50plusDC- Boston Common

Boston Common

Swan Boats, Boston Public Garden

The Public Garden is more formally laid out than the common, with a large pond, paths, flower beds, fountains and statues. Crossing the narrowest part of the pond is what has been described as the world's smallest suspension bridge, designed in 1867. The pond has been famous since 1877 for its Swan Boats. They were invented by Robert Paget, who was inspired by the swan-drawn boat in the Wagner’s opera Lohengrinof. The Swan Boats are pedal-powered by their captains, and in summer they provide trips around the pond.

Christmas Tree

And now, back to Christmas. and New Year when parts of Boston Common become quite magical. We have seen Christmas lights in many places, but the lights in Boston Common are among the most memorable.

Bronze Duck & Ducklings, Boston Public Garden

This bronze statue of a mother duck and ducklings by Nancy Schön celebrates the 1941 children’s picture book ‘Make Way for Ducklings’ by Robert McCloskey. The book tells the story of a pair of ducks searching for a nest site in Boston. The Public Garden features in the story, indeed it is the place where story ends and the family ‘lives happily ever after’.

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Boston Common is one of the oldest public parks in the USA, dating from 1634. The 20 hectare (50 acre) common was used in early days for grazing cows, but it soon suffered from overgrazing. British troops camped on the common prior to the Revolution, leaving it to face resistance to British rule at Lexington and Concord. The common used to be the site for public hangings, initially from a large oak tree, but from 1769 proper gallows were used. The last public hanging took place in 1817. By 1830, the common had become a park and grazing had been stopped. In 1837 philanthropist Horace Gray petitioned to stop the City Council selling a former salt marsh adjacent to the common and instead turn it into the first public botanical garden in the USA. He was successful and in 1856 the land became the 9.7 hectare (24 acre) Boston Public Garden.

Skating on Frog Pond at dusk, Boston Common

The Common is the starting point for the Freedom Trail, a walking tour that takes you to the main sights from the Revolutionary era. The Boston Common of modern times is not just a green area in the middle of the City, it is a place for recreation and rallies. In winter there is a skating rink at Frog Pond and at Christmas and New Year trees decorated with lights add a magical touch.

1st Night Ice Sculpture, Boston Common

We like Boston enough to have spent New Year there. There were fireworks on Boston Common at 7pm for the kids then another display at midnight to celebrate ‘First Night’. Both displays were spectacular. We viewed the midnight display from a boat cruising in the harbour which gave us a great view. A Boston ‘First Night’ tradition is ice sculptures. When we were there for New Year 2004 the weather was unseasonably warm and the sculptures started to melt rather quickly, indeed a one sculpture of Japan’s Edo Castle became dangerous and had to be knocked down.

- A great open space in the middle of a bustling city.

- The New Year (First Night) celebrations are not to be missed, especially the ice sculptures and fireworks.

- We can’t fault it!

To move forwards or backwards through the Boston trail click the arrows above, or select your next destination on the Minimap.

Ice sculptures at Night

Our first New Year trip to Boston coincided with unseasonably warm weather which was making the ice sculptures melt. When we returned for New Year 2015 the weather more in tune with the season, cold but not unpleasantly so. Another change that we noticed was that the advent of low power LED lighting allowed the ice sculptures to be lit much more brightly at night. This picture shows some of those brightly lit ice sculptures on Boston Common. Although Boston Common is the best place to see ice sculptures, there are plenty of them to be found in other parts of the city. OK, it shouldn’t be on this page, but to prove the point click Tab 2 to see an ice sculpture near Quincy Market in the Downtown area.

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