fiogf49gjkf0d Mainstream Boston's pride and joy, the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
is based at Symphony Hall, 301 Huntington Ave (tel 617/266-1200,
), which Stravinsky called the best auditorium in the world - with a winter season followed by the
Boston Pops
concerts in May, June and on July 4. The city's
theater
scene divides into the safe productions of the Theater District (often Broadway cast-offs) and more experimental companies in Cambridge. The
Bostix
ticket kiosks (tel 617/482-BTIX,
) at Faneuil Hall and in Copley Square sell tickets for all major events - as well as tours, "T" passes, and so on - with some half-price same-day tickets. They're open Tuesday through Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 11am-4pm; Copley Square is also open on Monday 10am-6pm.
Seattle bands may have attracted much of the music business hype during the 1990s, but arguably Boston has made a more innovative and substantial contribution to
rock music
. The emergence in the late 1980s of the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr and Buffalo Tom has been followed by a fresh batch of guitar rock acts like Tracy Bonham and Letters to Cleo, and the live music circuit is dominated by the very best local and touring indie bands. Key nightlife zones include
Lansdowne Street
, an entire block of nightclubs next to Fenway Park;
Boylston Place
, on the south side of Boston Common; and Cambridge's
Central Square
district.
Note that the city's
bars
are unusually officious in demanding ID. Though not permitted to offer cut-price happy hours, some provide free early-evening snacks instead. The free weekly
Boston Phoenix
(
) is the best source of up-to-date
listings
.
Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections):
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