Boston uncommon: A fresh look

It's back-to-school season in Boston.

More than 250,000 students are pouring into the area's nearly 70 colleges and other institutions of higher learning. The annual fall influx infuses the 400-year-old city with a jolt of youthful energy that reclaims the town from the hordes of tourists who come to ride the Swan Boats through the Public Garden and parade past the many Colonial-era sites of interest. Indeed, the locals know there's more to Boston than Quincy Market and the original "Cheers" bar.

Given that Boston has the nation's highest percentage of residents in the 20-to-34 age range (35 percent, according to the 2010 census), it's no wonder the city's cultural scene is loaded with restaurants and an array of arts and entertainment.

Whether you're about to join the ranks of college students in Boston this fall or just spending a long weekend visiting the city, here's a look at some classic tourist activities paired with alternatives favored by the local crowd.

The Freedom Trail

The city's iconic follow-the-red-brick-line walking trail leads history seekers past 18th century sites such as Faneuil Hall (where the Boston Tea Party first met) and the Granary Burying Ground, where Paul Revere, Sam Adams and John Hancock rest (thefreedomtrail.org).

LOCAL COLOR "Hahvahd Tour"

Dear old Harvard, America's most senior and famous college, leads official campus tours that are free and glossy. Decidedly more irreverent is the unofficial "Hahvahd Tour" -- it's also guided by actual Harvard students, but done in a less-promotional spirit that names the more notorious alumni and disbands some of the breathless folklore around campus. The 70-minute walking tour sallies forth into The Yard from the T-station in Harvard Square three or four times a day for a suggested donation of $10 a person or $20 a family (617-674-7788, trademarktours.com). The same outfit also offers tours of nearby MIT and an amped-up version of The Freedom Trail ($14).

Boston Duck Tours

They're loud, obtrusive but lots of fun -- and oh-so-Bostonian in that they operate both on land and by sea. You'll see two dozen landmarks in an hour ($32 adults, $22 ages 3-11; 617-267-DUCK, bostonducktours.com).

LOCAL COLOR Hit the Charles River.

Failing another World Series run by the Red Sox, Boston's marquis fall sports extravaganza is the Head of the Charles Regatta, the world's largest two-day competitive-rowing event (Oct. 22-23). Noncombatants, however, can get out on the same flat water stretch of the Charles between Boston and Cambridge all season long in a rented kayak or canoe.

Trips are leisurely, giving paddlers ample time to take in the understatedly elegant Boston skyline. Rental kayaks run $15-$18 an hour, while canoes cost $16. Day and sunset guided tours also are available (617-965-5110, paddleboston.com).

Quincy Market

Located adjacent to Faneuil Hall downtown, this long and long-standing (since 1824) marketplace with its dozens of indoor fast-food stalls is a natural favorite with the on-the-go crowd. Tourists pack in day and night to slurp chowder -- crowds tend to congregate outside for street-performer shows.

LOCAL COLOR Newbury Street

For a more refined menu of dining options that can be enjoyed at leisure and in greater comfort, you can't beat the eight-block stretch of row houses along Newbury Street between Boston Common and Massachusetts Avenue in chic and tony Back Bay. You'll see locals meeting for Friday happy hour or having Sunday brunch under an awning.

Nearly three dozen restaurants offer creative cuisine. Among the more popular: Kashmir for its Indian fare (617-536-1695, kashmirrestaurant.com); Tapeo, which serves a dizzying array of Spanish tapas (617-267-4799, tapeo.com) and Stephanie's on Newbury for upscale New American fare (617-236-0990, stephaniesonnewbury.com).

Oh, and did we mention the shopping?

Harvard Square

It's chaotic, congested and more than just a bit seedy -- but it's still the heart of counterculture Cambridge and access point to eminently respectable Harvard University.

LOCAL COLOR Kenmore Square

Located adjacent to the 30,000-student-strong Boston University, Kenmore Square is every bit as active and vivacious as its Cambridge counterpart. But it's decidedly neater, cleaner and more spread out -- and only marginally less stocked with book and music stores, trendy eateries and boutiques. Come September,

Kenmore Square offers something Harvard Square can't -- the throbbing heart of the Red Sox Nation: Fenway Park lies just down Brookline Avenue and the square itself is home to that iconic evolving "Citgo" sign. Between all the sports bars -- try the Cask 'n Flagon (62 Brookline, 617-536-4840) or Boston Beer Works (61 Brookline, 617-536- 2337) -- and cavernous nightclubs on Lansdowne Street, Kenmore Square constitutes a veritable unassisted triple play.

The North End

Paul Revere might have eaten, slept and worked here, but in the early 20th century, the North End fell into the hands of southern Italian immigrants, thus adding both pizza and pizzazz to Beantown's version of Little Italy.

LOCAL COLOR South Boston

Boston's truly archetypal ethnic group, the Irish, have dominated "Southie" for more than 150 years now, giving this predominantly residential neighborhood plenty of traditional Celtic flavor.

History buffs will want to make for stolid Revolutionary-era Fort Independence, overlooking scenic Dorchester Bay and the JFK Presidential Library and Museum. But the real appeal is just soaking up the local color (green, naturally) -- not to mention a few pints at long-standing watering holes such as The Blackthorn (471 W. Broadway, 617-269-5510) and Woody's L St. Tavern (685 E. Eighth St., 617-268-4335), where the "how 'bout those apples?" scene from "Good Will Hunting" was filmed.

Boston Common

This 50-acre former communal grazing ground is still in heavy use, though now primarily by pedestrians crisscrossing between neighborhoods or tourists en route to ride the Swan Boats in the Public Garden.

LOCAL COLOR Arnold Arboretum and Mount Auburn Cemetery

No fall trip to Boston would be complete without taking in at least some of New England's celebrated autumn colors. It'll take a little effort to do so -- but you'll be well rewarded.

The pure play is Harvard's Arnold Arboretum, a 265-acre meticulously managed public garden in the Jamaica Plains neighborhood, complete with an extensive grove of maples (617-524-1718; arboretum.harvard.edu).

For those who prefer some interesting foreground to their autumnal backdrop, there's Cambridge's 175-acre Mount Auburn Cemetery, the country's first landscaped "garden cemetery."

It's a National Historic Landmark, and the final resting place of some 90,000 eminent Bostonians (580 Mount Auburn St., 617-547-7105, mountauburn.org).

Retro-looking bikes at reasonable rates

Boston has always been Difficult (with a capital D) to drive in, and the subway (known as the T), while efficient and inexpensive, allows you to surface from only selected holes.

More adventurous travelers will be pleased to hear that Boston just inaugurated a citywide bike-share program known as the New Balance Hubway. When fully operational, tourists and residents alike will be able to rent a New Balance bike at one of 61 kiosks for the very reasonable base fee of $5 for 24 hours or $12 for three days. Bikes can be returned at any other kiosk -- rides that last longer than 30 minutes incur usage fees that start at $2. For details on terms and locations, visitthehubway.com.