Furnished Apartments in Boston, MA: Corporate Housing and Short-Term Rentals

Boston, the capital of Massachusetts and the largest city in New England, is one of the oldest municipalities in the United States. A major city with small town charm, Boston features many acclaimed museums, numerous historic sites, world-class dining and shopping as well as over 100 colleges and universities. Other landmarks and points of interest include Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden (the nation’s first public park and public botanical garden, respectively), the Faneuil Hall marketplace, Boston Harbor and Fenway Park. Public transportation is convenient and readily available via the “T” and extensive bus and ferry systems. In total, Boston is divided into 23 neighborhoods, each with a distinct character and personality.

City Overview

Total area: 89.63 sq mi (232.14 sq km)
Population: 694,583
Population ranking: 1st in Massachusetts, 21st in United States
Population density: 14,344/sq mi (5,538/sq km)
Median household income: $66,758

Neighborhoods

Boston has 23 officially recognized neighborhoods. Notable ones include:

• Back Bay – Situated on the city’s northern border along the Charles River, Back Bay is famous for its rows upon rows of well-preserved Victorian brownstones. Today the neighborhood is also home to many high-rise commercial buildings, including John Hancock Tower, Boston’s tallest skyscraper. Other points of interest include the Boston Public Library, Prudential Tower and the Prudential Center, historic churches built in a range of architectural styles, Berklee College of Music, Copley Square, the Back Bay Fens and shopping along Boylston and Newbury Streets.
• Beacon Hill – A historical neighborhood known for the Massachusetts State House, federal-style rowhouses, brick sidewalks and charming cobblestone streets. Acorn Street in particular is often considered the most photographed street in the United States.
• Fenway-Kenmore – You know it for the beloved Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox and the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball.
• Chinatown – The only surviving Chinese enclave in New England and one of the largest ones outside of New York City. Often coupled with the adjacent Leather District, named for the dominance of the leather industry in the neighborhood in the late 19th century.
• Downtown Boston – The city’s central business, government and financial district. Landmarks include the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, the Custom House Tower, City Hall, Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, Boston Common and Boston Public Garden.
• Seaport – This newly emergent, up-and-coming district is one of Boston’s fastest-growing neighborhoods. What was once an industrial no-man’s land is now a top destination for dining, entertainment, shopping, business and residential living. Mixed-use developments have become a Seaport signature, serving as places to live, work and play under one roof.
• North End – Boston’s oldest residential community, continuously inhabited since it was first settled in the 1630s. The North End is also known for its large Italian American population, many Italian restaurants and the Paul Revere House.
• South Boston – Also known as “Southie,” South Boston is predominantly a working-class Irish Catholic neighborhood. In recent years, Southie has undergone gentrification and attracted a large millennial population.

Transportation

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates multiple services throughout the city. For routes, maps and fare information, consult mbta.com or an MBTA-endorsed smartphone app.

The “T”
The MBTA subway, referred to locally as the “T,” is the most popular way to get from point A to B in Boston and beyond. The system consists of five lines organized by color: green, orange, blue, red and silver. Most trains run between 5am and 1am, with some lines having service as late at 1:50am. It serves nearly every Boston neighborhood as well as parts of Cambridge. Riders can pay the fare using either a CharlieCard, reusable plastic cards that can be loaded with cash value or 1-Day, 7-Day or monthly passes, or a CharlieTicket, a paper card that can be loaded with tickets or passes.

Bus
The MBTA’s bus routes cover more ground than the T, which is useful for reaching and traveling within less condensed areas. Pay with CharlieCard, CharlieTicket or cash on board.

Commuter Rail
For reaching areas outside the city limits, MBTA’s Commuter Rail has your back. It has 13 lines serving many neighboring regions outside of Boston such as Worcester, Lowell and Rockport. Fare must be paid with CharlieTicket or the MBTA mTicket smartphone app.

Ferry
The MBTA Boat system operates ferry routes via Boston Harbor. The inner harbor service links the downtown waterfront with the Boston Navy Yard in Charlestown, while the rest are commuter routes linking downtown to Hingham, Hull and Salem. Some commuter routes operate via Logan International Airport. Fare must be paid with the mTicket app or a paper ferry ticket.

Dining

Boston’s dining scene offers everything from classic New England cuisine to ethnic establishments to trendy newcomers. The city has nearly 3,000 restaurants to choose from, many of which are chef-owned.

One thing you’re sure to find is plenty of fresh seafood, namely lobster, cod and clams. New England clam chowder is a dish iconic to Boston and a staple of its food culture. Lobster rolls, served either Maine or Connecticut style, are also popular. These and other regional seafood dishes are readily available year-round at restaurants like Neptune Oyster, Yankee Lobster and Atlantic Fish Co.

Non-seafood dishes that are iconic to Boston include baked beans and Boston cream pie. Marliave, the oldest chef-owned restaurant in Boston, is known for its baked beans. The Omni Parker House restaurant invented the Boston cream pie in 1856 and proudly serves it to this day.

