THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW:
There are two State Houses,
two City Halls,
two courthouses and
two Hancock buildings (one old, one new)
Route 128 is also I-95. It is also I-93.
The underground train is not the subway. It's the T and it doesn't run all night (fah chrysakes, this ain't Noo Yawk).
GETTING AROUND:
Pay no attention to the street names.
• There's no school on School Street,
• No court on Court Street,
• No dock on Dock Square,
• No water on Water Street.
• Back Bay streets are in alphabetical odda. Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Dartmouth. So are South Boston streets: A, B, C, D.
• If the streets are named after trees (Walnut, Chestnut, Cedar), you're on Beacon Hill. If they're named after poets you're in Wellesley.
All avenues are properly referenced by their nicknames:
Comm Ave,
Mass Ave.,
Dot Ave.
Dot is Dorchester,
Rozzie Roslindale,
JP is Jamaica Plain.
Readville doesn't exist.
THE NORTH-EAST-SOUTH-WEST THING:
• Southie is South Boston. The South End is the South End.
• Eastie is East Boston.
• The North End is east of the West End.
• The West End and Scollay Square are no more-a guy named Rappaport got rid of them one night.
• The geographical center of Boston is in Roxbury.
• Due north of the center we find the South End.
• This is not to be confused with South Boston, which lies directly east from the South End.
• North of the South End is East Boston and southwest of East Boston is the North End.
• Back Bay was filled in years ago
Hi there,
Welcome to our city! You will love it here; it is a great place to live and a terrific place to visit. The right amount of metropolitan without that bustling and hurried feeling of NYC (not to hate on the big apple -- it just isn't for me because I like a bit of a quieter locale and more greenery and flora), and lots to see and do!
For shopping -- go to Newbury Street hands down. Even if you don't want to shop, it is a great place to walk around and people watch and spend an afternoon just looking at "stuff"!
At the start of Newbury St. (it is one way) there is Boston Common. Really pretty and another great place for a sunny stroll. Love the little statues there and be sure you stop at the Make Way for Ducklings bronze tribute. In the winter, somebody puts santa hats on them and when our sports teams make the playoffs, they wear little pint-size jerseys with the emblem of the team in the tourney. So cute! The common is all lit up around the holidays and so beautiful, and there is a little skating rink called the Frog Pond that is a fun little tourist trap and local attraction alike.
The swan boat rides in the Common are supposedly pretty nice, but I have never taken one so I can't personally vouch for them. 
Near the commons on Arlington St is the Taj hotel, which is the old Ritz-Carlton which has since relocated to the other side of the commons on Avery St. Love afternoon tea at the Taj or at the Mandarin Oriental.
If you are a spa gal, the Mandarin has an unbelievable spa and if you want to work out, day passes at Sports Club LA (at the Ritz Carlton) or Healthworks -- which is a great place to get a real sweat in because it is women-only. HW also has amazing classes: Zumba, Hip Hob, Body Jam (a modern dance class that is surprisingly intense but so fun -- the hour flies by!), Urban Rebounding (with individual-sized trampolines; another that is quite difficult at first!) are my favorites.
Near the commons just up Newbury a bit is Boston's Public Library which is exceptionally beautiful and would be a great place for photos. In front there is a little green which has Farmers' Markets on Tuesdays and Fridays in the summer and may still have that going on so it could be cool to check out, and across that grassy square is a church, the name of which is escaping me, which is historic and beautiful. Another cool spot for a photo op.
Any of the 4-star and 5-star hotels in Back Bay are amazing! My favorites I will PM you about since I don't want to make any suggestions about places publicly. There is one 5-star hotel that really stands out, and another that is on the water is extremely popular and quite nice inside, too, as well as being a bit of a Boston institution.
Definitely visit the north end, our Italian district, and stop into Modern Pastry for cannolis (Mike's is very famous too, but I think Modern is better) or fruit tarts. Try the chocolate chip cannolis! The cheesecake ain't bad either, but is not as "special" to our city as the former. Bova's is open (I think?) 24 hours a day and has great late-night calzones but can be dangerous so be careful there. haha 
There is an ice bar in the Financial District that may be a cool stop; depending on where you are from you may not have anything like it. (I imagine Dallas or Houston, for example, doesn't have one but I could be wrong.)
Fanieul Hall/Quincy Market is another great place to walk around and is very famous to Boston! And across the way is the New England Aquarium, which I love, and I think you will enjoy if you are into that type of thing.
Lastly, Cambridge's Harvard Square has a funky hipster feel to it and is interesting to see. Has some cute shops, and nearby is the Esplanade which is a fantastic place to walk, adjacent to the Charles River, and people watch/get some exercise. You can also just sit on the grass and read a book and have an iced coffee or something.
Okay... wow, this is long. I am going to wrap it up. Hope this helps. Will PM on hotels and as for restaurants... Well, you absolutely need to go to O-Ya if you like sushi. Best restaurant in Boston BY FAR (!!) and top 3 I have ever eaten at internationally and domestically, although that is my opinion so YMMV.
If you want a lobster roll, James Hook & Co somewhat near Fanieul Hall is great! Enjoy! :
