GREATER BOSTON

"Quack quack!" your way through the city on the famous Boston Duck Tours in Back Bay, where an amphibious bus-boat drives you through Boston streets and waterways. Or take a stroll through Boston Common along the Freedom Trail to see first-hand how "Massachusetts invented America." The Public Garden is in full bloom, adding to the romance of the legendary Swan Boats in the park's lagoon. Stop by Cheers, where the burgers are hot and "everybody knows your name." Learn the riveting story of Massachusetts' 1783 ban on slavery as told along the Black Heritage Trail.

Shop for high-end couture on Newbury Street or indoors at Copley Place. Downtown Crossing is home to the world-famous Filene's Basement, a bargain bonanza. The shopping and restaurants at the Prudential Center will certainly lure you in and keep you there until dinner upstairs, at the Top of the Hub, will awe you with the breathtaking views and scrumptious dinners served nightly.

Use the Charlie Card on the MBTA (the U.S.'s first subway system) to get around while you're here. Faneuil Hall, often referred to as the "Cradle of Liberty," comes alive in the summer. Festive street performers wow you with magic, acrobatics, and feats of balloon-twisting among lots of other entertainment. All the incredible shopping at the adjacent Faneuil Hall Marketplace will certainly work up an appetite, although you'll have a hard time choosing just one place to eat, as the marketplace has an unrivalled number of delicious restaurants and cuisines from which to choose.

Eat freshly shucked shellfish at the Union Oyster House, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the country. Believe it or not, the Chart House on the harbor once served as the office of John Hancock himself. In the adjacent North End, Boston's Little Italy, grab a cappuccino, gelato, or pastry along Hanover Street.

But don't forget Boston classics new and old: the Boston Ballet, Blue Man Group, the Boston Pops, the New England Aquarium, the Museum of Fine Arts, the brand-new Institute of Contemporary Art, the newly renovated Boston Children's Museum, the vast Museum of Science, the outlying gems of Boston Harbor, the Boston Harbor Islands, and the quintessential summertime seafaring adventure: whale watching.

CAMBRIDGE

Across the Charles River is Cambridge, home of academic havens Harvard University and MIT. Stroll through real Boston-ivy-covered Harvard Yard and see the famous "Statue of Three Lies." Nearby is the Longfellow National Historical Site, which served as George Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War. Visit the Mount Auburn Cemetery, where Bernard Malamud, Winslow Homer, and Oliver Wendell Holmes lie in rest.

Along Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge comes alive in "squares." Central Square is home to delicious diverse food offerings - Indian, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Mediterranean, to name a few. Harvard Square is home to Harvard University's comprehensive Fogg Art Museum, shopping, and famous street performers. Porter Square, Inman Square, and Davis Square all further illustrate Cantabrigians' diverse culture as "Mass Ave." approaches Somerville.

Listen to live jazz at Regattabar or Ryles Jazz Club. Take in a performance at the American Repertory Theater, too, to add a little drama to your stay.

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