Boston – Around Town : Back Bay (part 1)

by

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

Attractions

  1. Newbury 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.

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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.

    • 136 Massachusetts Ave

    • 617 266 7455

    • Check website for details of concerts and performances: www.berkleebpc.com

  6. 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

  7. 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.

    • 800 Boylston St

    • 617 236 3100

    • Open 10am– 9:30pm daily, 11am–6pm Sun




    Prudential Center

  8. 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

  9. 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

  10. 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