|
The easily navigated grid of streets in Back Bay bear
little resemblance to the labyrinthine lanes around Downtown and the
North End. In the mid- 1800s Back Bay was filled in to accommodate
Boston’s mushrooming population and by the late-1800s, the area had
become a vibrant, upscale neighborhood. Home to many of Boston’s
wealthiest families, the area was characterized by lavish houses, grand
churches, and bustling commercial zones. Many of the original buildings
stand intact, providing an exquisite 19th-century backdrop for today’s
pulsing nightlife, world-class shopping, and sumptuous dining.
|
Cross streets in Back Bay run alphabetically, beginning with Arlington in the east and ending at Hereford Street in the west
|
|
|
For those tight on time, the Prudential Center’s glorified food hall makes perfect sense
|
|
AttractionsNewbury Street Over the years, Back Bay’s most famous street has proven to be amazingly adaptable. How else could fashion boutiques as au courant
as Diesel and DKNY blend so seamlessly into their 140-year-old
brownstone environs? This uncanny adaptability provides for the
liveliest, most eclectic street scene in Boston: a babble of languages,
skater punks walking alongside catwalk models, and delivery trucks and
Ferraris jockeying for the same parking space – it’s all here. Trinity Church When
I. M. Pei’s 60-story John Hancock Tower was completed in 1976,
Bostonians feared Trinity Church would be overshadowed by its gleaming
upstart neighbor. Yet H. H. Richardson’s masterpiece, dedicated in 1877,
remains just as vital to Copley Square, and as beautiful, as it
appeared on its opening day .
Portico, Trinity Church
Boston Public Library Although
this McKim, Mead, and White-designed building went up in 1895, the
Boston Public Library was actually founded in 1848 and is the oldest
publicly-funded library in the country. The interior’s Greco-Roman style
cues lavish use of marble, and John Singer Sargent’s powerful “Judaism
and Christianity” mural sequence clearly illustrates how highly public
education was valued when the library was constructed. Guided tours
offer insight into the building’s architecture and history. 700 Boylston St 617 536 5400 Open 9am–9pm Mon–Thu, 9am–5pm Fri–Sat, 1–5pm Sun (Jun–Sep: closed Sun) Tours: 2:30pm Mon, 6pm Tue & Thu, 11am Fri & Sat, 2pm Sun Free
www.bpl.org
Bates Hall, Boston Public Library
Sargent mural, Boston Public Library
The Esplanade The
perfect setting for a leisurely bike ride, an invigorating jog, or a
lazy, languid afternoon of soaking up the sun, the Esplanade is one of
the city’s most popular green spaces. This gorgeous ribbon of green
hugging the Charles’ river banks was inspired by Venetian canals. July 4th
at the Esplanade’s Hatch Shell concert venue brings the world-famous
Boston Pops orchestra along with thousands of revelers to enjoy the
incomparable mix of music, good cheer, and awe-inspiring fireworks.
The Esplanade
Berklee Performance Center The
largest independent music school in the world, Berklee was founded in
1945. The college has produced a number of world-renowned jazz, rock,
and pop stars, including Quincy Jones, Melitha Etheridge, Kevin Eubanks,
Jan Hammer, and Branford Marsalis. The state-of-the-art performance
center hosts special events including concerts, plays, and film
screenings. Commonwealth Avenue With its leafy pedestrian mall and belle époque-inspired architecture, Commonwealth Avenue aptly deserves its comparison to les rues parisiennes.
A morning jog on the mall is a popular pastime, as is the occasional
picnic or afternoon snooze on a bench. Highlights include Boston’s first
Baptist church (110 Clarendon; closed to non-worshipers) and the
pedestrian mall’s stately statues, including the William Lloyd Garrison
bronze, sculpted by local artist Anne Whitney.
Baptist Church window, Commonwealth Ave
Prudential Center Although
difficult to imagine, the Prudential Tower’s 52 stories seem dwarfed by
the huge swathe of street-level shops and restaurants that comprise the
Prudential Center. With its indoor shopping mall, food court,
supermarket, cluster of residential towers, and massive convention
center, the Prudential Center is like a self-contained city within a
city. For a jaw-dropping view of Boston, visit the Skywalk on the tower’s 50th level, or the Top of the Hub Lounge two floors above.
Prudential Center
Christian Science Center While
believers head for the Romanesque-Byzantine basilica, the library
(entered from Massachusetts Avenue) emphasizes inspirational facets of
the founder’s life rather than church doctrine. The Mapparium, a
walk-through stained-glass globe with 1935 political boundaries, remains
the most popular exhibit. Peer into the newsroom of the Christian
Science Monitor. Outside, a 670 ft- (204-m) long reflecting pool
designed by I. M. Pei is lined with begonias, marigolds, and columbines.
The café is a good spot for lunch.
Mapparium, Christian Science Center
Gibson House Museum One
of the first private residences to be built in Back Bay (c.1859),
Gibson House remains beautifully intact. The house has been preserved as
a monument to the era, thanks largely to the efforts of its final
resident (the grandson of the well-to-do woman who built the house). So
frozen in time does this house appear that you might feel like you’re
intruding on someone’s inner sanctum, and an earlier age. Highlights of
the tour include some elegant porcelain dinnerware, 18th-century
heirloom jewelry, and exquisite black walnut woodwork throughout the
house.
Library, Gibson House Museum
New England Life Murals In
the lobby of the New England Financial building, a series of eight
murals depicts scenes from Boston’s most formative moments. Mounted in
1942 by a Beaux Arts star pupil, Charles Hoffbauer, the series
commemorates events such as the pilgrims’ welcome by the Samoset Indians
in 1621 and the 1797 launching of the USS Constitution. 501 Boylston St Open 9am–5pm Mon–Fri Free
|
