Boston's wealthiest merchant, Peter Faneuil (1700-1743) built and offered as a gift Faneuil Hall, Boston's first market to replace the pushcart vendors and instead offer a centralized marketplace close to the waterfront. The hall was home to merchants, fishermen, and meat and produce sellers, and provided a meeting hall for local political issues, like the Sugar Act in 1764 and the early rumblings of revolution against Great Britain. The original hall, which served as the first statehouse, burnt to the ground only 19 years later, but was instantly rebuilt in 1742. By 1805, Faneuil Hall was too small for the rapidly growing Boston, but the architect Bullfinch brilliantly doubled the building's height and width, keeping the original hall intact.

Today, Faneuil Hall Marketplace is still Boston's central meeting place for tourists and locals, attracting 20 million visitors annually. Its central location, free outdoor entertainment acts and unique artisans, tourist shops and restaurants help to explain why.

Faneuil Hall was expanded in 1826 to include Quincy Market, designed in the Greek Revival style and named for Boston Mayor Josiah Quincy. It served as Boston's wholesale food distribution center until the 1960s. Quincy Market was marked for demolition until a group of Bostonians preserved it in the early 1970's. The 1976 renovation was the first urban renewal project of its kind, one which inspired other such renewal projects in this country and abroad.

Quincy Market offers culinary delights from calzones to gourmet soup to frozen yogurt. Come with an empty stomach to sample some of New England's traditions like a hearty bowl of New England clam chowder or a plate of fresh oysters, and choose from Italian pastries or gelato for dessert. You can either fight the crowds at the atrium or enjoy free entertainment just outside while eating your tasty treats.

Support the local artists by perusing the pushcart vendors selling handmade articles or New England art like pewter. You can find everything from Christmas ornaments made from seashells, to just about anything in a lobster motif to Red Sox memorabilia. These affordable gifts can be personalized or customized, making a great one-of-a kind gift to bring home.