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Boston Conventions, Trade Shows, Conferences and Meetings
Finding Conventions in Boston can be quite time consuming. At Conventions.net, we provide you with an easy to use, efficient means of searching for event planning resources for trade shows, conferences, meetings, and conventions all in a manner of seconds. You have the opportunity to choose from a vast selection of convention centers and meeting facilities in Boston. We developed Conventions.net to make the search for event planning resources easier than ever.
Locating Convention Centers and Trade Shows in Boston
At one time the most efficient way to locate Convention and Trade Show planning resources in Boston was to call company after company simply based on their yellow page ad. Now, when you use Conventions.net you can find meeting planning resources in Boston that meet your specific needs. Not only is this a convenient way to quickly locate convention and conference planning resources, but it is also an excellent resource to find industry suppliers such as hotels, resorts, event speakers, convention centers, and convention visitor bureaus.
We are affiliated with both large nationwide trade show planning companies as well as smaller local convention industry suppliers, which offer trade show and convention planning resources in Boston. So, if you are looking to plan a meeting, convention, or trade show in Boston you have nothing to lose, and only time and money to gain by letting Conventions.net help you fill your event planning needs.
Think about Boston and you will likely experience a flashback to high school history class--something about redcoats, patriots, Paul Revere, and a midnight ride. If you were schooled in the United States you had Boston's role in American history drilled into your cerebral consciousness, and rightly so: Boston played a major role in this nation's 18th-century bid for independence, earning it a proud place in the annals of U.S. history.
But Boston is more than the historic icon described in high school history books. It's also a vibrant urban center offering plenty of opportunity for fun and frolic, study and learning, and commerce and trade.
Though Boston's first permanent European resident, Reverend William Blaxton, settled in the 1620s at the site of today's Boston Common, the city's oldest neighborhood is actually the North End. It is here that you'll find Boston's oldest wooden house. Dating to 1680, the historic dwelling was once the home of noted patriot Paul Revere and his family. In the early part of the 19th century, Irish immigrants began to settle in the North End followed by Italian settlers in the 1890s. Today this area is Boston's unofficial "Little Italy."
Starting in the North End, stroll a few blocks west to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. These well-known sites are surrounded by an array of equally historic structures dating to the days before the American Revolution. Cross Congress Street and head south and you'll pass through Boston's financial district, downtown, the theater district, and Chinatown. Continue west and you'll see the famed golden dome crowning the Massachusetts State House at the foot of Beacon Hill--Boston's Brahmin neighborhood. Cross Beacon Street and you're at Boston Common. Make your way through the Common to Charles Street and you're facing the Public Garden.
A bit farther and you're in the Back Bay. The result of an immense engineering coup, the Back Bay really was a bay until the latter part of the 19th century when planners decided to dam the Charles River and fill the swampy wetlands. Stroll along Newbury Street with its trendy boutiques and fashionable cafes, or Marlborough Street with its charming gas lanterns and brownstone townhouses, and it's difficult to believe that the Back Bay as we know it didn't exist until just over 100 years ago.
As it prepares to enter the 21st century, Boston continues to change with the times. In the immediate future, the city looks forward to the completion of the Big Dig construction project and the depression of the Central Artery, a project that will reunite the North End and the waterfront with downtown and make the city whole again.
New England's Metropolis
Boston, one of the oldest cities in America, evokes a distinct European feel, which is evident in the city's culture. The city's role in the American Revolution has led to the nickname, the "Cradle of Liberty."
Once considered ultra-conservative, Boston has developed a progressive culture and attitude. It has become one of the most exciting places in New England, with excellent culinary hotspots and an abundance of attractions and sights. Historical buildings, parks and cemeteries are national landmarks, and the city boasts the birthplaces of many famous patriots, presidents and politicians. The city's architectural treasures include lovely brownstones and cobblestone streets, and gas-lamps light the way in many neighborhoods.
Getting Around Boston
Boston streets are not easy to navigate. They are believed to follow cow paths trodden in the 17th century, which would explain the labyrinth of confusing one-way streets and rotaries! Needless to say, driving here can be a nightmare. Fortunately, Boston may be one of the most walkable cities in the country; and neighborhoods and districts are easily accessible by America's oldest underground transit system, the MBTA, known to Bostonians as "the T."
Who's Who in Boston
The city and environs draw hundreds of thousands of students to more than two dozen universities, including some of the world's most famous institutions such as Harvard University and Boston College. The regular influx of students from all over the world has played a major role in the entrepreneurial and international spirit of the metropolis. Walk down Newbury Street or go to a nightclub on Lansdowne Street, and you will hear a medley of foreign languages.
Boston has been a magnet for writers, artisans, politicians and industry leaders throughout its history; Paul Revere, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Mary Baker Eddy are just a few of the individuals who have left their imprint on the city.
City Living
Each of Boston's neighborhoods has unique characteristics and reasons to be explored. Beacon Hill, or "the flat on the hill," is where Boston's Brahmins once lived. With its impressive row houses and gas-lit cobblestone streets, it is still one of the more exclusive neighborhoods in town.
The South End is home to the city's gay-friendly community and is filled with art galleries and excellent bistros. The North End offers a dizzying array of authentic Italian eateries and is home to several summertime Italian festivals.
Popular Newbury Street is a swanky, upscale stretch filled with shops, restaurants and cafes. At the end of Newbury, you can people-watch in the Public Garden and "make way for ducklings" on the Swan Boats.
Newbury Street runs through the heart of the Back Bay, where you will find opulent brownstones. Stroll down the grassy mall on Commonwealth Avenue between Massachusetts Avenue and the Public Garden to get a feel for the way Bostonians lived in the 18th century. Bordering Back Bay is the Charles River, and the parkland along its banks, called the Esplanade, where you can roller-blade, bike or run to your heart's content.
Near the Boston Harbor waterfront is Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which is an important stop along the Freedom Trail. It is a great place for souvenir shopping and photo opportunities. Or you can shop where locals shop, in Downtown Crossing, which has several blocks of department stores, jewelers and tiny shops.
Outlying Neighborhoods
Jamaica Plain has been described as a suburban neighborhood inside the city. Have a picnic at Jamaica Pond or wander through botanical gardens at the Arnold Arboretum. Old and rambling Victorian houses of wealthy Bostonians who wished to escape the grime and crime of downtown, are being renovated to their former splendor as this vibrant and diverse area is rediscovered.
Brookline, home to Boston College, is a wealthy suburb just to the west of Boston. The bars, movie theaters, shops, Jewish delicatessens and restaurants attract families, students, and professionals who enjoy the area’s friendly urbanity. The Coolidge Corner area, at the intersection of Harvard Avenue and Beacon Street, is the town’s liveliest and most rewarding area to visit.
Somerville is located to the north of Cambridge. The lively bars and restaurants here are frequented by young, hard-working professionals who cannot afford to live downtown, as well as by older residents who enjoy Somerville’s funky mix of urban sophistication with a suburban pace and attitude.
The Other Side of the Charles
Cambridge is a city unto itself, located opposite Boston along the Charles River. It is best known as the home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two of the most prestigious universities in the United States. The city is more colorful, liberal and funky than staid Boston, perhaps because of the large population of students and alumni. Central Square in Cambridge is a lively area with cheap ethnic cuisine and perhaps the highest concentration of music clubs and bars in the greater Boston area. Harvard Square is the area just outside of famed Harvard Yard. It is home to many fine restaurants that are beyond the budget of any college student, along with unique shops including several specialty bookstores and funky clothing stores. Any warm weekend evening is a mini-carnival, as street performers compete for loose change from passersby on almost every street corner. |
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