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Boston Common, Boston

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Boston Common: Boston Common
  • Tip Rating:
    • Krumlovgirl
  • By Krumlovgirl on June 2, 2005
  • Boston Page by Krumlovgirl
    • Boston Common - Boston
    by Krumlovgirl
    The Common is a good place to go and relax. There is almost always something going on-even in the dead of winter when the frog pond becomes an ice skating rink. Originally set aside as a common area where people could put their animals out to pasture; now it has become a common area where people put themselves out to pasture. There is a playground for the kids, mounted policemen, food vendors, occasional concerts, artists, and lots of people that just set around on the ground and benches and watch the day go by. That’s what I do when I’m there anyway. It’s a good relaxing spot to get away from the city for awhile, which is odd considering it’s right in the middle of the city. With Beacon Hill to one side, the Public Garden to another, and Chinatown and Government Crossing close by, it is as central as it could possibly be.

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  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
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    Boston Common: Stroll Through The Boston Common
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    • nomorewars
  • Updated By nomorewars on September 3, 2008
  • Boston Page by nomorewars
    • Boston Common - Boston
    by nomorewars,
    4 more photos
    The Boston Common, a National Historic Landmark, is the oldest city park in the United States, dating back to 1634. From a military camp during the Revolutionary War to a public park used for informal & formal gatherings, the Boston Common has been used for a wide variety of purposes. Probably one of the most ghastly aspects of the park’s history is the fact that it was used for public hangings.

    In 1660, Mary Dyer, a Quaker, was hanged in the park for repeatedly defying a law banning Quakers from the colony. She, along with three other executed Quakers, became known as the Boston Martyrs, a group of individuals still highly praised & revered by the Society of Friends.

    During the turbulent years of the 1960s, the Boston Common was used for anti-war protests, Communists & Socialists, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. & the Pope John Paul II. Today, it is arguably the most visited tourist attraction in the city.

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  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
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    Boston Common: Boston Common
  • Tip Rating:
    • smschley
  • By smschley on February 27, 2005
  • Boston Page by smschley
    • Boston Common - Boston
    by smschley
    The Boston Common is the oldest public park in the United States and undoubtedly the largest and most famous of the town commons around which New England settlements were traditionally arranged. It started originally in 1634 as a 50 acre training ground for militia and where the freemen of Boston could graze their cattle. It also housed the gallows, stocks, jail and poorhouse of the city. The British evacuated after the Revolution and the cows were kicked out in 1830. Among the more notable events on the Common was a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. and a Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II.

    In the winter you can ice skate on the Frog Pond., in spring and summer you can enjoy the flowers in the public garden, The Common is an oasis for people in the city to relax, picnic and put the rush out of mind for a bit. The swan boat tours are a lot of fun, especially for the little ones, it follows a circular route that takes about 20 minutes to complete. Take a look at some of the trees and you will find Latin names affixed to many of them. Boston schoolchildren were once taken around the park and expected to translate the signs. My one year of Latin didn’t help me much.

    Check out the Tremont Street side for the visitors’ center. There you can find information, maps and tours. The Freedom Trail starts in its southeast corner and winds its way through the downtown and market districts.

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  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
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    Boston Common: THEY ONCE HUNG PEOPLE HERE
  • Tip Rating:
    • moiraistyx
  • By moiraistyx on September 25, 2006
  • Boston Page by moiraistyx
    • If there was ever an area in Boston with a long and varied history, it would have to be the Boston Common. The Common was established in 1634 to be used as a public green. Each household was charged 6 scillings to purchase the land. The area was used for grazing, offical functions including hanging, parades and drills. British troops even camped there. Check out the website for some interesting facts regarding the Common. The Common is enclosed by 5 streets, Tremont, Park, Beacon, Charles, and Boylston. The Common hosts a wide variety of functions including concerts, games, speeches and protests. Some famous people to appear here include Martin Luther King Jr., Pope John Paul II and Judy Garland (her largest concert ever was her in 1967). During the winter months, the frog pond is used as an ice skating rink.

  • Address: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Str
  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
  • Other Contact: http://www.pps.org/great_public_
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    Boston Common: Wildlife watching
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    • jessicadf
  • Updated By jessicadf on January 13, 2004
  • Boston Page by jessicadf
    • Boston Common - Boston
    by jessicadf
    In Boston Common, you'll certainly find the usual suspects in regards to city animal life. These pigeons were wishing they were migratory birds about this time, however. They were stationary and puffed out, attempting to keep warm air between their skin and feathers.

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  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
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    Boston Common: Boston Commons
  • Tip Rating:
    • BruceDunning
  • Updated By BruceDunning on October 18, 2008
  • Boston Page by BruceDunning
    • Established long ago - Boston
    Established long ago
    by BruceDunning, 2 more photos
    Nice Place to walk around, but be aware of the surroundings. There are homeless and drunk people in the park and taking up a lot of benches. They do have propeller boats on the water and a pavilion for concerts. It is a big park at 44 acres of grounds. It was the grazing farm of William Blackstone, one the the first to be involved in the city growth and was a clergyman.

  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
  • Other Contact: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bos
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    Boston Common: Ice Skating at the Boston Commons
  • Tip Rating:
    • ElaineCatherine
  • By ElaineCatherine on December 22, 2004
  • Boston Page by ElaineCatherine
    • Gllliiiiiddde! - Boston
    Gllliiiiiddde!
    by ElaineCatherine
    It's a scene right out of a story book. A pool that in the summer cooled thousands of hot Boston children transforms into a skating pond. Go skating at night when the snow falls. Dress in your warmest clothing, dont forget a fluffy scarf. Everyone wears them in Boston. (even indoors) - and skate around the pond, holding hands with your favorite person!

    It's truly magical!

    If you dont own skates you can rent them there. And there is a burger stand where you can get something to eat and a drink to warm up.

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  • Address: Boston Common
  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
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    Boston Common: Image is everything
  • Tip Rating:
    • jessicadf
  • By jessicadf on January 13, 2004
  • Boston Page by jessicadf
    • Who are you lookin' at? - Boston
    Who are you lookin' at?
    by jessicadf
    So most people are horrified by rats. Especially wild rats. Right? But what's a squirrel but a rat with a fuzzy tail? Yet people like squirrels.

    I, on the other hand, don't have a problem with rats. Squirrels, I find adorable.

    This little guy was taking a wee on the tree when I snapped his photo. He stopped, but he may have been frozen to the tree by the time my shutter closed.

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  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
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    Boston Common: The Bridges of Boston Common
  • Tip Rating:
    • garridogal
  • Updated By garridogal on February 22, 2006
  • Boston Page by garridogal

    • "Which way to Hah-vahd Yahd?"
    by garridogal
    Okay, I think there's only one and here it is. AND....did you know that it's the smallest suspension bridge in the world?

    See how much you can learn at VT?

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  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
    • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful
    Boston Common: Visiting Boston Common
  • Tip Rating:
    • jessicadf
  • By jessicadf on January 13, 2004
  • Boston Page by jessicadf
    • Boston Common - Boston
    by jessicadf
    So for our VT meeting on Jan. 11, 2003, we thought it would be fun to meet at Boston Commons and walk along the Freedom Trail. We were INSANE. It was very, very cold out. But we did meet at Boston Common, and we did walk a bit of the trail. In between hot liquids.

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  • Directions: Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles and Boylston Streets.
  • Website: http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/bostoncom
    • Not Helpful 1 2 3 4 5 Very Helpful
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