BOSTON Climate, Cuisine, and Culture The climate in Boston is always thrilling. For May 2008, the prediction is that the weather will be, as always, weather-like—endless sunshine, some rain, snow unlikely, probably no earthquakes, several political eruptions, a fair amount of revolutionary protests—the usual stuff. Bring flip-flops. There are a few restaurants in Boston—987 old ones and twice as many new ones (most of which will have changed ownership by the time you get here)—as a result, the food is exquisite, fresh, often ocean-bred, and nearby wherever you are. Boston’s culture is enormously diverse—for some of us, it is rooted in the first century; for others, our home is the 22nd century; some of us actually live in the present—our town is just like your town. We believe in Newton, Galileo, Tom Brady, Shakespeare, Oprah, Dante, Bob Dylan, Gutenberg, MLK, Einstein, Julia Child, Aristotle, Cesar Chavez, Euclid, Pasteur, Mandela, FDR, and our next-door neighbors. Getting Around So much attention has been paid to the Big Dig over the past few decades that it’s easy to forget the real hero of Boston transportation: the T. Storied in song (“Charlie on the MTA”) and in history (it’s America’s first subway), the T (iconic nickname for the MBTA or Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) offers subway, commuter rail, bus, trolley, and boat service to the denizens of the hub, whisking us here and there in a matter of minutes. The T recently upgraded its fare process, finally abandoning the venerable and clunky token for CharlieCards and CharlieTickets, making the subway and buses a truly swipe-and-go operation. Even more exciting is the new Silver Line, an articulated bus that zooms through dedicated underground tunnels to places like the airport and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Visit the T’s award-winning Web site, www.mbta.com, to plan your trips around town.