The US beckons, at this time of year, as many students think beyond the encroaching exams to a summer in America on the J1 programme. While you are dreaming of what it will be like just make sure that you don't do what I did - fail your exams and then have too much of a good time in Boston to bother coming back for the repeats.
If the web had existed when I went on a J1 it would have taken some of the sense of mystery and adventure out of what I was facing into, but you can't be a Luddite about these things.
The web exists to make information which would otherwise be beyond our grasp easily accessible. Knowing a bit about the city you are going to can only be a good thing. As most people go to either Boston or New York, it is mainly sites dealing with those cities that I'll deal with here. This week, Boston.
Just as The Irish Times owns the website ireland.com, the Boston Globe newspaper owns www.boston.com. One of the most important aspects of the site for J1 students is that it allows you to search for jobs and rental apartments online. But do not go there solely for these reasons - the Boston Globe is one of the world's finest newspapers, one that I read every day when I lived there, and this site is a great way to get a flavour of the city.
It is probably down to the strong Irish heritage, but Boston is a far more politicised place than most US cities. Boston.com has all the latest news of goings-on that sometimes make our own planning tribunals seem like small change. It is also very strong on foreign news. Sometimes it can be illuminating to see how they report over there what happens here.
The Globe's sports coverage is also excellent. Read about the Boston Red Sox baseball team so that you have something to talk about with the locals as soon as you arrive (you will soon learn that they almost always start the season strongly but then they "break your heart").
You can also download music by local bands, a facility which should help you decide which concerts are worth seeing when you get there.
The Boston Phoenix (www.bostonphoenix.com) is a weekly four-section newspaper that was excellent value for money when it cost $1.50, and is better value still now that it's free. But its freedom of spirit is where its true value lies. It bills itself as Boston's "alternative source" for news, a claim which would be ridiculous if it weren't true.
It often has the stories behind the news that other organisations fail to cover, or only cover after the Phoenix has taken the lead. Its arts and entertainment coverage is unrivalled (it's where you find out about what gigs are coming up this summer), its food and drink reviews are accurate and its archive search is fast, thorough and, best of all, free. (Boston.com charges for its archives.) Sharp, incisive journalism and it's all here on the web.
Boston's best source for indie and alternative music is WFNX radio (www.wfnx.com) so it is not remotely surprising that it is part of the Phoenix family. Go to the site and have a listen: you can also read concert previews and film reviews, download songs and watch videos. The music was better when I lived there though!
The Boston Magazine (www.bostonmagazine.com) does not put its current features online, just includes the first paragraph to entice you to buy it from the newsstands. It does later include these features in its archive though.
What it does put on the web in its entirety is its City Guide, including its famous Best of Boston (a phrase it owns as a registered trademark) which goes all the way from A to, well, W. It just goes to show that if it's interesting in Boston it doesn't begin with X, Y or Z.
Citysearch (http:// boston.citysearch.com) is also worth seeing for up-to-date information about what's hot and what's not in Beantown.