Head to the North End neighborhood, Boston’s “Little Italy,” for an abundance of Italian restaurants and bakeries. You’ll find everything from upscale eateries to pizza by the slice, romantic date night spots, old-school red sauce joints and classic pastry shops. Speaking of pastry, be sure to hit up either Mike’s Pastry or Modern Pastry, longtime rivals for the best cannoli in Boston. The original Regina Pizzeria, one of Boston’s most popular and famous pizza purveyors, is also found in the North End.

Boston has its fair share of historic restaurants, but its modern dining scene is burgeoning with critic favorites, Michelin-starred establishments and buzzy newcomers. The Seaport District in particular is becoming a foodie hotspot, opening new restaurants on a regular basis.

If you’re looking to eat on a budget, many establishments offer happy hour food specials during select days and times. The state of Massachusetts banned so-called “happy hour” discounts on alcohol in 1984, so bars and restaurants compensate by offering discounted food instead.

For more on Boston’s food scene:
6 24-Hour Restaurants in Boston for Late-Night Food
The Top Must-Eat Foods in Boston: Part 1
The Top Must-Eat Foods in Boston: Part 2

Shopping

If retail therapy is your thing, you’ll never run out of places to shop in Boston. You’ll find anything from boutiques to department stores to luxury retailers.

The Back Bay neighborhood boasts two parallel streets known for their shopping: Boylston and Newbury. On Boylston Street you’ll find the Prudential Center, a must-visit for your basic retail needs, containing stores like Bonobos, Canada Goose, Club Monaco, Kate Spade, Lord + Taylor, Lululemon, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora and Vineyard Vines. On nearby Huntington Avenue is Copley Place, another major shopping mall with luxury options like Gucci and Neiman Marcus.

Newbury Street is an additional go-to for major brands like Urban Outfitters, Madewell, Nike, lululemon, INTERMIX, Allsaints, Diane von Furstenberg and Zara, as well as eclectic boutiques and smaller retailers like the Harry Potter Shop, The Fairy Shop, Goorin Bros. Hat Shop, Alan Bilzerian, Bobbles & Lace and LIT Boutique. Chocolatiers, bridal shops and consignment stores also dot both Boylston and Newbury.

Parks and Recreation

Boston’s major parks make up what is known as the Emerald Necklace, a 1,100-acre chain of parks connected by parkways and waterways in Boston and nearby Brookline, MA. This well-kept system of parks includes:

Boston Common
Boston’s most well-known park and the oldest public park in the United States, dating back to 1634. Events such as concerts, protests, ice skating, softball games, performances and art installations, holiday celebrations and firework displays regularly take place in the park. Notable features within Boston Common include the Frog Pond, the Parkman Bandstand, the Central Burying Ground, Brewer Fountain, multiple monuments and the Boylston and Park Street T stations.

Boston Public Garden
The first public botanical garden in America, located adjacent to Boston Common. Includes famous sites like the Boston Public Garden Bridge and the George Washington Statue. The park’s pond is the site of Boston’s Swan Boat tours, a popular tourist attraction where riders sit on a swan-adorned boat which is pedaled around the pond by a tour guide.

Other parks on the Emerald Necklace:

• Commonwealth Avenue Mall
• The Back Bay Fens
• The Riverway
• Olmsted Park
• Jamaica Pond
• Jamaicaway
• Arborway
• Arnold Arboretum
• Franklin Park

History, Art and Culture

A stay in Boston isn’t complete without visiting the city’s many historic sites. The majority of them are found along the Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile path through downtown Boston with 16 locations significant to United States history. The trail features museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, historic markers and a ship. The official trail sites are:

• Boston Common
• Massachusetts State House
• Park Street Church
• Granary Burying Ground
• King's Chapel and Burying Ground
• Benjamin Franklin statue and the former site of the Boston Latin School
• Old Corner Bookstore
• Old South Meeting House
• Old State House
• Site of the Boston Massacre
• Faneuil Hall
• Paul Revere House
• Old North Church
• Copp's Hill Burying Ground
• USS Constitution
• Bunker Hill Monument

Although not part of the Freedom Trail, head to the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum for the ultimate immersive history lesson and a can’t-miss part of Boston and America’s past.

If you’re more of a culture hound than a history buff, Boston has plenty to offer in the realms of art, dance, theater, comedy, music and more. The Museum of Fine Arts welcomes over 1 million visitors each year and houses over 450,000 pieces of art, making it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas. With 8,161 paintings, it’s second only to the Met in New York among American museums. The Institute of Contemporary Art is a work of art in and of itself, with a building designed by architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro sitting on the Boston Harbor waterfront. Others worth visiting are the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Children’s Museum, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Sports Museum and Museum of African American History. For art galleries, visit the Newbury Street, South End or Fort Point Channel areas.

Boston’s Washington Street Theatre District, south of Boston Common, contains important performing arts venues such as the Boston Opera House, the Cutler Majestic Theatre and the Boch Center. TD Garden also serves as an important cultural center, where many major sporting events, concerts and stand-up comedy performances take place.

Our Furnished Apartments in Boston