Worcester is located in central
Massachusetts approximately 45 miles west of Boston. Worcester was
established as a town on June 14, 1722 and as a city on February 29, 1848.
It has a population of 172,648 and is the third largest city in New England,
behind Boston and Providence. Worcester, MA is the home of nine colleges and
universities, the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, and the
Massachusetts Bio-Technology Research Park, and the American Antiquarian
Society. Despite their large number, Worcester's colleges and universities
have not left much of an imprint on the overall feel of the city-- for
better and for worse, it is not the least bit a college town. Worcester has
a very low rate of violent crime compared to the comparably sized city
Providence, RI. It also has lots of parks, green space, small bodies of
water, and tree-lined streets. On the whole it is a surprisingly livable
place, even though it often frustrates college students and other visitors
who aren't in-the-know. Many people from Worcester share an odd
defensiveness that leads them to rattle off (at the slightest prompting) a
long list of everything notable that was ever invented in, or remarkable
about, Worcester. You may learn that Worcester area residents or companies
invented or popularized:
• The smiley face
• The diner
• Barbed wire
• The birth control pill
• The rickshaw (as absurd as it sounds, this is 100% confirmed)
• The modern Valentine's Day card
• The liquid fuel rocket (and therefore modern rocketry from the V2 to the
ICBM to the Space Shuttle)
• The term "postmodern"See
Worcester History in wikipedia for a more complete list of Worcester
firsts.
Activities
Worcester Tornadoes, the newest thing in Worcester. They're an
independent baseball team (Canadian American League, don't worry if you
haven't heard of it, there are only eight teams in the league). They began
playing in Worcester in 2005 and won the Canadian American Championship
against Quebec in just three games. People seem to love the Tornadoes, and
with tickets at about $6.00 and winning most games they've played, it's hard
not to.
The Tornadoes are located at Holy Cross' Fitton Field and play from May
to September. You can get there by an unreliable bus from the train station
or just spend $5 on a cab, or listen at home, they're on Worcester's only
radio station that can be heard outside of Worcester (AM-830).
Education
Worcester boasts a fair number of colleges and universities in it's
region.
• Assumption College - 500
Salisbury St, Worcester, MA 01609
• Becker College - 61 Sever
St., Worcester, MA 01609
• Clark University - 950 Main St.,
Worcester, MA 01610
• College of the Holy Cross - 1
College Street Worcester, MA 01610-2395
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) -
100 Institute Road - Worcester, MA 01609-2280
• Worcester State College - 486
Chandler Street, Worcester, MA 01602
• Quinsigamond Community College - 670
West Boylston Street, Worcester, MA 01606
Drink
Worcester has a very large number of bars. If you're looking for raucous
20-something bars, go to Shrewsbury St or Park Ave, south of Elm Park. If
you're looking for very cheap, strange, dive bars, go to Canterbury St and
its cross streets.
The following are interesting and comfortable places to drink:
• Vincent, 49 Suffolk Street.
• Sahara, 143 Highland Street.
• Ding Ho, 38 Southbridge Street.
• El Coqui. Considered to be the best liquor store.
The preferred beer in Worcester is a 40 ounce bottle of Golden
Anniversary. It has been referred to by drinkers as "Our Golden Adversary".
The preferred cheap hard alcohol is a vodka called "Mr Boston".
Links
• Worcester Public Library
• City of Worcester
• Worcester Telegram & Gazette
• Worcester Art Museum |
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• Dining
• Get In
• Attractions
Get around
Public transit in Worcester is only practical for commuters, really. Cabs
are cheap, and if you're there for more than just a visit, bicycles are
available from many used stores and are the best way to get around and
explore. Busses in the city run every 20 minutes and cover a fair amount of
stops with the right number of transfers.
Lodging
• Beechwood Hotel,
363 Plantation Street - Downtown hotel, near all major business centers and
universities, ideal for business and leisure travelers, meetings and
weddings.
Shopping
The coolest shopping center in Worcester is the Mid Town Mall, located
directly across from the
Worcester Common, to the north (the one that doesn't look like a mall
from the outside) The decor is from the 70s, and there's a broken escalator
leading down to a nearly abandoned lower level. Good food too.
A wonderful spot of local color. The downtown sections of Worcester are
run down and scary but also quite fascinating. Another nearby mall, down
Park Ave. / Gold Star Blvd. is the Greendale Mall. Still pretty small by
modern standards, but with all of the required stores for a simple stock up.
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