Boston, Part 1

With my time in Boston coming to a close, I decided to really get out and explore Boston. It has been ages since I’ve actually explored it. Isn’t that how it is though? You never really see the city you live in all your life because it is always there. Well, not anymore!

Parks and Homes
Boston is a small and compact city. It’s easily walkable and so I broke up my city tour into various walks. My first walk took me around the city parks, the state house, and the famous Beacon Hill, the residence of Boston’s elite.

Right in the middle of the city is Boston Commons and the Public Gardens. The commons are a combination of a few things: fields for sports, a wading pool for kids, the beginning of the historic freedom trail, and tree lined walkways and grass knolls where you can relax the afternoon away.

During the summer, the commons are filled with people relaxing out in the sun. Little kids play and splash in Frog pond while students lay out in the sun enjoying their break. Workers flood the benches during lunch time- catching some fresh air and enjoying the weather before retreating back to their cubicles. Tourists roam the park and groups are out playing sports. If it is summer, it is packed. With such harsh winters, Bostonians take full advantage of all our nice days.

Across the way is the Boston Public Gardens. A mini-park, the garden, is exactly that- a garden. Paths criss cross the area with various flowers and trees dotting the trails. At the entrance stands a welcoming and strident statue of George Washington. It’s a great place to stroll through during the summer and a cool place to photograph in the winter. In the center is a lake filled with swans- both real and wooden. You can watch the real ones float across the pond while couples peddle by in giant swan shaped boats. Float across the pond and watch all the people and animals role. It’s our mini-central park and exploration of both the Public Garden and The Commons is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Right next to these parks is Beacon Hill. Beacon hill is home to our golden domed state house where all the legislative action happens and people like John Adams and John F. Kennedy used to roam the halls. The surrounding neighborhood is home to Boston’s historic colonial houses where Boston’s upper class used to and still does live. It’s here you’ll find tiny cobble streets and lamp, colonial mansions, and brick homes that line the streets. You’ll see colonial actors leading tour groups through the area explaining the history of all the homes and the leaders who used to live here. This area was home to the likes of John Adams and John Hancock. It’s a neighborhood drenched in history- political, cultural, and architectural. It is reminiscent of the historic area of Philadelphia.

Suffolk University, my graduate school, is located near here and while I frequently walked the outlying streets of the area, I never really explored all of Beacon Hill. I had always made plans to do so but it never worked out so it was good to finally do so. If any of you are in Boston, do not skip this area. It is a walk back in history, something Boston has a lot of.

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