The first time I came to Boston, it was March, and snowy, and FREEZING. So on our one day in central Boston, our group didn’t visit Boston Common. So I had no idea how wonderful it was until a few weeks ago. (Bethany had told me it was lovely – she described sitting on it in the May sunshine, eating a bag of fresh cherries – but I had yet to see it for myself.)
And, well, now I love it. It’s simply beautiful, a big park of trees and grass and a baseball diamond and a playground and a couple of fountains in the middle of Boston. There are great stretches where dogs can run, or people can play Frisbee, or you can sprawl out and do nothing at all. It’s right in the middle of everything, close to my beloved Brattle Book Shop and the Downtown Crossing shopping area, and right next to Charles Street, which offers shopping and food, and of course it’s cheek by jowl with the lovely (slightly more formal) Boston Public Garden. And late summer/early fall is the perfect time to enjoy it.
Pretty much every time I’m in the city, I end up on the Common, sometimes with a book, sometimes with a chai or cup of tea in hand, nearly always with my camera. And I sit and people-watch and laugh at the dogs and squirrels, and snap a few photos and feel the wind on my face and the sun on my shoulders. It reminds me of my beloved South Park in Oxford. And since it belongs to the people of Boston, it also belongs to me.
(The squirrels are not shy, the frogs who guard Frog Pond are charming, and the light is lovely.)
cakes, tea and dreams 
[…] 1. Brattle Book Shop. I’ve gushed about this place before, but I’ll say it again: Outdoor stalls crammed with treasures ALL $5 and under. A rare-book room that feels as sacred as a church. Stacks of fiction, a wee children’s alcove, a shelf of review copies at the front, and a giant pencil over the front door. It is heaven. (And perfectly located near a coffee house, a yarn shop and my beloved Boston Common.) […]
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