Welcome to Boston

Famous for everything from the Red Sox and Paul Revere to Cheers and clam "chowdah," Boston is a popular destination for so many reasons. Part history lesson, part modern metropolis, the Hub offers attractions to suit every taste and interest. Plus, it's incredibly easy to get around, either on foot or by the user-friendly public transportation system, called the T. Hop on the Freedom Trail, a well-preserved pedestrian path that weaves in and out of historic neighborhoods, from the lively Boston Common and Public Garden to the gold-domed State House and Fenway Park. Between landmarks, you can shop the fabulous stores on Newbury Street, have a delicious authentic Italian meal in the North End or browse the antique shops and distinctive red-brick buildings of Beacon Hill. The more culturally inclined will not want to miss the city's world-class museums, theater and music venues. Family friendly to the core, Boston also boasts a renowned aquarium, children's museum and science museum, making it a great getaway for all.

Economy
Boston is a Mecca of colleges. There are also a number of high-tech industries in the city, including Computer Hardware and software and biotechnology industries. Other core areas of Boston's economy are financial services, especially mutual funds and insurance. Boston is considered one of the top financial cities of the country. The city is also a major hub of venture capital. Its printing and publishing industries are also important. The city is also a major convention center of the world. Law and government are also two of its important industries.
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Boston Culture
Boston’s culture is expressed through and distinguished by the Bostonian dialect of English, which includes many slang words and is famous for a liberal pronunciation of the “r” sound at the end of words, which usually sounds like “ah” instead (i.e. “car” becomes “cah,” “park” becomes “pahk”). These slang words can change from neighborhood to neighborhood, and suburb to suburb. The city’s culture was characterized for a long time by its Anglo-Saxon roots, but since waves of Irish immigrants found a home in Boston during the 19th and 20th centuries, Boston has been much more associated with Irish Catholic culture. South Boston, a working-class, Irish-dominant neighborhood, is a living spectacle of this tradition. The once Irish stronghold...as well as Polish and Lithuanian...is now as much a Yuppie village - owing its new if not always graciously accepted cosmopolitanism- to the facts of the beaches and sea, as well as the nearness to the downtown for easy commutes to daily business.

Within Boston’s broad culture there exist a number of sub-cultures, a credit to the city’s diversity. Boston’s neighborhoods are often ethnic or tied to a group of people or a way of life—South Boston is Irish Catholic and working class; Roxbury is highly Dominican and black; the North End still retains its Italian heritage; the South End is bohemian and gay. But other sub-cultures also represent the many interests in the Boston communities, such as sports, the arts and theater and the large student population.
Sports
Those interested in sports will appreciate Boston’s five major professional sports teams—the Red Sox (baseball), New England Patriots (football), Celtics (basketball), Bruins (hockey) and New England Revolution (soccer). Year after year, Boston is voted among the country’s best sports towns—each team generates a different kind of interest from a slightly different section of the fan base, but it seems as though every Bostonian is passionate about one of the teams, and you will be hard-pressed to find one who doesn’t consider himself a Red Sox fan. The downside to widespread enthusiasm for sports is that tickets to events, especially for Red Sox and Patriots games, are expensive and difficult to come by. Call or order online as early as you can, and if you can’t land tickets, take a tour of Fenway Park, which will be well worth your time.
If you prefer the college flavor of sports, Boston, with more college students than any other city in America, has a number of good offerings. The Head of the Charles, the famous annual regatta, takes place each year in October, and the Beanpot, a hockey tournament that pits Boston University, Boston College, Northeastern University and Harvard against one another, is also popular year after year. Boston College has a competitive football team that plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Universities and Intellectual Life
Boston has sometimes been called “the Athens of America,” a reference to the city’s more than 100 colleges and universities. Students make up a large and vibrant portion of the population here during the school year, and you will see them everywhere from Walden Pond to Fenway Park to the clubs on Lansdowne Street. Every August/September, you can expect the streets in every neighborhood to be clogged with a multitude of U-Hauls as the hordes of students return to school. Visitors in the teenage / twenty-something age range will be thrilled to find so many people to meet.

