Boston street ramble - Travel Writing from Travel Insights

Boston Ramble

Boston, U.S.A.
by Richard Foster
IT would be misguided to assume that Boston is just a collection of historic sites, museums, and cultural attractions. Boston's refined atmosphere is perfect for soaking up on foot

Boston's refined atmosphere is perfect for soaking up on foot

Although these are the elements that draw visitors to Boston, they don't reveal the essence of the city. Boston's essence is manifest in the lifestyles, mores, and activities of its distinct neighborhoods. To visit the city and not venture into some of its neighborhoods is to deprive yourself of an opportunity to experience what beats beneath the glossy surface prepared for the casual visitor. With little effort you can take advantage of Boston's compactness to investigate areas such as Beacon Hill, Chinatown, and Faneuil Hall to get a sense of the contrasting cultures that combine to keep Boston a dynamic and vibrant city.

Streetmap of central Boston

Boston has many neighborhoods worth exploring, but there are three situated close together that offer very different experiences and provide you with a panorama of sights, sounds, and aromas that enhance your sense and feel for the city. Park Street subway station on the edge of the Boston Common is as good a starting point as any. It is easily reached from all of the subway lines, is located in the heart of the original town, and is within walking distance of all three neighborhoods. In addition the Park Service runs a booth close by where you can get information and maps and, more importantly, find public toilets (a rare find in Boston).

If you plan on spending the day walking Boston, kick off your trek by wandering Beacon Hill and get the climbing out of the way while your legs are still strong. From the subway station, head up Park Street towards the top of the hill and the golden domed Massachusetts State House. The Beacon Hill neighborhood extends roughly to the left and behind the State House down to the Charles River. Either head down Beacon Street to the left of the State House and then turn up one of the side streets, or go around the right side of the State House and pick a street or an alley to explore.

The area is primarily residential and lacks the flash and outward activity of other neighborhoods. Most of the buildings are made of brick and date back to the 19th century. As you wander the narrow, brick sidewalks, note the bow-front houses with the subtle architectural features that distinguish one from the other. Peeking over or through fences reveals the small, genteel gardens maintained by many of the residents. The whole neighborhood is bathed in a quiet and subdued elegance.

Over the centuries Beacon Hill has been the traditional home of wealth and power in Boston, and Massachusetts, and walking through the area, trying to imagine living behind the gleaming wooden doors, can give you a sense of life as a Boston Brahmin. It is an environment that exudes entitlement, stability, and wealth. Although people move into and out of Beacon Hill regularly, there are families that have owned houses on the Hill for generations. Some of the more expansive houses have been subdivided and old carriage houses have been converted to living space. But these attempts to squeeze additional people into the area have not diminished Beacon Hill's cachet. If you walk down Mt. Vernon Street check out Louisburg Square and the oval park in the center. This is a private park with ownership held in common by all the property fronting on the Square. The Louisburg Square Proprietors was the first homeowners association in the country.

What's in a Name?

The street signs and place names you pass often provide clues to the history of the area. Names such as Leather Square, Merchants Row, Corn Hill, and Haymarket Square clearly identify the activity that spawned the name. State Street leads to the colonial era State House and School Street identifies the location of the first public school in the US, established in 1635 and attended by such notables as Ben Franklin, John Hancock and Sam Adams.

The Granary Burying Ground got its name from the granary that for much of the 1700s occupied the Park Street Church site. Beacon Hill itself recalls a beacon atop a wooden pole ordered by the General Court of Massachusetts, "to give notice of any danger." Pi Alley (a.k.a. Pie Alley) identifies the original home of the newspaper trade. Composing room workers would dump their pi (jumbled printing type) out of the window into the alley. Tremont Street reflects the original English name for the peninsula, Trimount, which described the three peaks that once made up Beacon Hill. Some names seem counterintuitive: there's no dock at Dock Square, and no water near the Back Bay, Water Street, Causeway Street, North Cove, or Beach Street, but - of course - there used to be.

After having trekked around Beacon Hill, walk down to Charles Street by way of Mt. Vernon or Pinckney Streets. Charles Street is the shopping district for Beacon Hill residents and is lined with a collection of small stores, markets, sandwich shops, and restaurants. If the weather is nice and you're hungry, get yourself some takeout food and head for the Common or the Public Garden for a picnic.

To reach the Public Garden and Common, with your back toward Beacon Hill, turn left on Charles Street. When you get to Beacon Street, the Public Garden is across the street to your right; the Common is to your left. Both are great places to sit back, relax, enjoy your food, and observe people from all of Boston's neighborhoods as they relax and play.

The Boston Public Garden is approximately 25 acres of green space planted with trees and beautiful flowerbeds. In the spring, when the tulip beds and flowering trees are in full bloom it is just delightful. A pond crossed by a whimsical replica of a suspension bridge sits in the middle of the Garden. From mid-April to September the famous swanboats ply the pond, taking passengers on a casual ride. In one corner of the Garden are the statues of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings. If the weather is good you can also watch street performers as you eat or stroll.

While the Public Garden has a formal layout and a defined function, the Common is more of an open, informal, and pastoral space. It is the oldest public park in the world, dating from 1634, but is still at the heart of much activity in Boston. During the holiday season the trees are brightly lit and deer are brought in for added effect. For Boston's annual 'First Night' celebration, ice sculptures are created and displayed. During the summer neighborhood baseball games are played on its fields and children (and adults) cool themselves in the Frog Pond on hot days. At anytime you could come across a political rally, festival, or some other event.

What's on TV?

Over the years, US television networks have broadcast numerous shows based in Boston. On Beacon Street are two buildings popularized by television. 14 Beacon Street is used for the exterior shots of the law offices of Cage and Fish in the show Ally McBeal. To find it, stand at the top of Park Street facing the State House, turn right, and walk along Beacon Street passing three or four buildings. Number 14 is the Congregational House, which is home to organizations related to the Congregational Church. It is not open to the public, but I have been told that an office door on the 4th floor has Ally McBeal's nameplate on it.

In the opposite direction, at the bottom of Beacon Street and across from the Public Gardens is 84 Beacon Street. This is home to the Cheers bar (previously known as the Bull and Finch Pub) that was the inspiration for the sitcom of the same name. Unlike the Congregational House, it is very much open to the public and welcomes your business.

While strolling through the Common, direct yourself to the corner where Tremont and Boylston Streets meet. This points you toward another of Boston's neighborhoods: Chinatown. Cross Tremont and continue along Boylston away from the Common, turn right onto Washington Street and continue for one block, then turn left on to Beach Street. Soon enough you'll know you're in Chinatown.

This piece of real estate has a completely different feel from Beacon Hill; it has none of the Hill's austere elegance and sedate atmosphere. Although much smaller than the Chinatowns in cities such as New York and San Francisco, it is still crammed with dozens of stores, restaurants, offices, and residences. Originally established around the turn of the 20th century as the enclave for Chinese immigrants, over the last couple of decades other Asian ethnic groups have moved into the area, adding another layer of diversity to the neighborhood, and Boston at large.

Chinatown and the North End >>