Tag: Walking map

Boston: Beacon Hill South Slope

Boston: Beacon Hill South Slope

By |

During the first quarter of the 19th century, Beacon Hill town houses designed by Charles Bulfinch, Asher Benjamin, and others exhibited influences derived from England, France, and even the Far East. Elements drawn from Ancient Egypt, Greek, and Roman sources enlivened the brick and brownstone-trimmed facades of the Hill’s stylish mansions. Among the 20 stops on the walk will be historic houses on Beacon Street; Acorn Street, perhaps Boston’s most picturesque; Louisburg Square with its British influence; and the former homes of 19th-century Boston mayors Harrison Gray Otis and John Phillips.


Click for “WalkBoston’s Beacon Hill South Slope Walking Map” on Google Maps

Jamaica Plain Walking Map

Jamaica Plain Walking Map

By |

Affectionately known as “J.P.,” Jamaica Plain is one of the greenest neighborhoods in the city–surrounded on three sides by large tracts of forested and much-loved open space. With bucolic Arnold Arboretum, picturesque Jamaica Pond, expansive Franklin Park, and historic Forest Hills Cemetery, J.P. is an outdoor oasis.

Still, don’t let all the natural beauty obscure J.P.’s abundance of architectural intrigue. The neighborhood hosts a number of “Painted Lady” Victorians on Summer Hill. Stately mansions line Jamaica Pond and nearby streets.

These days J.P. hosts wealthy “hip” suburbanites returning to the city, plus a large Hispanic and Caribbean population. They join longtime Irish Catholic residents, an LGBT contingent, students, and many others.

This walk gives you a sampling of what they perhaps love best about J.P.: quiet residential streets, spectacular mansions, a vibrant commercial district, and—most of all—Jamaica Pond, a major park and haven for the city-weary.

Click for “WalkBoston’s Jamaica Plain Walking Map” on Google Maps

Boston: Washington Street Walking Map

Boston: Washington Street Walking Map

By |

From Dudley Square to Chinatown, Washington Street is in the midst of an astonishing small-business and real-estate revival that is bringing new life and vitality to this historic part of the city. In colonial times Washington St was a narrow land bridge connecting Boston proper, which lay out on a peninsula, to the mainland behind. Boston Neck, as it was called, was not more than 100 feet wide at some points. When the early 19th century saw overcrowding of the city’s center, city business and government began to fill in the marshland along both sides of the Neck. New Chinese immigrants settled the land around the train station at the northern edge, and wealthy merchants built elegant town houses to the south. The financial panic of the 1870s led to the exodus of wealthy families. An elevated rapid transit train was constructed down the center in 1899 and did little to enhance the area’s appeal. The dismantling of the El in the 1980s finally set the stage for redevelopment.


Click for “WalkBoston – Boston’s Washington Street Walking Map” on Google Maps

Boston: Southwest Corridor Park Walking Map

Boston: Southwest Corridor Park Walking Map

By |

The Southwest Corridor Park was almost a highway. On this walk you can see what happened when the expressway plan was dropped, the narrow corridor became transit lines, and a park was built around it.

The never-built Southwest Expressway would have continued I-95 from Route 128 to downtown Boston, replacing the commuter and Amtrak rail line embankment. Hundreds of businesses and homes between Forest Hills and the South End were demolished in the 1960s to prepare for the new highway. As demolition progressed, however, community residents and activists lobbied in protest. Governor Francis Sargent reexamined the issue and announced his decision in 1972: no road. Funding set aside for I-95 was transferred to public transportation, the first such transfer in the country. The Orange Line–then an elevated line on Washington Street–was relocated into the underground rail corridor.


Click for “WalkBoston’s Boston: Southwest Corridor Park Walking Map” on Google Maps