Boston is a lively place, make no mistake, yet there are still odd throwbacks to the Pilgrim Fathers, such as 0200 being the official closing time for bars, 21 years the minimum drinking age and smoking not being allowed in any Boston or Cambridge establishment. There are some 24-hour diners, a few clubs that open beyond 0200 and some late-night restaurants in Chinatown. Some bars and clubs can admit under 21s; some do it on a fixed-night basis. Bars generally open at around 1100. Clubs have varying cover charges but can often be free if you arrive early in the evening.

Student bars and clubs, of course, abound just over the river in Cambridge around Harvard and MIT but probably won't allow credit cards. The gay scene is centred on South End and Bay Village, although various clubs have a specific gay night. The Thursday weekly Bay Windows (website: www.baywindows.com) has the largest coverage of Boston's gay and lesbian scene. Most nightclubs are to be found on Lansdowne Street near Kenmore Square and Fenway at the southwestern end of the city centre.

The Thursday editions of the Boston Globe (website: www.boston.com/globe) and the Boston Phoenix (website: www.bostonphoenix.com), and the Friday edition of the Boston Herald (website: www.bostonherald.com) as well as the online guide Citysearch (website: http://boston.citysearch.com) have full listings.

Bars: One of the joys of the USA now is the range of micro-brew (self-brew) pubs. Boston has several: Boston Beer Works, 112 Canal Street and 61 Brookline Avenue, Kenmore Square, where all the working 'gubbings' of the brewery are on show. Over the river, try the Cambridge Brewing Company, 1 Kendall Square, and John Harvard's Brew House, 33 Dunster Street, Harvard Square.

If you can't resist the Irish legacy of Boston, there is a huge choice, often with live music. Try the Temple Bar, 1688 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, the Black Rose, 160 State Street, Faneuil Hall, or the Grafton Street Pub, 1230 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge. The Pour House, 909 Boylston Street, is a popular with young professionals and the just-turned-21 set.

Boston has several gay bars. For an eclectic artistic experience ranging from poetry nights to bluegrass music in a student atmosphere, travel over the river to the Cantab Lounge (upstairs) and Third Rail at 738 Massachusetts Avenue.

The ultimate TV-theme experience, if queues are not off-putting, is Cheers (formerly the Bull and Finch Pub), Hampshire House, 84 Beacon Street, which was shipped over from England and became the inspiration for the TV series of the same name, although it doesn't look much like the TV bar inside. A replica of the TV Cheers bar opened at Faneuil Hall in 2001.

Clubs: Avalon, 15 Lansdowne Street (website: www.avalonboston.com), and Axis, 13 Lansdowne Street, both huge clubs in their own right, combine for Sunday's gay night, allowing free movement between the two. Otherwise, both have their own range of themed nights and music styles. Avalon is also a good live rock venue. Smaller and more casual is Bill's Bar, 5 Lansdowne Street (website: www.billsbar.com). Its 1950s atmosphere is popular with students. The Roxy, 279 Tremont Street (website: www.roxyplex.com), in the Theater District, is done out as a huge ballroom but has all kinds of theme nights plus dance and music from salsa to chart and even has magic shows. Sonsie, 327 Newbury Street (website: www.sonsieboston.com), is popular with young professionals.

Live Music: The jazz and blues are great and the atmosphere colourful at the intimate Wally's Cafe, 427 Massachusetts Avenue (website: www.wallyscafe.com). Ryles, 212 Hampshire Street, Cambridge (website: www.rylesjazz.com), one of the area's oldest jazz clubs, draws local as well as international artists. Not cheap, but with modern jazz and unbeatable views, is the Top of the Hub, top of the Prudential Tower (website: www.topofthehub.net). Soft sounds and a view of Faneuil Hall Market is what you'll find at the comfortable Atrium Lounge at the Millennium Bostonian Hotel, North and Blackstone Streets. Some of Boston's best jazz, blues, Latin and funk are featured at Les Zygomates, 129 South Street (website: www.winebar.com), one of the city's hidden treasures.