
What's
New?
Visitors shouldn't think of leaving Boston without devoting at
least a few hours to one of the city's thriving attractions, the
premiere hot-spot Newbury Street. There is no street in America
quite like it. Elegant boutiques, art galleries and coffee
houses are housed in 19th-century townhouses and tiny white
lights adorn the tree-lined sidewalks and storefronts.
Positively no better way to experience the cosmopolitan flavor
of Boston, Newbury Street is a posh Mecca of power brokers,
people-watchers and trendsetters.
Hailed as Boston's equivalent of Rodeo Drive, it is more
user-friendly than Fifth Avenue, yet just as designer-driven.
Akras, the famed Swiss clothier, recently chose Newbury Street
over Manhattan to open its first American store - where you'll
find the country's highest-priced, off-the-rack suit for a mere
$6,000. But it's not just another upscale area. Bargains
can be had with Gen-X prices on the often-overlooked second
floors. Salons, day spas, body-piercing studios, second-hand and
vintage fashions and other funky stores are a few of the hidden
gems ranging in price from reasonable to eye-rolling.
A residential street until
the 1920s, the Ritz-Carlton was the catalyst for change,
believing a European style would improve commerce. And that it
did. Beginning adjacent to the Ritz and the historic Public
Gardens, Newbury Street spans eight blocks to Massachusetts
Avenue and encompasses high-end glamour at one end, and a
pop-culture atmosphere toward the other. But you don't have to
be a king to stay on Newbury Street.
The Newbury Guest House is
located five blocks from the Ritz with nightly rates in the $125
range, including breakfast.
Newbury is a street always in change, but always fashionable -
sort of a condensed version of New York. Among the residents who
live on the upper floors above the pricey boutiques and cafes,
you'll see the international crowd and Eurokids from Boston
University, known as the real spenders. You'll see power-women,
trophy wives, and rock and movie stars, who like the anonymity
and cutting-edge design of Boston shopping. You'll see
skateboarders and inline skaters, who take their mode of
transportation to an extreme sport level. Home to 600
businesses, many more intimate than grand, there truly is
something for everyone. It's a perpetual fashion runway best
seen from the outdoor dining areas. Newbury's cuisine is
sophisticated and has a decidedly L.A. feel. Traffic
congestion a chronic problem, Newbury Street is best on foot to
take
in the sights, sounds and smells. Considered an important place
where all the "beautiful people" flock, it is so
trendy that Boston Magazine recently assigned a columnist
devoted exclusively to covering the scene and its stock
market-like fluctuations, specifically what's hot and who's
wearing it. No
more conservative Bostonian!
More Information:
Greater Boston Cenvention and Visitors Bureau, (800) 733-2678
Newbury Guest House
261 Newbury Street
Boston, Massachusetts
617- 437-7666
32 rooms, each with private bath. Average nightly rate $125,
breakfast included.
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