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.

To think we almost left Boston without stopping into the library. It would have been our loss. This…read morelibrary was so impressive. We entered the new section by the cafe. The staff were very friendly and helpful. There were people at almost every table on three different floors. The children's section was very cute. The library appeared to have an extensive collection for both adults and children. We walked into the older section of the library and we were amazed. It was definitely more like a museum. The murals on the wall and ceiling were stunning. The outside fountain area was beautiful. There were people taking photos for special events and many people like us just in awe of our surroundings. What a great find!

The Library has improved over the years. I had to revisit the Library once more and I do enjoy it…read more It's a nice place to study. The staff is wonderful and helpful; I enjoyed watching the live talk show at the Newsfeed Cafe. Overall, I'm impressed! I recommend it to anyone who wants to study, sign up for free events, get resources that can help them, or read books to enjoy their time.

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 was a great day spent viewing the collection of Isabella Stewart Gardner. So many great pieces…read moreall over the museum, floor to ceiling, and the most beautiful courtyard that I couldn't stop taking pictures of. There were 13 pieces of art that were stolen back in 1990 and still haven't been recovered. As you're walking around, you'll notice that some places have empty frames where the works are art were displayed before they were stolen. The museum is housed over 3 floors of the "palace", the newest wing on the ground level has the gift shop, a cafe, a coat check, and the living room with comfy seats if your dogs are barking. Well worth the visit if you're in Boston!

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was commonly mentioned as a must see in Boston, so we decided to…read morecheck it out on a rainy Sunday during our trip. It seems like everyone else had the same idea as well because the museum was packed! Definitely recommend booking tickets at least a few days in advance because some time slots were sold out. We booked the 10:30am-11am time slot and it was already crowded at this time. Check in was straightforward and there are lockers in the basement to secure large bags. This is very different to the standard art museums. Isabella Stewart converted a home into a museum and it is amazing how much time and effort went into the process. There are three stories, each having several rooms to walk through. A couple rooms have limited capacity so we had to wait in line for 10-15 minutes to enter. My personal favorite part of the museum was the courtyard - very pretty with all the plants and statues. We also witnessed a proposal! I'm usually not a huge museum fan, but this was definitely worth checking out. Many people suggested listening to the audio guide available on the website, and while it was interesting, it was a bit slow and I wasn't able to listen to everything - wish the recordings had 2x speed. This is a very popular museum so the crowds made it feel a bit chaotic. I recommend going on a weekday!

My third time to MFA but my first time to see the Japanese art collection (it's in a corner that's…read moredifficult to find--we asked for help from the docents because even the map is difficult to follow). We walked for 30 minutes from Brookline to Boston and enjoyed the skyline and different architecture on the way. Also took note of a Thai restaurant to catch for lunch afterwards on our way back. MFA is vast and beautiful and you can spend hours there easily. Great bookstore and coffee shop. We went first to the special exhibit (timed entry reserved tix online which includes general museum admission), called "Framed Gardens". Next we went to the modern art, then the Japanese art, European art, and finally the impressionist art. We probably only saw a third of the museum but we'd enjoyed our full for today. I would have a membership if I lived here! All the staff are knowledgeable and heHighly recommend!

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.

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