If you love street art and exploring, head here. Underneath the highway are several colorful murals…read morethat make powerful statements. Each mural comes with a sign about its story and artist. There's also a dog park and tennis court underneath the highway. Once done, head to Albany Street for a beautiful view of the skyline. It's also a short walk to Chinatown, which is worth visiting.

Awesome idea! A space not utilized turned parking area/art park. Don't want unwanted graffiti? Let…read morethem do it! This way you have beautiful art and a space for the people. You can park and then wander around the area. There was a dog park, seats along the water for sunbathing or just catching your breath! A lovely walkway lined with about 30 colored line leads you throughout the underground. Plenty of space to take in, relax and enjoy the art or the people you are with. I love graffiti! My husband heard about this and surprised me for Mother's day with a trip here with the kids. Thanks Boston for have a commissioned space for these artists. I love how you have given the people a great place and have also given the artists the ability to showcase their talents. Tips: wear sneakers, bring sunblock and snacks for the kids. No public bathrooms.

We've gone to so many incredible talks at the Athenaeum. In addition to it being a beautiful…read morelibrary, the author talks and events really make this place special. Most recently, we went to a talk on George Washington's private library collection.

I was in Boston for a conference this week, and it's always a shame to not do or see anything in…read morethe city where you've been for work. I knew I wouldn't have much free time and needed to get some work done between the end of the conference and leaving for the airport. When I discovered the Athenaeum, I thought - perfect! So what is the Boston Athenaeum? It's a "unique combination of library, museum, and cultural center in a magnificent landmark building . . . One of the country's oldest and most distinguished independent libraries..." It's a great place to work, study, and socialize. The first floor of the Athenaeum (where they have several galleries, including one for temporary exhibits) is open to the public. The rest of the floors are open to members only. Annual membership is currently $506/year or $338 for people 40 and under. However, they offer a day pass ($40), which is how I took advantage of the Athenaeum for a day. There are desks, chairs, patios, tables - tons of places to work and study and read. There are incredible views. The collection of art on the main level was worth seeing, and I also enjoyed their temporary exhibit: "Allan Rohan Crite: Griot of Boston." I wish they had provided a map, because - as a first time visitor - I got very confused by the floorplan. I couldn't find stairs so used the elevator, but one elevator only went to the second of five floors, so ... I wandered, found a place on the fourth floor to work from, and explored. It's really beautiful and it was a great place to get some work done while learning a little about Boston. $40 was a little steep, but it allowed me to get a little bit of a museum visit in while also allowing me the opportunity to work in a more beautiful place for a few hours. I'd happily check it out again. If I lived in Boston, I'd definitely consider becoming a member.

We had a wonderful First Friday evening in the SoWa district and I wish that we had more time as…read morestores & studios wrapped up fairly early in my opinion. It was so nice to spend time in our son's friends studio and see how the artist created his works, displayed them and greeted all of the visitors. Each studio was unique and impressive. This visit was 10/3, but I am eager to return again in the early spring to explore further. I will say, while most artists and shop people were friendly, a few were a bit standoffish. Maybe it is exhausting hosting so many people who are flowing through all day & evening. I loved the whole concept !

I came here for an evening and was blown away by the amount of raw talent in our city. I checked…read moreout 2 full floors but was unable to see everything because there were so many studios to see. This is a really special piece of Boston, and it almost feels magical to witness so many creative minds in the same building. It's worth your time to check it out. Apparently they also have a parking lot filled with food trucks so it's a perfect date, romantic or with friends.

This is an absolutely gorgeous library, the older section houses fantastic art and feels more like…read morea museum than a library. It also has the Courtyard Tea Room (reservations available on Open Table) for traditional afternoon tea on the main level. I was able to peek inside but it was being prepared for a private event. Adjacent to the tea room is the Map Room Lounge for small bites and cocktails. Very cool. Bates Hall was amazing to walk into, but it was full of people studying, so I limited my visit to one end of the hall. In between the older part and the newer part of the library (where most of the books are, and a coffee shop/gift shop as well) is the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center. They currently have a super interesting display called "Declarations: Printing a New Nation" with original copies of the Declaration of Independence in various formats. It was also really interesting to see the display of the maps of Boston over time and how the city changed. A must see if you are in Boston!

The Boston Public Library holds more than 23 million items, estimated to be among the three largest…read morecollections in the country, including books, maps, manuscripts, letters, drawings, and other original works dating back as early as the 10th century. Notable items include first edition folios by William Shakespeare, original music scores from Mozart to Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf;" and the personal library of President John Adams. The Library continues to make its impressive special collections accessible to the public through a robust digitization program, all available online at Digital Commonwealth. At the Boston Public Library, books are just the beginning! The outdoor garden area , private tea room restaurant and even a study hall ! Another check off my bucket list for sure ,a dream wedding venue too ( just saying )

We decided to walk around MIT while we were in Boston. The campus itself is gorgeous and some of…read morethe building seem like a work of art themselves. There are art statues scattered all over campus and it is almost like a scavenger hunt trying to find them all. My favorite was right across from the one of their main building son Mass Ave. it is a sculpture of an outline of a man sitting and he is made of letters and numbers.

It exists within the MIT campus with little pretense; the Public Art Collection is full of…read moresurprises.