The Arts and Entertainment
While some may say that no city stacks up to the likes of New York and London when it comes to the arts and entertainment scene, Boston manages to hold its own in this area. There's a museum for practically every interest, from the renowned Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) where you can routinely find impressive special exhibits such as the current "Americans in Paris" exhibition which includes pieces by John Singer Sargent, to the wonderfully fun, yet educational, Museum of Science (a favorite among local schools for field trips). There are musuems to satisfy history buffs such as the National Heritage Museum, places to brings the kids (Children's Museum), as well as a number of well-known art museums such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Harvard University Art Museums. While you're in town, don't forget to stop by the JFK Library and Museum to get a glimpse into the life of one of America's most beloved presidents.
Besides the many museums in Boston, the theater district is another point of pride and interest in Boston. Here you can catch everything from Broadway shows to off-off-off Broadway performances in one of the many theaters around town. Get a half-priced ticket, day of show from one of the BosTix booths in Copley Square or Faneuil Hall to score a really good deal. Many theaters also offer special discounts to students with a valid ID.
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Birmingham Maps

Birmingham is a U.K city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands. Being the largest of England's core cities, it is considered as the second city in U.K. Birmingham is known as the "the workshop of the world" or the "city of a thousand trades. The city, which began as a tiny Anglo-Saxon farming village, has grown and developed into a major industrial and commercial city. It is an ethnically and culturally diverse city, which forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation. The city also includes several neighboring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country. Birmingham City Council is the largest local authority in the United Kingdom. The headquarters of the council are based at the Council House in the city center.

Area & Location: Located just to the west of the geographical centre of England, Birmingham has a total area of 267.77 sq. km. It is situated across an area of high ground ranging around 150-200 meters above sea level. The city is surrounded in the south and west of the city by Lickey Hills, Clent Hills and Walton Hill. The city is a home to 1,001, 200 people.

Economy: Much of the Birmingham's economic strength lies with the major industries. Considered as an important manufacturing and engineering center, the city receives billions of pound from its industries. Pen manufacture began in the city has revolutionized writing across the globe. One third of U.K's jewellery is manufactured in the city center.
Design and construction of railway carriages, steam engines, motorcycles, bicycles and automobiles were the main source of income for the city. It was also home to two major car factories. The other major products of the city include motor vehicles, vehicle components and accessories, weapons, electrical equipment, plastics, machine tools, chemicals, food and glass. Arms manufacture in Birmingham became a staple trade. Birmingham, which has over 500 law firms, is known as Europe's second largest insurance market.

Tourist Attractions: Birmingham is known for its museums that preserve the industrial history of the city. The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery that contains collections of archaeological findings, ethnography, natural history and social history delights the visitors. The Birmingham Thinktank, one of the newest museums in the city, Sarehole Mill, a water mill museum and Cadbury World, a museum that shows the stages and steps of chocolate production not only gives real pleasure to the visitors, but also help them learn much about the city and its industries. Birmingham, which has over 8000 acres of parkland open spaces, has number of parks where the tourists can enjoy along with their children. Sutton Park, the largest park that covers 2400 acres, is the largest urban nature reserve in Europe. Another major park in the city is Cannon Hill Park and Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The city is known for numerous squares in Birmingham city center that contain memorials and pieces of art. Four major squares in the city center are Centenary Square, Chamberlain Square, Victoria Square and St. Martins Square in the Bullring. source : mapsofworld.com

PARIS MAPS

Paris is the largest city of France and also its capital and hence Paris tour are increasing. It is also the capital of the Ile-de-France region of France. It is an important cultural and political hub of Europe. Paris is one of the cities of the world that receive the largest number of tourists in Europe. It's commonly known by the nickname "the City of Lights" as a tribute to its intellectual and artistic renown, as well as its exquisite beauty. Paris is considered an artistic and romantic city by the natives as well as by the people of the world. One important landmark of Paris which you must visit while on a Paris tour is famous throughout the world is the Eiffel Tower. This is an important tourist destination of Paris and about 5.5 million tourists throng to it every year. Paris is considered one of the top world cities along with New York City, London, and Tokyo.

Economy: France is among the major economic powers of the world. The metropolitan area of Paris is one of the most important areas in the world economy. The Gross Domestic Product of the Paris metro was US $506.7 billion in 2004. The Paris metro ranks as the 15th largest economy in the world. The economy of Paris is very diverse. The main core area of the Paris economy is the services sector. This sector employs about four-fifths of the working population. Paris receives about 28 million tourists and business travelers each year. Thus, tourism is also an important area of its economy. It has a strong manufacturing base also. The largest number of manufacturing industries are in the high technology areas, including electronics, automobiles, and chemical industries.

