From Wikipedia:
Throughout its history, Brookline resisted being absorbed by Boston, in particular
as the Brookline-Boston annexation debate of 1873 was decided in favor of independence.
...
Brookline has long been regarded as a pleasant and verdant environment. In 1841 edition
of The Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening, Andrew Jackson Downing
described the area this way:
The whole of this neighborhood of Brookline is a kind of landscape garden, and
there is nothing in America of the sort, so inexpressibly charming as the lanes which
lead from one cottage, or villa, to another. No animals are allowed to run at large,
and the open gates, with tempting vistas and glimpses under the pendent boughs, give it
quite an Arcadian air of rural freedom and enjoyment. These lanes are clothed with a
profusion of trees and wild shrubbery, often almost to the carriage tracks, and curve
and wind about, in a manner quite bewildering to the stranger who attempts to thread
them alone; and there are more hints here for the lover of the picturesque in lanes
than we ever saw assembled together in so small a compass.
-
Coolidge Corner - A local business district containing many restaurants and
candidates for
the best independent movie theater
and
the best independent bookstore
in the U.S.
Here is a map with points of interest in our part of Brookline.
- The Emerald Necklace - The only
remaining [mostly] intact linear park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., America's first
landscape architect. As such, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Green and open spaces, rivers and ponds, and a wealth and diversity of trees, shrubs,
flowers, wildlife habitat, riparian life, bridges and other structures make up this
urban jewel. Here is a project which tried
to bring back Olmsted's original vision, but hasn't succeeded yet.
-
Hall's Pond Sanctuary - A couple of blocks from the conference hotel behind streets
of brick apartment buildings, this park with its quiet pond, tall trees, and no dogs
provides a respite from urban life.
[Doug's photos]
- Larz Anderson Auto Museum -
America's oldest car collection is a few miles down the Emerald Necklace in a big
park with great views of Boston from the top of the hill above the museum.
- John F. Kennedy Birthplace - Not
far from Coolidge Corner in Brookline, the house where President Kennedy spent his
boyhood is preserved as a National Historic Site, restored by Rose Kennedy in 1967
to the way it was in 1917 when her second son was born.
-
Longwood Mall - Not a shopping mall, but two-block-long park consisting
of twin lines of historic European Beech trees, planted 150 years ago by developer
David
Sears.
- The Freedom Trail - A line of
red paint or red brick on the sidewalk, the 2 1/2-mile Freedom Trail links 16 historic
sites, many of them associated with the Revolution and the early days of the United
States. The route cuts across downtown, passing through the busy shopping area around
Downtown Crossing, the Financial District, and the North End, on the way to
Charlestown. Markers identify the stops, and plaques point the way from one to the
next. The Boston National Historical
Park has a
Visitor Center downtown from which rangers lead free walking tours of the Freedom
Trail and portions thereof.
(Map)
- The
Back Bay - The Back Bay is the youngest neighborhood in central Boston, the product
of a massive landfill project that transformed the city from 1835 to 1882. It's flat,
symmetrical, logically designed -- the names of the cross streets go in alphabetical
order -- and altogether anomalous in Boston's crazy-quilt geography.
(Map)
- Boston HarborWalk - The
HarborWalk has a changing character as it winds through the city's waterfront
neighborhoods and downtown district, stretching from Chelsea Creek to the Neponset
River, through East Boston, Charlestown, North End, Downtown, South Boston and
Dorchester. Part of the richness of the HarborWalk is its variety, reflecting the
various activities and urban texture of adjacent land.
(Map)
- Harvard
Square - Popular impressions to the contrary, Cambridge is not exclusively Harvard.
In fact, even Harvard Square isn't exclusively Harvard. During a walk around the area,
you'll see historic buildings and sights, interesting museums, and notable architecture
on and off the university's main campus.
(Map)
- Harvard Museum of Natural History
- The highlight is the famous botanical galleries, which feature more than 3000
lifelike pieces of handblown-glass flowers and plants. (Admission: $9.00. Open daily:
9:00 am to 5:00 pm.)
- Institute of Contemporary Arts - This
dramatic waterfront venue is Boston's focal point for contemporary art. The Diller
Scofidio + Renfro designed building is a work of art in itself - a striking glass
structure cantilevered over a waterside plaza. The spacious light-filled interior
allows for multimedia presentations, educational programs and studio space. More
importantly, it provides the venue for the development of the ICA's permanent
collection of 21st-century art. (Admission: $12. Open Tue-Wed 10:00-17:00, Thu-Fri
10:00-21:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00.)
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum -
The magnificent Venetian-style palazzo that houses the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
was also home to 'Mrs Jack' Gardner herself until her death in 1924. A monument to one
woman's exquisite taste for acquiring art, the Gardner is filled with almost 2000
priceless objects, including outstanding tapestries and Italian Renaissance and
17th-century Dutch paintings. (Admission: $12. Open Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00.)
- MIT Museum - This the
quirkiest museum around Boston, with a great collection of holographs, an exhibit
called Robots and Beyond demonstrating MIT's ongoing work on artificial intelligence,
and changing exhibits at the interface between art, history, and technology.
You can meet humanoid robots like observant Cog and personable Kismet and decide for
yourself if they are smarter than humans. Sculptor Arthur Ganson explores the fine line
between art and engineering with his display of interactive sculpture. (Admission: $5.
