Boston , General info:
9/10

Boston is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The city is located in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the entire New England region.[4] The city, which had an estimated population of 590,763 in 2006, lies at the center of the Cambridge–Boston-Quincy metropolitan area—the 10th-largest metropolitan area (5th largest CSA) in the U.S., with a population of 4.5 million.

Boston , Cheap stuff:
9/10

Locals believe that the tacos and burritos at El Pelon Taqueria on Peterborough Street are the city's best cheap eats. If a service charge is not added to the bill, a tip of 15% to 20% is appropriate.

Boston , Different stuff:
9/10

Redbrick townhouses, verdant public gardens and historic landmarks wedged between Italian groceries, obsessed sports fans, some of the country's finest universities and the tastiest white clam chowder

Boston , Don't miss:
9/10

Boston Harbor Tours, The Mary Baker Eddy Library, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Public Garden, ...

Boston , Food:
9/10

La Galleria 33, Mantra Restaurant, Locke-Ober, G'vanni's Steakhouse Italiano,...

Boston , Hotels:
10/10

Encore Bend and Breakfast

Encore is a Boston bed and breakfast in the historic and trendy South End neighborhood. The ideal alternative to typical hotel lodging, Encore Bed and Breakfast offers 21st-century comfort in a 19th-century town house.

Conveniently situated and beautifully appointed, Encore Bed and Breakfast is the ideal \"home away from home\" for business travel, vacations, honeymoons, and romantic getaways.

Boston , Safety:
9/10

The city has seen a great reduction in violent crime since the early 1990s. Boston's low crime rate in the last years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first has been credited to its police department's collaboration with neighborhood groups and church parishes to prevent youths from joining gangs, as well as involvement from the United States Attorney and District Attorney's offices. This helped lead in part to what has been touted as the "Boston Miracle." Murders in the city dropped from 152 in 1990 (for a murder rate of 26.5 per 100,000 people) to just 31—not one of them a juvenile—in 1999 (for a murder rate of 5.26 per 100,000). In more recent years, however, the annual murder count has fluctuated by as much as 50% compared to the year before, with 60 murders in 2002, followed by just 39 in 2003, 64 in 2004, and 75 in 2005. Though the figures are nowhere near the high-water mark set in 1990, the aberrations in the murder rate have been unsettling for many Bostonians and have prompted discussion over whether the Boston Police Department should reevaluate its approach to fighting crime.

Minneapolis , General info:
9/10

Minneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital.

Minneapolis/Saint Paul International Airport. The airport is divided into the Lindbergh and Humphrey terminals with most flights arriving at the former.

Minneapolis , Cheap stuff:
10/10

Ragstock, a local chain of used clothing stores. The Vietnamese restaurants are incredibly cheap ($5-$10 per person) and have received consistently exelent reviews since their openings.

Minneapolis , Different stuff:
10/10

The Minneapolis park system has been called the best-designed, best-financed and best-maintained in America. Foresight, donations and effort by community leaders enabled Horace Cleveland to create his finest landscape architecture, preserving geographical landmarks and linking them with boulevards and parkways. The city's Chain of Lakes is connected by bike, running, and walking paths and used for swimming, fishing, picnics, boating, and ice skating. A parkway for cars, a bikeway for riders, and a walkway for pedestrians run parallel paths along the 52 mile (83 km) route of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway.

Minneapolis , Don't miss:
9/10

The City of Lakes Loppet is a cross-country ski event featuring the beautiful trails and lakes of the Twin Cities. Every first weekend of February for celebration of winter in Minnesota.

Minneapolis , Food:
9/10

Minneapolis is renowned for its restaurants, ethnic or American. It could take weeks to sample just a part of what it has to offer. Don't miss Nicollet Avenue South's Eat Street centered on East 27th Street for a variety of ethnic fare. Azia, the Caterpillar Lounge and Anemoni Sushi & Oyster Bar are at 2550 Nicollet, and are an upscale Asian restaurant and lounge. Other highly recommended restaurants are Quang Restaurant and Jasmine Deli for Vietnamese, Yummy and Seafood Palace for Chinese, and the so-called Black Forest Inn (which is not a hotel) for German cuisine. Little Tijuana is a nice stop for alluring punk/goth waitresses and Mexican plates. Safari Restaurant provides an excellent introduction to the unique cuisine of Somalia.

Minneapolis , Hotels:
10/10

There is a good variety of hotels. Most of them are clustered in downtown, or near the University of Minnesota. Avoid straying too far away from town without a car. In downtown, the Doubletree hotel is a great value. There is a good Radisson, Marriott, and many Holiday Inns around the area.

Minneapolis , Safety:
9/10

Crime is relatively low in most parts of Minneapolis that you're likely to visit, but it does exist. Be wary of the Near North, Camden, and Phillips communities, particularly at night. Violent crimes can occur and unfortunately have occurred in all parts of the City. When traveling do not leave any items that can be quickly converted to cash in plain view in cars, unattended at restaurants and other public areas. Thieves are experts at watching people store valuables in the trunk and then when they leave the thief will strike.