“Both traditional and modern, Boston is considered the most "European" of American cities – hardly surprising given its British colonial roots. But this is also the birthplace of the country's independence and home to some of its most illustrious Ivy-League institutions. Boston is small (population 590,000) and compact, making it an ideal city for discovering on foot. By size it may only be the 20th largest city in the US but in terms of its historical legacy, Boston is huge. The Cradle of Liberty and Athens of America are among the lofty phrases coined to describe a city that one its greatest literary sons Oliver Wendell Holmes dubbed, with not a drop of irony, "the Hub of the Universe."

Introduction to Insight Guides’ Step by Step Boston.