April 16--Some Back Bay businesses remained closed today while others allowed employees to work from home in the wake of yesterday's fatal Boston Marathon bombings.

The Mandarin Oriental on Boylston Street remains closed while the hotel works with local authorities to determine when it can reopen, said spokeswoman Danielle DeVoe.

The Copley Square Hotel and XHALE restaurant also remain closed through today.

MFS Investment Management on Boylston Street reopened today, but employees had the option of working from home or at the company's Marlboro offices.

The bombings also had ripple effects beyond Boston. Tonight's Working at and Working with Mohegan Sun Palmer event has been postponed, a spokeswoman said.

But general admission to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is free to the public today. Its galleries and special exhibitions are open for visitors seeking a place of respite, the museum said. Drop-in programs, including art-making activities, tours and story hours for families and children are available today, as well as the rest of school vacation week.

The Louis D. Brown Peace Institute at 1452 Dorchester Ave. in Dorchester also is open until 7 p.m.

"If you need a safe, quiet space to process the many emotions that we are all dealing with, please do not hesitate to come in," Tina Cheri, president and CEO, said in an email. "No need to call, just come in."

Boylston Street will continue to be closed from Berkeley Street to Massachusetts Avenue, according to police, but Newbury Street will be open to vehicular traffic. The police crime scene was reduced today from a 15-block area to a 12-block section of Back Bay.

The Prudential Center will be open for business, but only will be accessible from the Huntington Avenue side, police said.

The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority said that as of today, the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association Annual Meeting at the Hynes Convention Center, which has about 2,000 attendees, is now scheduled to take place starting Wednesday night until Friday.

The Hynes Convention Center and all hotels surrounding the Hynes are open, said MCCA Executive Director James E. Rooney.

At the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, the Experimental Biology 2013 Annual Meeting is also scheduled to take place starting Saturday.

The MCCA plans to increase security and security checks at all of its facilities in town. Hynes access can be gained through the entrance in the Prudential Center. All those entering MCCA facilities without a valid ID will be approached regarding their purpose in the facility, and visitors entering the Hynes will be subject to bag searches, Rooney said.

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