Festivillian: Music, Art, Culture

Boston, the capital city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a legendary city and one of the oldest in America, dating back to its founding in 1630. Referred to as 'the Hub' and the 'Athens of America', it has been the birthplace of culture for museums, conservatories, and thousands of local and national businesses, among them the Port of Boston, Bank of Boston (now Bank of America), the Boston Market (now Fanuel Hall), major sports teams like the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics Basketball, and the Boston Bruins hockey. It is known as a massive seat of education with over 100 colleges and universities including Boston College, one of the five major branches of the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Boston University, the city's 4th largest employer. Boston is home to the Boston Public Library, the largest municipal library in the United States affectionately referred to by locals as 'the BPL', and the John F. Kennedy Library on the UMASS campus, both as much major landmarks as any of the many local museums, which include the six most well-known, the Museum of Fine Arts, The Science Museum, The Children's Museum, The New England Aquarium, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Institute of Contemporary Art. Also within the heart of the city are the locales used as backdrops for popular television shows such as 'Cheers' filmed at the Bull and Finch Pub, and the current drama-comedy hit 'Boston Legal', supposedly set in the opulent office building at 500 Boylston Street. Boston's media includes not only radio and television, but also fine theatre. The historic and ornate theatre buildings are still a favorite night out of the cultured, from the Performing Arts Center and the Boston Opera House, to the Cutler Majestic and Orpheum Theatres. Boston is the home of unequaled musical performances by the BSO (Boston Symphony Orchestra), the annual July 4th Boston Pops Orchestra with Fireworks on the banks of the Charles River, performances of the historic Handel-Haydn Society, The Boston Ballet, The Boston Lyric Opera Company, The Boston Arts Festival, and the summer 'North End' celebration of Italian food offerings that result in a summer cultural festival and feast that goes on for days. The suburban area outside Boston has taken its identity from the city for many years as Metrowest Boston or just Metrowest, and extended 'the Boston experience' of active nightlife, fine dining restaurants, and massive shopping malls north and west to Burlington, Framingham, and beyond. Aside from the old brick-lined Boston streets and plazas, nearly any and all of the charm and conveniences that one might want in the center of the city is available in some sense in most of the surrounding towns, from Sudbury's Rte 20 (the Boston Post Road) where the Wayside Inn and the Grist Mill can be found, to the green and the statues at Lexington and Concord. Lacking only tropical beaches, there is little in the Boston area that cannot spark the interest of residents and visitors alike, no matter what the time of year. For more information on Boston, Massachusetts visit http://bostonmicroblog.com and http://massachusettsmicroblog.com.

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