If you ask longtime MA residents about Boston’s Freedom Trail, most likely they’ll recall memories of a school field trip. Many people think the city’s famous red-lined path starting from the Boston Common and winding its way to Charlestown has been around “forever”. Well, not exactly. So,…
The Phillis Wheatley statue is my favorite in Boston. I am in awe of her graceful pose and pensive expression. ⠀ ⠀ Phillis Wheatley was the first African-American female published poet. She wrote her first poem when she was 13 years old. At 14, her work appeared in newspapers and periodicals in the U.S. and…
Boston’s Beacon Hill is an upscale 19th-century neighborhood lined with picturesque streets, brick sidewalks, antique gas lamps lit 24 hours a day, lovely doors and unique door knockers, hidden houses, beautiful flowers spilling out of window boxes and boot scrapers on the doorsteps. It’s a National Historic District that is approximately one square mile with a population of…
Acorn Street is Boston’s most photographed street. This famous cobblestoned street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood was laid out in the 1820s. Originally called Kitchen Street because the small row houses were once occupied by the cooks and coachmen who lived close to their employers. Some homes were even used as horse stables at one…
The pandemic may have disrupted our everyday lives, but it didn’t stop the tulips from blooming in the Boston Public Garden or the trees from blossoming around the city during this crazy spring of 2020. The Boston Public Garden traces its origins to marshland that Bostonians avoided in the 19th century. In 1837, a visionary…
One of the many details that give Boston’s Beacon Hill its distinct charm and character is its brick sidewalks. Thanks to a group of determined women, they took it upon themselves to preserve the brick sidewalks for posterity. In 1947, rumors had been swirling that Mayor James Michael Curley wanted to repave Beacon Hill’s sidewalks…
The Swan Boats, one of Boston’s most famous icons, usually come back from vacation in April on Patriot’s Day weekend. But, not this year…they are practicing social distancing until they receive the all-clear to set sail again in the Public Garden, the oldest botanical garden in America since 1837. The story behind the Swan Boats…
There are several things you immediately notice upon entering Polcari’s Coffee in Boston’s North End: the strong scent of coffee beans and the potent aroma of a variety of different spices. This adorable shop is like a time-capsule with its old-world charm preserved from a bygone era—from its creaky wooden floors to glass jars filled…
Whose idea was it to welcome spring in Back Bay with pink tulip magnolias along Commonwealth Ave? Here’s the backstory: Laura Dwight was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1899 and moved to Boston as an adult. She was a feisty resident who lived in an apartment on Comm. Ave with no garden. Over the years,…
Discover Beacon Hill on a PhotoWalks Boston Tour. Walking along its picturesque streets is an immersion into a charming 19th-century English-inspired neighborhood with limitless photo opportunities. Beacon Hill is home to the most photographed street in Boston and has hidden gems in unexpected places. Learn how to capture amazing pictures and discover its fascinating history….