I don't usually review landmarks, but if frickin' santacon gets a local flavor listing, then the…read moreDorchester giant copper pear should too. This square has a bunch of random bits of art strewn about, including the notorious giant pear. It's kind of upsetting with this pock-marked wrinkly skin and weirdly long stem. But somehow all its weirdness just makes it that much more endearing. Kind of like Dorchester. I wouldn't say come here for the pear, but in the middle of eating at all the awesome little places around here, wouldn't stop to admire this, well, whatever it is.

Long before traffic circles existed, this park was laid out in 1851 by the city to entice…read moredevelopment. The stately Victorian bowfronts lining the Square were completed by 1870 as single family homes. After a significant period of urban decline, a renaissance began over 40 years ago saving the area from the wrecking ball. Today, these homes have been divided into multi-family dwellings representing a diverse cross-section of age, race, and socio-economic status. The Square still functions as a PUBLIC, ornamental space which is open to ALL for concerts, movies, and seasonal celebrations. The residents in conjunction with the Boston Parks Department continue to maintain the beauty of the Square. Unlike Gramercy Park in NYC or the much closer Louisburg Square, residents do not have exclusive rights to the Square. When the Square is open, it is open to all. https://www.facebook.com/WorcesterSquare

I'm sure that the homes along this street date back to the 18th century and they're quite lovely…read more You'd never see this if you didn't step off the busy Washington Street and here, where the street splits into one-way and goes around this small park in the middle. The park has a beautiful fountain and the most amazing sculpture at the center. The figures look quite Rodin to me. The caption says "The central fountain/artwork was designed and fabricated by artist Gene Cauthen. Worcester Square is part of the South End Landmark District. This Square is maintained by the Worcester Square Neighborhood Association in partnership with the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. 1990."

This museum is a surprising gem! I don't think it's that famous, but it's so beautiful and really…read morecaptures the idiosyncratic vision of Isabella Stewart Gardner. Walking through the rooms, we got to see her eccentric taste in art and her love for particular artists and her style of designing the exhibits. I enjoyed it a lot!! There is a courtyard in the middle of the museum which has a beautiful garden. I recommend picking up a little pamphlet during your visit, so you can make sure to see everything. The three floors are accessible by stairs and by elevator. Docents are very kind and willing to answer questions!

Such a beautiful museum! I love how different it is from other art museums. You don't need go be an…read moreart snob to be able to appreciate what you see here. We stopped by this past weekend and really enjoyed it. The staff is very informative and willing to tell you more about the museum which is nice. My friends and I went here last weekend and we loved it, it was my first time getting to see the nasturtiums! You can easily spend 2-3 hours at this museum and feel like you got to see everything. My biggest recommendation would be to buy your tickets online and in advance, we had an early slot but when we got there we saw signs that walk ups weren't being sold that day! That also being said, definitely expect a crowd on a weekend. The staff did a good job of managing the crowd in the small spaces, just know you might have to wait in some lines.

A museum filled with an endless amount of national and international treasures, each with its own…read morestory. Let me just start by saying this museum is HUGE so expect to spend the entire day here to see every single exhibit and piece available. The jewels has to be my favorite part of the museum, alongside the beautiful sculptures from Greek history. Tour guides, multiple shops, restaurants and very friendly customer service to give you recommendations on where to begin once entering the great hall! If you're in Boston, you MUST give this place a visit and you'll leave perplexed with the level of importance many pieces carry! I see something new everytime I come in here! The gift that truly keeps on giving.

Great collection. They have a few Van Gogh landscapes (including a rendition of the wheat field)…read moreand their Monet collection is medium-sized and varied. John Singer Sargent's work can be found all around Boston, and the MFA holds the largest collection of John Singer Sargent in the world. Considering that he painted the ceiling murals that you see when you walk in, I think that's very fitting. I was able to catch the Winslow Homer exhibition-- walked in and bought my general admission ticket to the museum. The Homer exhibition was at no additional cost, but did require an additional timed ticket. They had spots open for the next slot, so all four of my friends and I were able to go see it together. One of us accidentally forgot to get the additional ticket at the general admission desk, but an employee in front of the exhibit was nice enough to do the computer work to issue us a ticket there. $30 for general adult admission is a higher price compared to similar art museums around the world, and it would have been nice if there were more ways to get a discount (such as expanding the list of universities they offer student admission for or being part of more city tourism passes). I spent an efficient four hours in there and saw almost every corner of the museum. The price tag means I'll skip it next time I'm nearby, but I still think it's a must visit for first timers.

Before going to Boston we added Good Will Hunting Bench on our itinerary and watched again the…read moremovie released in 1997 starring Robin Williams (amazing performance) and a young Matt Damon (talented). We made it our mission to find the exact bench where they filmed the scene while visiting the Public Garden so we went on a goose chase. It's not easy, but there's lot of info out there so we did find it, bonding with other fellow Angeleno-s who were also visiting and trying to find the bench. We managed to take photos of each other and it was a fun shared experience. We love finding movie locations so we enjoyed tracking another one while in Boston for a landmark film shot in the city!

It's emotional to sit on the Robin williams Matt Damon bench at swan boats Boston such an amazing…read moregifted actor comedian gone too soon and loved so much