I first traveled to Boston way back in 1982, arriving at Boston's Airport with my two friends Scona and Bernie for the start of our holidays. We where a bit green and instead of checking with the travelers info service we just jumped into a taxi from the airport to our hotel, the Essex (which I believe is not there any more), not checking on the fare before we got in.

The driver was given us all the small talk on how he did special deals for his English Cousins (as he put it) and as we where a taken in by him he charged us $14. 00 for our journey now on our way back to the airport 3 days later we expected to pay the same amount, and low and behold the price for this journey was $4. 00 we where had good and proper, so now the lesson was always check out your fare first and at airports or other ports of arrival make sure you get into the official taxi line and ask the taxi official who calls your taxi the aprox fare.

Boston was a fantastic place to start our holiday, we had fantastic weather and the people we met in Boston where very friendly, we did The Freedom Trail starting of at Boston Common, we did this over 2 days and went to every point of interest we could manage to fit in over the 2 full days we had in Boston.

I remember after completing our Sunday morning part of The Freedom Trail we decided that we could do with a quick beer so as we where walking down Quincy Market we came across a pub called The Lord Bunbury (which I checked out in 1999 and it no longer existed).

We had more than one beer and had a good old chin wag with the bar man who was called Michael McDonald and his friend Peter, beers where coming in fast and had great time Peter who I believe was not drinking gave us another tour of Boston on the way back to our hotel in his car, we had some local gifts in or hotel which we dropped of at the pub on the evening for Michael McDonald, and one month later when we where on our way home to UK we had 1 day in Boston and called in to see Michael and the beer started to flow again, he would not let us pay for anything " Great Guy " We ended up well and truly happy and drunk also slept very well on our flight back home.

In 1999 we returned back to Boston for the start of our holiday within New England this was around September, it was not quite fall but it was still very nice on this short 2-week tour of New England.

Myself, Scona and The Chink (Ray) came and had 3 days within Boston at the start of this holiday and we stayed at The Marriott Boston Copley Place what a big beautiful hotel this was, we where a bit tired on our arrival so after booking in to the hotel we went out for something to eat at a big mall next to hotel and just had fast food as we just wanted something on our stomachs quick without the fuss of a restaurant as time was pressing on as it was now 9:00.PM and we where tired after we ate we just grabbed a couple of 6 packs and back to room for a kip.

The next day Scona and myself decided to do The Freedom Trail and The Chink wanted to go Whale Watching so he left early next morning and we did the same to pursue our own interests and we met up later on that day to give each other our own versions of what we had been up to, The Chink was over the moon with what he had witnessed whale watching and said it was fantastic and well worth the money he paid.

We went out for a couple of beers that night at and a meal at a pub we discovered earlier that day, at the Pour House Restaurant And Pub on Boylston Street. the next day we all went on second part of freedom trail and seemed to walk for miles we ended up at USS. Constitution and had to get taxi back as we where all very tired, a good meal and couple of beers finished of this part of our New England holiday.

I think Boston is a fantastic city to walk around and by the luck of it the construction going on in 1999 at can only get better.

A new museum on the 3-mile path, the Dreams of Freedom center, opened in 2000, plans to create a museum of the city's history. meanwhile, the Boston History Collaborative has launched heritage trails that complement The Freedom Trail.

Boston has one of the busiest hotel markets in the country, with some of the highest prices. The thriving economy of the late 1990s drove occupancy rates so high that the factor determining many travelers' choice of hotel often wasn't location or amenities, but simply room availability. Especially if you're traveling on short notice during the week, you risk finding the "sold out" sign up on just about any night of the year. New construction in the Greater Boston area (mostly outside downtown) has boosted the room supply. Most of every large property has undergone a significant refurbishment or renovation within the past five years. The market might not be as tight when you visit: With lots of lead time and flexibility, you probably won't have much difficulty finding a suitable place to stay in or near the city, but it's always a good idea to make a reservation. Try to book far ahead between April and November, as foliage season typically is the busiest and most expensive time of year.

Neighborhoods: These are the areas visitors are most likely to frequent. When Bostonians say "downtown," they usually mean the first six neighborhoods; there's no "midtown" or "uptown." The numerous residential neighborhoods outside central Boston include the Fenway, South Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, West Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain. Boston is generally safe, but you should still take the precautions you would in any large city, especially at night and when you're out alone. Boston bills itself as "America's Walking City," and walking is by far the easiest way to get around. Bostonians had some quibbles with the TV show "Cheers," but no one complained that the concept of a neighborhood bar where the regulars practically lived was implausible. From the Littlest Bar (a closet-size downtown watering hole) to the Bull and Finch (on which "Cheers" is based), the neighborhood bar occupies a vital niche, as a stranger, don't assume that you'll get a warm welcome, If you peek in and see people who look like you and your friends, give it a whirl. The nightlife scene is, to put it mildly, not exactly world-class.

Whale Watching The New England Aquarium (tel. 617/973-5277 for information, 617/973-5281 for reservations;) runs whale watches * daily from May through mid-October You'll travel several miles out to sea to the feeding ground for the whales as they migrate from Newfoundland to Province town. Allow 3 1/2 to 5 hours. Tickets are $27 for adults, $21.50 for senior citizens and college students, With its on-board exhibits and vast experience, the Aquarium offers the best whale watches in Boston. If they're booked, several other companies offer whale watches: Boston Harbor Cruises which has a high-speed catamaran; A.C. Cruise Line and the Massachusetts Bay Lines.

After sampling the delights of Boston try the rest of New England. Plymouth's Pilgrim heritage, the historical and literary legacy of Lexington and Concord, the rugged coast and maritime tradition of the North Shore and Maine, Cape Cod's beaches, and the mountains of western Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire are all within easy driving distance and are well worth exploring. As we did just that in 1999.