Quincy Market, colorful blend of everything
The market, which is actually called Faneuil Hall Market, was given its name in 1826 when it was founded by Mayor Josiah Quincy. Together with the adjacent halls of the North and South Markets, it strongly resembled the Parisian open-air market halls then. As more and more stand owners began to leave in the 1960s for less costly locations in the suburbs, the glass façades began to deteriorate.
It was not until a large-scale inner-city rehabilitation program was undertaken ten years later that Quincy Market gained a new lease of life. Today, it would be hard to imagine Boston’s city center without the colorful blend of vegetable, fruit and sausage stands, or without its many cafés and restaurants.
New England Aquarium
Some 12,000 different species of animals and plants are exhibited in the New England Aquarium. Each of several large tanks recreates the habitat of a different type of underwater world. The ultimate highlight is an 26-foot high salt water tank with a coral reef. Here, you can marvel at dozens of species of circling coral fish, tortoises, perch and even sharks.
On four levels, visitors can get a close-up view of the different strata of which a coral reef is composed. There are also guided tours and shows in which sea lions perform, both several times a day. The aquarium is also connected to an IMAX theater which projects informative and impressive films on the underwater world on its gigantic screen. Finally, those who wish to can book a whale watching trip out to sea.
Museum of Fine Arts
Since 1909, the Museum of Fine Arts has been housed in a Greek-style building designed by architect Guy Lowell. Thanks to the financial power of Bostonians with a penchant for art, an excellent collection has been created which, not just because of the exhibits by outstanding American artists, is considered to be among the world’s best.
Paintings by Gauguin, Van Gogh, Renoir and Monet, complemented by a variety of significant Asian art are all featured. Owing to its involvement in the excavations at Giza, the museum is able to display magnificent exhibits of Egyptian and Nubian art.
Louisburg Square, top residential addresses in Boston
Louisburg Square in the middle of Beacon Hill is still among the top residential addresses in Boston. Elegant, red brick buildings surround a narrow park between Pinckney Street and Mt. Vernon Street. The rowhouses were built around 1840.
Boston personalities such as the publisher of Atlantic Monthly, William Dean Howells, or the author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott, could afford the high rent. In 1852, Jenny Lind, a famous opera singer at the time, tied the knot at number 20 and almost president John Kerry and his wife Mrs. Teresa Heinz could also call this address home.