Open Tue-Fri 10:00-17:00, Sat & Sun 12:00-17:00.)
- Museum Of Afro-American History -
Beacon Hill was never the exclusive domain of blue-blood Brahmins. Waves of immigrants,
and especially African Americans, free from slavery, settled on the backside of the
hill in the 19th century. The Museum of Afro-American History occupies two adjacent
historic buildings: the African Meeting House, the country's oldest black church and
meeting house; and Abiel Smith School, the country's first school for blacks.
(Admission: $5. Open Mon-Sat 10:00-16:00.)
- Museum of Fine Arts - One of the world's
great art museums, the MFA has collections from ancient Greece and Egypt through modern
times, although some galleries are closed during a major expansion and reconstruction.
(Admission: $20. Open Sat-Tues 10am-4:45pm, Wed 10am-9:45pm, Thurs-Fri 10am-5pm.)
- Museum Of Science - This educational
playground has more than 600 interactive exhibits. Favorites include the world's
largest lightning bolt generator, a full-scale space capsule, a world population meter
and a virtual fish tank. The amazing array of exhibits explores computers, technology,
complex systems, algae, maps, models, dinosaurs, birds and much more. There is also
a planetarium with frequent shows and an IMAX theater. (Admission: $20.
Open Sep-Jun: Sat-Thu 09:00-17:00, Jul & Aug: 09:00-19:00,, 09:00-21:00 Fri
year-round.)
- New England Aquarium - Dive
into the world of water without getting wet at the New England Aquarium. Explore
vibrant coral reefs, from the Bahamas and the tropical Pacific to temperate Australia.
Meet the lionfish and the stonefish, some of the most poisonous fishes in the sea.
Discover how the Aquarium collects these specimens at the Bahamas Collecting Trip Blog,
introduce yourself to the harbor seals, and don't forget to say hello to Myrtle, the
green sea turtle. (Admission: $21. Open July-Labor Day Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm, Fri-Sun and
holidays 9am-7pm; day after Labor Day-June Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun and holidays
9am-6pm.)
- Old State House Museum -
Known today as the Old State House, this building was the center of Boston s civic life
in the 18th century and the scene of some of the most dramatic chapters in the lead-up
to the American Revolution. Within these walls, Samuel Adams, James Otis, John Hancock,
and John Adams debated the future of the British colonies. Now, two floors of
exhibitions tell the story of the role the building--and Boston--played in the American
Revolution. (Adults $7, Seniors (62+) $6, Students $6, Youth (6-18) $3, Children 5
& under free, open 7 days a week, 9:00 to 17:00.)
- USS Constitution Museum -
The USS Constitution Museum was incorporated in 1972 as an interpretive complement to
the active duty naval vessel USS CONSTITUTION. In 1976, the private, non-profit museum
opened the doors in the present facility located just across the pier from the still
floating USS CONSTITUTION. The Museum houses and displays artifacts related to the
Ship's history in interpretive exhibitions offering the context of USS CONSTITUTION's
history. The founding of the Museum enabled the Ship to clear the decks of display
cases so that visitors who tour aboard see a frigate ready to sail, rather than a
floating museum. (Admission: Free. Open May-mid-Oct: 09:00-18:00, mid-Oct-Apr:
10:00-17:00.)
- Boston
Common - The central public park in Boston, Massachusetts, it is sometimes
erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is one of the
oldest city parks in the United States. The Boston Common consists of 50 acres (20 ha)
of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street, Charles Street, and
Boylston Street. The Common is one end of the Emerald Necklace of parks and parkways that
extend from the Common south to Franklin Park in Roxbury. A visitors' center for all of
Boston is on the Tremont Street side of the park.
- Bunker Hill
Monument - The so-called Battle of Bunker Hill is ironically named, as most of the
fighting took place on Breed's Hill, where the Bunker Hill Monument stands today. The
200ft granite obelisk rewards physically fit visitors with fine views at the top of its
294 steps. The adjacent museum contains historical dioramas depicting the battle.
(Admission: Free. Open daily from 9 A.M. to 5 p.m. Last climb at 4:30 PM.)
- Faneuil Hall - A
brick colonial building topped with the beloved grasshopper weather vane - was
constructed as a market and public meeting place in 1740, at the urging of Boston
benefactor and merchant Peter Faneuil. In 1805, Charles Bulfinch enlarged the building
and enclosed the 1st-floor market, designing the 2nd-floor meeting space that's here
today. (Admission: Free. Open 9 am - 5 pm, except during city sponsored events.)
- The New England Holocaust Memorial -
Erected in 1995, these six glass towers spring up in the midst of attractions that
celebrate freedom, reminding visitors of the consequences of a world without it. The
pattern on the glass, which at first appears merely decorative, is actually 6 million
random numbers, one for each Jew who died during the Holocaust. As you pass through,
pause to read the inscriptions.
- USS Constitution - Old
Ironsides, one of the U.S. Navy's six original frigates, never lost a
battle. A tour, led by an active-duty sailor in an 1812 dress uniform, is an excellent
introduction to an era when the future of the new nation was anything but certain.
(Admission: Free. Open Apr-Oct Tues-Sun 10am-6pm; tours every 30 min. 10am-3:30pm.
Nov-Mar Thurs-Sun 10am-4pm; tours every 30 min. 10am-3:30pm.)
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