The Worcester Common is the old training ground at the centre of the city, set aside as common land in the 17th century and still surrounded today by the city hall, the cathedral, and a clutch of office towers. In summer there are concerts and an outdoor ice rink in winter. The Common is a useful orientation point — most of downtown sits within a few blocks of it.
The City Hall on the south side is a handsome late-19th-century building modelled on the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence; the Cathedral of Saint Paul on the west side is the seat of the Catholic diocese. Look for the Burnside Fountain at the corner of Front and Salem streets.