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Field Guide To Boston

An illustration inspired by Nancy Schön's "Make Way For Ducklings" sculpture. The ducklings in the illustration are dressed for winter weather and events. (Midoriko Grace Abe for WBUR)

Fun between the flurries: Your winter guide to Boston

There's no sugarcoating it: Winters in Boston can be brutal. Here's what you should know.

👋🏽 Welcome to your Field Guide to Boston

Resources to connect with your community and explore the city's neighborhoods and rich culture.

🎧 Listen: A piece of home in Dorchester's Little Saigon

The Common tours a neighborhood that has been an anchor for Vietnamese culture in the region for decades.

Spectators on Lamartine Street at the 2017 Jamaica Plain Porchfest. (Elizabeth Gillis/WBUR)

🎙️ Add your story to the Field Guide: When did Boston feel like home?

Good eats, local vibes: Explore 20 Boston neighborhoods

Dorchester: A Boston neighborhood guide

East Boston: A Boston neighborhood guide

Radio Boston

A former synagogue on Woodrow Avenue in Mattapan. (Simon Rios/WBUR)

How a 50-year-old housing policy displaced a former Jewish neighborhood

Police escort school buses as they leave South Boston High School on the second day of court-ordered busing on Sept. 14, 1974. Some buses were stoned and several arrests were made. (AP Photo)

Exploring busing in Boston through one mother-daughter relationship

"Isabella Stewart Gardner" by John Singer Sargent in the Gothic Room. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

What to know about Isabella Stewart Gardner

The city of Boston's archaeological dig at 42-44 Shirley St. in Roxbury. (Courtesy city of Boston's Archaeology Department)

What former slave quarters in Roxbury could teach us about Boston's history

Statue of Phillis Wheatley is part of the Women's Memorial on the Commonwealth Ave Mall. (Joe Difazio for WBUR)

New project brings the thoughts of famous women in history to life

A portion of the new exhibit "The Salem Witch Trials: Restoring Justice" on display now at the Peabody Essex Museum (Amanda Beland/WBUR)

How to restore justice to those accused during the Salem Witch Trials

How blue is Massachusetts? What to know about politics and voting

Here's your ticket to Boston's arts and culture scene

Gamers, bookworms and fitness fanatics, find your people

Beyond the lobster roll: We asked local chefs what and where to eat

Watch: Take a trip around Boston's Little Saigon

Find hotspots for food and fun, recommended by fellow Bostonians in your neighborhood.

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5 key things to know about the Boston accent

Why candlepin bowling took off in New England — and not anywhere else

How history made New England a prime setting for horror stories

These tours highlight the hidden history of Black Boston

Joel Mackall says Black history in Boston is often overlooked. He's seeking to change that with his tours that shed light on the lives of past Black Bostonians.

5 things to do this weekend, including a twist on Thoreau's cabin and 'Waitress: The Musical' at the cinema

Plus, a Hanukkah pop-up bar and Animile in concert at the ICA.

Not just Puritans: Explore 5 aspects of Mass. history

Our region's important history doesn't end with the Revolutionary War. Here are several stories that deserve your attention, and 11 cool spots to catch this rich history in real life.

Tell us: What should Boston's New Year's resolution be?

Procrastinate setting your own New Year's resolutions and brainstorm some for Boston instead. From the serious and thoughtful to the silly and cynical, we want to hear your ideas.

'Live from the Underground' details the influential world of college radio

Delving deep into the archives of dozens of stations from Cambridge to California, author and historian Katherine Rye Jewell highlights the role student-run stations played in elevating boundary-pushing, out-of-the-mainstream music...

Arts & Culture

Boston University's Center for Computing and Data Sciences on Commonwealth Avenue, seen from across the Charles River in December.(Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Why winter sunsets are especially vibrant, explained by a New England meteorologist

Meteorologist and weather expert Danielle Noyes sheds a light on the factors that make winter sunsets vividly colorful.

Local Coverage

A couple walks a dog past the Boston Common Christmas tree in 2019, an annual gift given to the people of Boston by the people of Nova Scotia in thanks for their assistance after the 1917 Halifax Explosion. (Charles Krupa/AP)

Why Boston gets a Christmas tree from Nova Scotia every year

The tradition dates back over a century, and serves as a token of thanks from the Canadian province for Boston's assistance after a disaster during World War I.

Local Coverage

02:22

A general view of the Charles River during the Head of the Charles Regatta on October 21, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

I learned to love Boston from the banks of the Charles River

As you spend more time around Boston, the Charles River infuses into your consciousness, writes Fred Hewett, who's lived within a mile of the river for more than 40 years....

Cognoscenti

03:35

A black and white photograph with a trolley car from the late 1800s traveling along a city street.

The books about Boston that historians think you should read

We spoke to a range of writers, academics and historians to learn about the titles that inform them on key parts of Boston's history: from the Indigenous inhabitants to the...

Arts & Culture

A parking meter in Boston. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

How to take the pain out of parking in Greater Boston

Between street cleaning restrictions, residential parking zones, space savers, garage prices and finding an open metered spot, rules about parking in Boston can be just as complicated as driving around...

Local Coverage

People hanging out at ManRay in Cambridge. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Anything but boring: Your quick list of Boston nightlife hotspots

It's true that the MBTA stops running at 1 a.m., and most bars close by 2 a.m. Nonetheless, Bostonians still have quite a few options to find a good time...