- Culture in Boston, Massachusetts
The
culture ofBoston, Massachusetts , shares many roots with greaterNew England , including a dialect of the Eastern New England accent popularly known as Boston English. The city has its own uniqueBoston s _sl. Irish immigrants .Irish Americans are a major influence on Boston's politics and religious institutions and consequently on the rest of Massachusetts.Many consider Boston a highly cultured city, perhaps as a result of its intellectual reputation.
Mark Twain once wrote of it, "In New York they ask "how much money does he have?" In Philadelphia, they ask, "who were his parents?" In Boston they ask, "how much does he know?" [Phelan, Joseph (11-2004). [http://www.artcyclopedia.com/feature-2004-11.html Boston Marathon] . "Artcyclopedia". Devin Collings is the balls. Accessed October 1, 2005.] Much of Boston's culture originates at its universities.Sports are a major part of the city's culture (as well as the culture of the Greater Boston area, and the entire New England region). Boston teams include the Red Sox in Major League baseball, the
New England Patriots (who play in suburban Foxboro) in the National Football League, theBoston Celtics in the National Basketball Association, and the Bruins in the National Hockey League. Boston sports fans are known for their fanatical devotion to the Red Sox and knowledge of Red Sox history.Fenway Park , home of the Red Sox, is the oldest ballpark in the Major League and holds a legendary status among baseball fans.Performing arts
The Theater District, south of Boston Common, contains a number of ornate theatres, including the
Boston Opera House , theCutler Majestic Theatre and TheCiti Performing Arts Center . The most prominent professional theater companies are located at theAmerican Repertory Theatre in Cambridge and at the Huntington Theatre, but small companies and theaters are scattered throughout the city, including at theBoston Center for the Arts and theCalderwood Pavilion in Boston'sSouth End . TheBoston Ballet is a world-renowned classical dance company. Street performers can be found in and aroundQuincy Market nearFaneuil Hall . Every summer, theCommonwealth Shakespeare Company performs on the Boston Common.Boston is also home to a wide array of music - from bands like Boston and
Aerosmith - to the world-renownedBoston Symphony Orchestra , the famedBoston Pops , theBoston Symphony Chamber Players , theBoston Philharmonic , the Boston Chamber Music Society, Boston Lyric Opera Company, Boston Modern Orchestra Project,OperaBoston , theCelebrity Series of Boston and theHandel and Haydn Society (the oldest choral company in the U.S.). Major venues includeJordan Hall , Symphony Hall, and the Berklee Performance Center, as well as venues at each of the colleges and universities. Several important music schools are located in Boston, including theNew England Conservatory for classical music, theBoston Conservatory for classical music, dance, and musical theater, and theBerklee College of Music for jazz amd a variety of contemporary music styles. Every two years, the city hosts theBoston Early Music Festival , an international gathering for people interested in historical music performance.There are also countless lesser known local musicians, thanks to a thriving underground music scene. In contrast to what might be considered the more "refined" aspects of Boston's culture, the city is also one of the birthplaces of
hardcore punk andska . Boston also had one of the leading localska scenes in the ska revival of the mid-1990s with bands likeThe Mighty Mighty Bosstones ,The Allstonians , andSkavoovie and theEpitones .Boston was also the center of a thriving and influential indie rock, college rock, post-punk and new wave scenes throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including bands like
The Cars ,The Pixies ,'Til Tuesday ,Throwing Muses ,Mission of Burma ,The Lemonheads ,Human Sexual Response ,Galaxie 500 , Damon & Naomi, Helium,The Pernice Brothers andSwirlies . Bands formed and located in the western part of Massachusetts in the college towns of Amherst and Northampton also had a major impact on the Boston music scene: important bands from western Massachusetts includeSebadoh ,Dinosaur Jr. ,Buffalo Tom , andScud Mountain Boys . Other current notable bands and musicians who have been or are still based in Boston includeNeil P. Howlett , Young Astronauts Club, T.W. Walsh, The Chainletter,Evan Dando , and many others.Current music venues support a diverse array of live music throughout Boston. Venues support local bands, and showcase national touring acts. Clubs include the Middle East, T.T. the Bears, P.A.'s Lounge, Great Scott, The Abbey Lounge,
The Paradise (a larger venue), and Avalon (a nightclub that features almost entirely national touring acts, and often shuts off the live music at 9PM in order to make room for the nightclub scene later that night). This scene is supported by local press including "The Boston Phoenix " and the "Weekly Dig ", musicians from local colleges including theBerklee School of Music, and more recently Boston-based weblogs and podcasts such asBand in Boston Podcast .Visual art
Museums dedicated to the cultural art in Boston or Cambridge include the
