I had the opportunity to check out the Curley House during a volunteer event with the Emerald…read moreNecklace Conservancy. This house is not open to the public but you may be able to check it out for yourself if the Conservancy hosts an event there. The house comprises beautiful crown moldings, light fixtures, and even some stained glass. The dining room was my favorite room. And the spiral staircase to walk up to the third story was stunning. Check out my pics!

The James Michael Curley house was built in 1915, is a historical landmark and museum open to the…read morepublic, on occasion, for private tours and events. I went to see an exciting, LIVE birds of prey exhibit featuring Hawks, Falcons, and owls! THE DEAL: sign up for the Boston Parks and Rec newsletter to find more events here.

Renting in Jamaica Plain was a good experience. The area had a great community feel, and the unit…read morewas comfortable and functional for everyday living.

Outside of finding street parking (parking lot is closed) and walking your way around scaffolding…read moreit was a great stop on our tour of National Historic sites in Massachusetts. Rangers & Volunteers were friendly and answered our questions. Walking through the site and watching the video gave us in-sight on the contributions Olmstead made to the building of America. Central Park is one of our favorites.

The house is really nice, and you can see the thought that went into his landscaping of Olmsted's…read moreown house that applied to Central Park and other projects. You feel you are in nature even though you're in a residential neighborhood. Tours are free, and ours was done by an intern, so he knew quite a bit, but he did struggle with questions that were off script. Still, the tour focused on Olmsted's workshop which was authentic and interesting how the process of creating these outdoor spaces worked. He really created an industry, and having natural spaces in bustling spaces does a lot of good for everyone's well-being. The rest of the house has a video summary of Olmstead and there was an exhibit more on his family. The garden is a delight to walk through. The gift shop was sparse though. This site was looking like a 5+ except they had created a "game" for some reason about how JFK and nepotism. Did JFK's father appoint him president? Did Olmsted's father give him a successful architecture firm? What is the connection? They both had privilege, but so did a lot of people who didn't do a fraction of what they did. The fact that NPS paid tax money for someone to create this weird game is pretty insulting. Hopefully it was a volunteer intern who snuck it in the back room, but that's wishful thinking. This is a nice historic site to visit for the most part, so hopefully they stick to showing off the workshop and some insight into Olmstead's life and great works. That part was great.

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! I am going to show you a picture of a natural all rock 5 arch bridge. I'm…read moregoing to ask you - Do you think this place is just a couple of minutes away from the Green Monster - @ Fenway Park in the heart of Boston? People would say No that's a Fake Picture. Well guess what It's Real! This is part of the Hidden Secret Gems that are located all over the United States that most people have never heard of, never mind been to. Actually there are 3 Free places to go & if you come on Sundays there's also Free Parking at the meters. That's a Quadruple Freebie! This place is completely off the beaten path yet unbelievably is only a few minutes away from Fenway Park. The beautiful picturesque Agassiz Bridge looks like you would have to travel 3 hours outside the city to the mountains to find a quiet tranquil place like this. It looks like one of those pictures from a calendar. It is located in the Fenway Section of Boston in Victory Gardens. The Agassiz Bridge dates back to the 1880s & has 5 arches that are approximately ten feet high & made of stone. The bridge crosses the Muddy River & melts effortlessly into the landscape of the greenery & marshland. The Agassiz Bridge is barely 2 lanes wide & has access for cars & pedestrians. It dates back to Fredrick Law Olmsted who developed the area. You can Stand on the bridge & see the marsh & the winding Muddy River that snakes it's way through the 7 acre natural landscape. This is a great getaway & way to explore the natural landscape & nature walking without even leaving the city. OTHER FREE THINGS TO DO IN THE AREA Also be sure to check out the entire 7 acres of the Victory Gardens which has a variety of fruits, vegetables & flowers. Bring a picnic basket/cooler to also enjoy The Kelleher Rose Garden & Robert White Veterans Memorial Park which are all within walking distance & just behind The Museum of Fine Arts. You can park all around the museum @ the meters for Free parking on Sundays. You can check out my individual reviews of the other attractions as well. A Fun Day of Relaxing, & Nature Walking for a a total cost for the day - Zero Dollars. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

