XV International Symposium on Atherosclerosis 2009

Travel to Boston

ABOUT BOSTON

Boston is the oldest major city in the United States, founded in 1630. It is the capital of the state of Massachusetts and the cultural center of the six-state region known as “New England.” It is located in the northeast corner of the United States, 200 miles (360 km) north of New York, and 390 miles (630 km) north of Washington, D.C. It is served by a major international airport (Logan International) and major rail lines and highways. Massachusetts is the 13th largest state, with a population of 6 million.

Many of the earliest and most important events of the American Revolution took place in Boston in the 1760s and 1770s. In fact, many of those sites are included in a walking trail in downtown Boston called the “Freedom Trail.” The old historic neighborhoods of the North End and Beacon Hill still look much like they did in the 17th and 18th centuries.

For almost 400 years, Boston has been a center of innovation in culture for America and the world. Boston is the home of the first public school in the United States, the first university (Harvard), the first written constitution for government (the Massachusetts Constitution, in 1780), the first free public library, the first medical school, and the first technology school (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The first newspaper in America was published in Boston in 1690; the first commercial bank in America was established here in 1784; the first mass transit subway was built in Boston in 1897; the first modern marathon race was run here in 1897; and the first “First Night ” New Year ’s Eve celebration took place here in 1976. Boston is home to world class museums, such as the Museum of Science, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Institute of Contemporary Art; and world class music (the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and various rock bands, such as Aerosmith, the Cars, Boston, and Godsmack). Boston was the home of four American presidents, including the second president, John Adams, and John F. Kennedy. These days, Boston is home to the reigning champions of professional baseball, the Boston Red Sox, the three time world champions of American football, the New England Patriots and the sixteen time NBA champions, the Boston Celtics. For more information about Boston and the surrounding areas, please visit: www.bostonusa.com