commerce years ago and there is still dependence on the sea but now it is mainly for beauty and recreation. The Charles River separating Boston from Cambridge is flanked by fine parks and the river itself is usually dotted with sailboats and collegiate rowing shells. Glimpses of parks and water wherever one drives or walks are one of the many benefits enjoyed by Bostonians. Another extra advantage is a friendly, cool ocean breeze in the summer and a warming salt wind that quickly melts the winter's snow.
Boston is a city of varying cultures. The Yankees first governed the city, then the Irish Challenged them. Important cultural elements have been added to the spicy mix by Italian. Greek and French restaurants, Jewish delicatessens, a bustling Chinatown and a sizable Spanish-speaking and Black populations.
Visitors marvel at what seems to be an undisciplined look as her citizens ignore the "don't walk" and "no parking" signs. There is an unplanned look because some streets are curved and confusing. These colonial streets twisted to avoid mud flats, inlets and steep hills. When the hills were levelled to fill the flats the streets remained twisted.
More than any other American city, Boston is said to be the most livable city. The culture of museums and institutions of higher learning ... a swinging nite-life ... a huge population of young adults ... only minutes away from summer watering spots and snow covered ski slopes ... exciting sports teams ... excellent medical and scientific institutions ... an historic past and, most of all, a bright future are why the city is so livable. To know Boston is to love Boston ... stay a while, meet her people and you too will find that Boston is not only livable, but lovable as well.
Published by Klein Post Card Service, P.O. Box 333, Hyde Park, Boston, Mass. 02136 Copyright 1997. All rights reserved.