Climate: During the summers, the weather in Paris is usually warm and dry. July is a pleasant month with average high temperature of 79o F. It rains throughout the year in Paris. The hottest summer months are from July to August. August also experiences the maximum amount of rainfall and occasional storms. Paris has an extremely pleasant climate during the spring time. The coldest months are from December to January. The average cold temperatures during winter are 37o F. Paris receives occasional snowfall in winters. The best times to visit Paris would be from May to mid-September. You should try to avoid the wet months of March and April.

Government Type: Paris is divided into 20 sub-divisions, known as municipal arrondissements. Each arrondissement has a City Council, which elects the Mayor of the arrondissement. Selected members from the City Councils of each arrondissement form the City Council of Paris. This council elects the Mayor of the city of Paris. Most of the power for formulating laws vests in the Mayor of Paris.

Population: The city of Paris has a population of 2.1 million people. The Paris metropolitan area has a population of 11.1 million people.

Paris Airport Transportation : Paris is served by two main airports - Charles de Gaulle International Airport and Orly Airport. The Charles de Gaulle International Airport is situated 23 km to the north of Paris. This is France's largest airport and handles more than 200,000 passengers everyday. Orly Airport is situated 14 km south of the city. Orly Airport is also one of Europe's busiest airports. It is situated at a convenient location and has its own rail station.

Paris Public Transportation : The train network of Paris is run by the RER. The RER consists of suburban rail tracks and subway tracks. The RER network connects with the national rail network of the super fast trains and normal speed trains. The RER also connects to the underground Metro rails of Paris. The Metro network of Paris is 211 km long. The Paris transportation authority is called Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France (STIF). The STIF operates buses in Paris and its suburbs, the Metro, and the RER. The bus network of STIF consists of 7,400 buses on 1,254 lines.

Transportation in Paris : There are about 15,100 taxis in Paris, which transport more than 500,000 people everyday. You can locate a taxi at any of the airports of Paris, railway stations, hotels, and more than 460 taxi ranks in the city. You can hail a taxi on the streets of Paris, call one of the ranks, which have a telephone, or order a taxi by phone. When the board on the top of a taxi is lit up, this means that the taxi is free. When the sign is switched off, this means that the taxi is occupied. The starting charge for the taxis is €2, after which the charge per kilometer is added.

Paris Restaurant Reviews : The cuisine of France is considered one of the most refined and delicate of all world cuisines. Some French dishes, which are famous throughout the world, are the French breads, Blanquette de veau, Boeuf a la mode, Coq au Vin, soufflé, and croissants. You will find many restaurants in Paris serving delicious French cuisine, as well as many world cuisines. For instance, if during your stay in Paris, you would like to savor traditional French cuisine in a restaurant, some of the best restaurants that you will find serving this cuisine, are Laduree, Chez Castel, and Bermuda Onion. Laduree is a famous French restaurant on the famous Laduree avenue. A special dish served by this restaurant, which is the favorite of everyone, is "macarons" (biscuits).

Paris Hotel Reviews : Hotels of all types, suiting all types of purses can be found in Paris. For instance, if you are looking for a good, high-priced hotel in Paris, then some hotels that would match your requirement would be Hotel la Villa Saint Germaine des Pres, Au Relais du Vieux Paris Hotel, and Hotel au Relais Saint Jacques. The Au Relais du Vieux Paris Hotel once belonged to the Duke de Luynes.Among the facilities provided by the hotel are room service, baby sitting, television, satellite TV, telephone, non smoking room on request, a safe, hair dryer, laundry service, minibar, and Internet access.

Online Booking of Hotels in Paris : Many hotels across the world provide the facility of online booking. There are many hotels in Paris too where you can book rooms online. Some of these are Hotel Prince de Gaulle, Hotel Meurice, Paris Airport Hotel, and Hotel Raphael. The Paris Airport Hotel is built in the terminal area of Charles de Gaulle International Airport. You can walk off the plane and walk into the airport. The 242 guestrooms and 14 suites are furnished comfortably. The efficient room service will surely make your stay a pleasant one. Some of the amenities that each room is equipped with are telephone, minibars, Internet connection, television, and tea and coffee machines. The hotel has on its premises two elegant restaurants - Les Etoiles and Les Saisons. There is a bar also on-site where you can unwind in the evening after a busy day. For the business travelers, the hotel provides a business center also. source:mapsofworld.com