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South End’s most romantic restaurant serves sophisticated, inventive New American cuisine.

Expect a party just as much as a performance at this North End favorite. Public participation is an integral part of the Improv’s frenetically paced productions, which usually leave the audience applauding raucously.

Educated at Harvard, preacher Increase Mather solidified the hold of Puritan theologians on the Massachusetts government. When William took the English crown, Mather persuaded the king to grant a charter that gave the colony the right to elect the council of the governor in 1691. His influence was later undermined by his support of the 1692 Salem witch trials.

The clubby feel of this comfortable, modern, atrium-style hotel fits its Harvard association perfectly. The university often takes many of the 113 rooms for visiting academics, so the hotel can get very busy.

This Best Western affiliate is an attractive and comfortable 144-room hotel in the Longwood Medical Area. It caters principally to families of patients but is open to all travelers.

Cambridge inventor Edwin Land devised the Polaroid camera, launched in 1948.

Founded in 1936, the country’s oldest non-collecting contemporary arts institution rewards its visitors with challenging, cutting-edge exhibitions. Over the years, the ICA has shown video installations, customized cars, and even blowtorches by internationally celebrated guest artists. Another ICA endeavor is its Vita Brevis program, which introduces works of contemporary art into public spaces around the city.

Arguably the most fun – albeit the most populist – gallery on Newbury, the IPG stocks vintage first edition movie posters and print advertisements from the belle époque .

Crane Beach in Ipswich is one of New England’s most scenic beaches, with more than 4 miles (6.5 km) of white sand, warm water, and outstanding bird-watching. Also on the Crane Estate, you can visit Castle Hill mansion and its lovely Italianate gardens.