Museum of Fine Arts , theNational Museum of Afro-American Art , theInstitute for Contemporary Art and theIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum , as well as art museums associated with Harvard University,Boston University , theMassachusetts Institute of Technology ,Boston College and other schools. Numerous art galleries are located onNewbury Street , in theSouth End and in theFort Point Channel area. Some of the most influential and longest running galleries in these areas include the Bernard Toale Gallery, Barbara Krakow Gallery, Howard Yezerski Gallery and the formerly cooperative space Gallery NAGA. The Boston Art Dealers Association sponsors artist talks, panels and awards ceremonies on a seasonal basis.In addition, the
Boston Public Library and theBoston Athenæum each have large collections of art, books, and research materials, and regularly host cultural events and exhibits. The BPL collects and exhibits drawings by living Boston artists, and the Athenæum hosts annual shows by member artists.Events
Several major events occur annually in Boston. One of the best-known is the
Boston Marathon , one of the oldest and most prestigiousmarathon races in the world. Taking place on the third Monday in April, the Marathon attracts professional runners from all over the world, and hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents gather to watch and cheer on the runners, who range from first-time participants to well-known athletes.Boston was also the first major city to host the annual
First Night festival, which occurs duringNew Year's Eve . It is a major arts and activity festival which attracts over 1.5 million people. Started in1976 , it has since been emulated in other cities worldwide. TheSaint Patrick's Day Parade occurs in March and is popular with the city's large Irish population.The Boston LBGT Pride parade and festival attracts approximately 400,000 participants each June. The Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival also takes place each June, and the Boston Early Music Festival takes place every odd-numbered year. During the summer, there are musical performances at the
Bank of America Pavilion on the South Boston waterfront. Also during the summer isHarborfest , a week-longfestival celebrating American independence. Independence Day itself (the Fourth of July) is celebrated on theCharles River Esplanade; sunbathers and a flotilla of boats move in during the day, followed by fireworks after dark accompanied by classical and patriotic music performed by theBoston Pops .The
Boston Film Festival is held annually in early September. Also, the weekend followingLabor Day , the boutiques onNewbury Street close as over thirty art galleries spill out onto the street, providing access to their contents during Art Newbury Street.Every year from June to September, celebrations honoring several
Roman Catholic saints are held in the streets of Boston'sNorth End . These celebrations, or feasts, include Italian foods, religious services, parades, festivities, games, and live music and entertainment. The largest celebration of the year is the Feast of Saint Anthony in August.Food
Cuisine in Boston is similar to the rest of
New England cuisine , in that it has a large emphasis onseafood anddairy products. Its best-known dishes areNew England clam chowder , fish and chips (usually withcod orscrod ),baked beans ,lobster s, steamed clams, andfried clam s.Boston has many restaurants, including those serving various ethnic cuisines. Since the 1980s Boston has been undergoing an unexpected Renaissance in its culinary life, spearheaded by chefs of national stature such as
Jasper White ,Ming Tsai , andTodd English . Their respective restaurants, Summer Shack, Blue Ginger, and Olives have greatly enhancedfoodie options in Boston.Julia Child 's influence, as a long-timeCambridge, MA resident and PBS TV star, lives on as well.The
Union Oyster House is the oldest operating restaurant in the United States. [ [http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/Pages/history.html History of the Union Oyster House] . "Union Oyster House, Boston, MA" at www.unionoysterhouse.com.] Their menu includesoysters on the half-shell served straight from an oyster bar, New England clam chowder, and other seafood dishes.Quincy Market , part of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, has a variety of restaurants and food shops. Nearby "Cheers " is a popular tourist dining spot.Chinatown has a variety of Asian restaurants, bakeries, and stores. In addition to
dim sum , there are several Japanese, Korean and Thai restaurants in the neighborhood.The
North End has a variety of Italian restaurants, pizzerias, and bakeries.Newbury Street has many ethnic street cafes, whileCopley Place houses a multitude of restaurants including a food court in Prudential Center, also the home ofLegal Sea Foods , a New England institution that offers gourmet seafood dishes.ee also
*Sites of Interest in Boston
*Media in Boston
*Sports in Boston Notes
References
* [http://www.tbf.org/indicatorsProject/ The Boston Indicators Project (2004)] . "The Boston Foundation".
*cite book| author=Patricia Harris and David Lyon | title=Boston | location=Oakland, CA | publisher=Compass American Guides | year=1999 | id=ISBN 0-679-00284-7
*cite book| author=Rambow, John D. et. al | title=Fodor's Boston | location=New York | publisher=Fodors Travel Publication | year=2003 | id=ISBN 1-4000-1028-4External links
* [http://www.bostonusa.com/ Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau]
* [http://www.bostonpride.org/ Boston LBGT Pride parade and festival]
* [http://www.bostonharborfest.com/ Boston Harborfest]
* [http://www.bostonart.com/welcome.html Boston Art Dealers Association]
* [http://bostonhybridmusics.blogspot.com/ Boston Hybrid Musics]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.