Filed under: attraction, garden, park, top-feature
The Public Garden: A Boston Treasure
“When they got to Boston, they felt too tired to fly any further. There was a nice pond in the Public Garden…” Robert McCloskey, Make Way for Ducklings
Located adjacent to the more prosaic Boston Common, the Boston Public Garden (bordered by Arlington, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Sts.) (travel guide) is Victorian formal with sublimely designed flower beds, meandering walkways and an adorable footbridge that crosses a storybook lagoon. Established in the 1830′s as the country’s first public botanical garden, it is hard to believe that Boston’s Public Garden was created out of salt marsh and landfill.
The Public Garden may just be Boston’s most beloved park. It is a popular and the most picturesque walking route between downtown and the Back Bay, people – watchers of all types fill the park’s many benches, and children play spirited games of hide-and-seek among the trees.
The best way to enter the Public Garden is through the Arlington Street gate where Thomas Ball’s 1869 equestrian statue of George Washington facing the Commonwealth Avenue Mall never fails to impress. Washington dominates the central axis of the garden- look beyond and you will have a terrific sight line of downtown Boston in the background.
The Pubic Garden still features the finest formal gardens in the city making this a perfect place to stroll and unwind. From April-September, the center pathway’s flower beds are planted with rotating seasonal displays of bulbs and annuals. In the fall, the oaks and maples put on a showy display of rust and gold autumn leaves. Botany enthusiasts will note that the trees are tagged with their Latin names. And if you visit on any given Saturday throughout the year – you will likely see a bridal party – the Public Garden is one of the city’s most popular sites for wedding photographs.
But there is more to the Public Garden than pretty flowers. The 4-acre irregularly shaped, man-made lagoon is the park’s signature feature. Spanning the pond at its narrowest point, the Public Garden’s graceful stone and iron footbridge is said to be among the world’s smallest suspension bridges. The Public Garden’s Swan Boats (travel guide) (open mid-April to mid-September) have enchanted generations of Boston visitors and locals since the 1870′s. Unique to Boston, each of the pedal-powered Swan Boats (very fit college kids do the work) seat twenty people, taking passengers on a relaxing 15-minute cruise around the lagoon.
Afterward, follow the sound of children’s voices towards the Beacon Street entrance to the park and visit the larger-than-life bronze Make Way For Duckling Statues, created by Newton sculptor Nancy Schon and based on Robert McCloskey’s Caldecott-award winning storybook. Children love to hug, kiss and climb the ducklings-it is an irresistible family photo op!
As you follow the path nearest the lagoon, look for the Public Garden’s resident pair of Swans, forever and always named Romeo and Juliet. Nearby, you will come across the oldest statue in the Public Garden – the Ether Monument, erected in 1866, which commemorates the first use of general anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital 20 years earlier. The marble and granite statue and fountain has become a kind of pilgrimage site for health professionals. At the base, look for the inscription, “Neither shall there be any more pain.”
As you backtrack to the Arlington exit, you will see Boston’s Memorial to September 11th located just inside the park’s entrance. Boston has a strong September 11th connection – the two hijacked planes that brought down the World Trade Center departed from Logan Airport. A low granite wall is engraved with the names of the New England victims of the tragedy and there are benches to sit in quiet contemplation.
With floor to ceiling windows overlooking the Public Garden, the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel (200 Boylston St.) (travel guide) is an excellent place to unwind after exploring. You really can get lost in the comfortably overstuffed sofas and chairs here. The bar menu is perfect for sharing – featuring items like a flat bread pizza with figs, Gorgonzola, and prosciutto and crispy baby calamari with jalapenos and Meyer lemon aioli.
Light-filled and inviting, the Lounge at The Taj (15 Arlington St.) (travel guide) also overlooks the Public Garden. Try to come for afternoon tea (Saturday and Sundays, seatings at 2:00 and 4:00) where you will feel like royalty, because you will be treated as such.Very swish.
Facing the Public Garden Bistro du Midi (272 Boylston St.) is one of Boston’s chicest new restaurants. The cuisine is Provencal and the presentation is flawless. Noteworthy dishes include a satisfying classic beef daube, a seared duck with Swiss chard and gnocchi, and warm cherry clafoutis with vanilla ice cream or a chocolate and pistachio tart. And a bonus for this part of town – you don’t have to take out a bank loan to dine here.
Image credit: Boston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