Located in the Dorchester Adams area, this historic house is located about 20 minutes from the…read moreAshmont T station. The first floor is fully renovated with bathrooms available. This is an architectural tour rather than the inhabitants of the house. Tour guides are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Had the chance to catch one of only 4 days that this historic site is open per year. It was really…read moreinteresting as one of the earliest surviving houses in Boston. It's owned by Historic New England and they seem to do a good job with limited funding. It would be nice if it was open to the public (other than schoolchildren) more often, but I'm sure it's a money issue. Anyway, we had a very enlightening tour at the Pierce House. The passion the staff have for the house is obvious. They do an excellent job explaining the shifts in the house as it was expanded over time. I like that they don't go overboard 'restoring' everything in site. It's clear that the house is, or at least was, a living thing that grew with its occupants. I hope they continue being able to preserve this site and restore things like the dairy it contains. The only thing I will say is that since they are only open 4 days a year, they seem to have a lot of pent up energy and information. Our tour was a bit long and super intense! It was like a deluge of information and we were drowning in it. While I can fully appreciate their investment in the site, I think they could work on giving a bit more streamlined tour and then maybe allowing people questions for some of the finer points. I learned more about joinery that I thought possible. . . . Pierce house is worth stopping by if you're in the area (check the website for the rare tour). It's really an important piece of surviving Boston history.

One of my favorite things to do on vacation is wondering around new areas without an itinerary…read more This was a lovely spot to walk around and check out shops! There was plenty to do! Mom and I wondered for a few hours in just this area alone!

I loved strolling Newbury street for its atmosphere, historic brownstones, elegance, old charm. I…read moreliked it so much, I went to check it out twice during my visit. We walked here easily from Kenmore Sq. but there's Hynes Convention Center T-stop at the beginning of the famous street. Cute buildings and shops, lots to explore, cafe-s, restaurants. Unfortunately more chains took over from the time my husband lived near by. I wasn't impressed with the selection of restaurants either, couldn't find a place to dine here at. Lots of boba drinks shops. Very pleasant to stroll, you can walk as much as you like. The shopping area goes for about 8 blocks. A must see area in the Back Bay of Boston! Their main outdoor, historic, shopping area!

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!

This is a neat landmark from a movie. The movie good Will hunting was filmed around here or in…read morespots and this is the bench that is famous in a scene from the movie

During our last stay in Boston, we had a room that had a direct view of the John Hancock tower…read more It was such a beautiful sight...especially at night...most of the offices were lit up and it made the whole building look almost magical. This towering skyscraper stands tall at 790 feet, making it the tallest building in New England. Construction on the John Hancock Tower began in 1968 and was completed in 1976. The tower is made up of reflective glass panels that give it a sleek and modern appearance The John Hancock Tower is located in the heart of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, at 200 Clarendon Street. If you are lucky to go up to some of the high floors, you could enjoy great views of the city.

I *SO* wish I was writing this review under different circumstances. There is now a deep pain…read moreassociated with this building... but this isn't the building's fault - thus no stars deducted. You see, I used to work at one of the companies within. I don't want to name it, so let's say I was somewhere between 50%-75% of the way up. To say it was a dream job is an understatement; I couldn't have dreamt it up if I tried. Well, my employment ended in less than six months. Not 100% my fault, not 100% theirs... even if you were to find the numbers, they probably wouldn't add up to 100 either - sometimes in life there is a sprinkle of rotten luck. I had a lot of pride not only in the company I worked for and in the work I did, but also for where (physically) I worked. Friends and colleagues would often ask me, and I would tell them I work right in the John Hancock Tower. Outwardly, I would [try to] be completely nonchalant about it, but inside I felt just a little hurt when the other person wasn't as wowed as I was walking into work every day. From inside, well, the view is incredible, of course. The one caveat is the nighttime view isn't what you would expect (nor what I accurately conveyed in the photos). I think it is partly due to the blue mirror coating on the glass - it reflects some of the now rather scarce blue light. As an architectural symbol, it is probably as uniquely Boston as Fenway. Something that is immediately recognizable. Yes, there are valid criticisms about its location right next to Trinity Church, and how it fits into the overall landscape. It is said, correctly, that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I for one, despite what anyone else says, think the building is wicked awesome. I also love how one can see it from very far away (I've seen it from Lynn and Weymouth!) There is also some fascinating history surrounding the building, including cases where the glass would fall out, and many windows were replaced with wooden panels. Or, how it was determined that under certain wind conditions, the building could fall - and reinforcements were added to the structure, as well as a stabilizer on one of the top floors. With all this, and especially the privilege of having worked inside it, there is not conceivable way I would award anything less than five stars.

Honoring the people of MA who were affected by this tragedy. My pics reflect the street in whole…read moreand the beautiful historical churches and buildings. Even the Bank of America has a yellow unicorn inside to symbolize the marathon.

This is a wonderful memorial that is dedicated to those that lost their lives during the Boston…read moremarathon attack. We rode through here got out I saw the easy to miss monument if you're not looking for it and the plans for the Boston marathon will continue like it says in one of the memorials that always remember the year 2013 the day that it unfortunately happened. But it's an overall nice memorial to a tragedy that should've never happened