Boston Common

I love travelling on the East Coast. I have been to Boston, Massachusetts twice on business – once to visit the telephone company’s computer operations center, and again several years later to visit EMC’s operations center. Both times, I managed to stroll through Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden; walk The Freedom Trail; and view the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor. I also enjoyed delicious seafood, and explored the historic brick streets of old Boston, soaking up its rich history. I wanted my husband to have the same experiences, so I booked a hotel in downtown Boston.

Boston Common provides a park setting in downtown Boston.

The hotel was conveniently located several blocks from Boston Common, which is part park, part thoroughfare, and part garden. It is a large green belt with multiple crisscrossing pathways, and large, mature trees that provide deep or filtered shade, depending on the tree. The space provides room for assembling, and room for solitary reflection. One of my favorite things is the brightly painted street piano at the Boston Common Visitor Center that invites pianists of all ages and skill levels to sit down and belt out a tune. What could be more fun or more civilized than making music in the open air?

Parkman Bandstand and fall colors.

The park consists of 50 acres, and is bound by Beacon, Charles, Boylston, Tremont, and Park Streets (you can see Boston Public Garden across Charles Street). Two T stations and several bus lines provide easy access. Boston Common dates from 1634, and has been used as a cow pasture, a pre-Revolutionary War camp for the British, gallows for public hangings, and an assembly area for riots and protests. My husband and I used Boston Common to take pictures, catch our sight-seeing Historic Tours Trolley, and to rest our aching feet!

Deep shade and dappled shade on a warm fall day.