Wander some of the back streets, and if some of the basement doors are open you may see people making tofu or men in smoke-filled rooms playing rousing games of Mah Jongg. Check out the food stores where wonderful roasted ducks hang from hooks and where fish, turtles, and chickens (some still alive) can be bought and then butchered for you. Walk into one of the herb shops that sell remedies for a variety of ailments. The aromas alone in any of these stores are worth a visit. Several times during the year the whole neighborhood and many visitors turn out to celebrate one of several Chinese holidays, such as the August Moon Festival or Chinese New Year. During these festivals the streets are lined with booths selling food and various trinkets, and firecrackers pop as a dragon dances its way down Kneeland Street. The whole scene is a giant block party.

If you're hungry, Chinatown offers a multitude of Asian cuisines including Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Malaysian. For a quick, inexpensive but hardy meal try one of the stalls on the 2nd and 3rd floors of 46 Beach Street where you jostle other customers to order and retrieve your food. There are also many formal restaurants; those that serve dim sum are popular, particularly on Sunday.

From the tantalizing sights, sounds, and smells of Chinatown, the North End is a real cultural change. If Boston is the US' most European city, then the North End is Boston's most European neighborhood. It has been the first home to a succession of new immigrant groups arriving from Europe, but since the later part of the 19th century it's the Italians that have given this neighborhood its character.

Retrace your steps to Washington Street and turn right. After a few blocks, Washington Street becomes a major shopping district lined with large department stores and small specialty shops. The area, known as Downtown Crossing, is a pedestrian way where cars are supposedly banned - but don't take that too seriously. When you reach the end of Washington Street, turn right onto State Street, walk past the old (colonial era) State House - the site of the Boston Massacre, and then turn left onto either Change Ave. or Merchants Row. Both these alleys lead to Quincy Market. This area is a mecca for tourists and is populated by trendy shops and restaurants. Originally warehouses that serviced the port of Boston, the area went into decline when shipping tapered off and the shoreline was filled in (the buildings used to stop at the edge of the harbor). In the 1970s the buildings were rehabilitated as an urban mall.

Unless you want to shop or eat, walk past Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, cross North Street (be careful, Boston drivers are at their best - or worst - here) and follow the road toward the Central Artery. On Fridays and Saturdays the sidewalks are crowded with market vendors selling fruits and vegetables of all kinds. This is a fragrant and colorful market where people from Boston's neighborhoods come to buy fresh food, including meats, fish, and cheeses. Businessmen in suits are elbow to elbow with elderly ladies, and couples laden with bags and boxes scurry around women pushing children in strollers. The market is not a place for the faint hearted. Stallholders harangue and cajole you with their pitches: "A dollar a box", "Fifty cents a pound", "Best melons in Boston". The business is very competitive and fools are not suffered gladly. You need to know what you want and be as aggressive as the vendors and other customers to get it. You also need to keep an eye out if you buy something - the good stuff is out front, the melon you get may be pulled from a box beneath the stand.

From here to the North End cross over or under the Big Dig (depending on that day's construction activity), following the red bricks of the Freedom Trail. After you emerge from the Big Dig, walk down any street and start exploring. Like Chinatown, the North End is a hubbub of activity, but it has a completely different feel to it. Where Chinatown has a haphazard look and feel, the North End appears structured, organized, and well-kept. Except for the main thoroughfares, where restaurants seem to occupy every other storefront, the streets are mainly residential and barely wide enough for a car to pass. North End denizens have a passion for gardening, even in the most insignificant spaces. Flowers, vegetables, and herbs grow in obscure courtyards, drift from leafy balconies and fire escapes, and cascade from window boxes. Also like Chinatown, the North End has it own cacophony of aromas; only here it is the scent of wonderful Italian food being prepared in restaurants and people's homes that wafts through the air. If there is a sea breeze the smell of the ocean mingles with the other scents.

On many weekends, one of several societies sponsors a festival in honor of a patron saint. On such occasions the North End takes on a carnival-like atmosphere. Each observance is marked by a procession in the street when men carry a statue of the saint dressed in dollar bills. Buildings are colorfully decorated, food stalls pop up on the sidewalks, and street entertainers amuse adults and children. These are fun events and the people of the neighborhood welcome visitors. What better way to finish your walking tour of Boston.

This is a city where distinct neighborhoods are connected by common areas. The residents of each one possess a strong attachment to their community and are proud of what they contribute to the fabric of Boston society, culture and lifestyle. Poking around and exploring such areas provides a memorable experience and gives you a better understanding of Boston and its people.