Mass appeal

Summer may signal the end of high season at New England’s beach resorts, but early autumn is the perfect time for visiting the region’s largest metropolis, Boston, along with its smaller neighbors, Cambridge and Somerville. In October, the city comes alive with students back at the area’s many colleges, the leaves turn bold shades of orange and crimson in gardens and parks around town and restaurants and bars with terraces and sidewalk seating entertain fans of alfresco dining for a few more weeks of warm weather.