Boston Guide
Kenmore Square, the Fenway, and west
At the western edge of Back Bay, the decorous brownstones and smart shops fade into the more casual Kenmore Square and Fenway districts. While both areas are somewhat removed from the historical-sights-of-Boston circuit, they're good fun nonetheless and home to some of the city's more notable cultural landmarks. The Fenway spreads out beneath Kenmore Square like an elongated kite, taking in a disparate array of sights ranging from Fenway Park, where the Red Sox play ball, to some of Boston's finest high-culture institutions, like Symphony Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
Further west, and more residential, are the communities of Allston-Brighton and Brookline; the former is home to a young, hip crowd of students, thanks to its proximity to Boston University, the latter boasts the birthplace of JFK. While visitors won't find much here in the way of sights, both have a number of good eating establishments, and Allston-Brighton (or A-B, as it's known locally) has a good bar scene by night.