Beacon Hill
Living On Beacon Hill
I was living in Newton before moving to the Hill.
I was looking for a place in town and everybody was telling me that it was too expensive.
Once I started looking, I found that living in Boston is actually cheaper than living in Watertown!
Although I have nothing against Watertown, it isn’t tops on my list for a place I would want to live.....
The Real Estate Agent I found is named Mark, actually, there was more than one Mark in this particular office, which I suspect is to keep people from getting confused... or would that get them more confused?
Anyway, Mark was more than helpful and honest. He set me up with a nice place, thats a decent size and reasonable rent.
The basement apartment I had on a one way side street in Newton turned out to be more expensive than this new place in Beacon Hill.
The apartment has windows on three sides and is a raised first floor!
Once I was actually living in Boston, I came to realize that is is indeed cheaper and healthier to live here.
Everything is within walking distance. That in itself cuts costs. The only time living in Boston really gets expensive is when you want to leave town!
You don’t need a car living in the city. As I mentioned, you can walk everywhere. And the walking is good for your health!
From where I am sitting as I type this, food and such is only a five minute walk down that way...
Post office and more food, a five minute walk that other way...
The train, Common, or Public Garden is only five minutes away up that way....
Beacon Hill apartments can be expensive if you don’t know where to look, but there are some landlords here that care more for the people than for the excess cash flow.
Some will rent to anybody just to keep the money flowing. I was lucky enough to find one that doesn’t rent to college kids!
Not all Real Estate Agents are the same, but I can happily recommend Mark and if anyone wants his contact info, drop me a line!
I was looking for a place in town and everybody was telling me that it was too expensive.
Once I started looking, I found that living in Boston is actually cheaper than living in Watertown!
Although I have nothing against Watertown, it isn’t tops on my list for a place I would want to live.....
The Real Estate Agent I found is named Mark, actually, there was more than one Mark in this particular office, which I suspect is to keep people from getting confused... or would that get them more confused?
Anyway, Mark was more than helpful and honest. He set me up with a nice place, thats a decent size and reasonable rent.
The basement apartment I had on a one way side street in Newton turned out to be more expensive than this new place in Beacon Hill.
The apartment has windows on three sides and is a raised first floor!
Once I was actually living in Boston, I came to realize that is is indeed cheaper and healthier to live here.
Everything is within walking distance. That in itself cuts costs. The only time living in Boston really gets expensive is when you want to leave town!
You don’t need a car living in the city. As I mentioned, you can walk everywhere. And the walking is good for your health!
From where I am sitting as I type this, food and such is only a five minute walk down that way...
Post office and more food, a five minute walk that other way...
The train, Common, or Public Garden is only five minutes away up that way....
Beacon Hill apartments can be expensive if you don’t know where to look, but there are some landlords here that care more for the people than for the excess cash flow.
Some will rent to anybody just to keep the money flowing. I was lucky enough to find one that doesn’t rent to college kids!
Not all Real Estate Agents are the same, but I can happily recommend Mark and if anyone wants his contact info, drop me a line!
Boston Skyline At Night
A beautiful moody image of the Boston Skyline over the
Common.
Late at night or early in the morning?
It all depends upon your perception...
More Skyline
Pictures!
Panoramas!
Cafe Quattro for the Best Pizza, Salads and More!
I love this place!
Walking down Somerset Street one afternoon, with my Lady, we stopped to look at the menu in the window of Cafe Quattro.
We'd passed by the restaurant many times before but never stopped, this time we did.
We didn't feel like cooking that night so we ordered a pizza to go.
"Gennaro" was the style we settled on, a thin crust pizza made with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, and sliced onions!
First of all, this was a 20" pizza for under 10 bucks!
Second, this pizza was the best either one of us had had in a long long time!
You could tell just by the smell that it was going to be good, and with the first bite we were hooked!
Fresh ingredients, fresh made and just the right combination and amount of toppings.
This pizza is a masterpiece!
Before long we were ordering this pizza every week, sometimes more often.
Then we branched out, tried the other pizzas, those too were winners!
We were hooked on Cafe Quattro!
Next, we tried the Spinach Salad (with tomatoes, onions, mozzarella cheese and bacon bits), now mind you, I never cared for raw spinach until I tasted the Cafe's Salad.
Perfect!
Then we tried the Crabmeat Salad (over a garden or caesar salad with artichoke hearts, onions, black olives and roasted red peppers), the Tuna Salad..
Not a single disappointment, the portions are generous and the prices are more than reasonable.
Most everything in Cafe Quattro is priced at under 10 bucks and all of it is made fresh!
Cafe Quattro is located at 4 Somerset Street (617- 557-9291), just off of Beacon Street near Suffolk University.
The Cafe delivers locally and also has a catering menu.
When you're touring Boston, this Cafe is a great place to stop to refuel!
Try the "Gennaro" Pizza - YOU'LL BE HOOKED!
Charles And Cambridge Street Area
There really isn’t too much on Cambridge St. to see, but if you are looking for the Liberty Hotel, Mass General, or Whole Foods, you are on the right track!
As you come out of the train station the Liberty Hotel is to your right, Charles Street is to your left.
To the right of Charles Street is the Charles River and the Longfellow Bridge.
If you decide to follow Cambridge St. it will lead you up to Government Center in about five minutes. All the side streets off of Cambridge to your right are Beacon Hill.
This street will take about ten minutes to stroll down, plus whatever time you spend at the shops.
As you walk down Charles, all the streets on you left will lead you up into Beacon Hill.
I remember one of my first times exploring the Hill on my own, I ended up walking in circles! But don’t worry if you get lost, Beacon Hill is just that, so head downhill and you will either end up on Charles, Cambridge, or Beacon Street!
And that brings us to explaining how to get to Charles St. from the other end.
Your best bet would be Park St. Station, either the Red or Green Line.
Walk up the slope of the Common until you get to the stairs that lead you to the Massachusetts State House, don’t go up the stairs, instead, turn left and walk the path down to the gates.
Across the street to your right is Charles.....
Back to Charles Street
Happy 4th of July 2008!
The fireworks lit up the
sky on the night of July fourth 2008!
Unfortunately from our vantage point, high above the
State House, a lot of the fireworks were obscured by
the cloud of smoke created by the display.
Getting To Boston Common
There will be no public hangings and please
leave your cattle at home!
Although in the early days of the Common there were public hangings and you could bring your cattle...
Boston Common is easy to get to via the T.
Taking the subway, the stop you want is Park Street Station.
You can get there with either the Red or Green Line.
When you exit the T you are there!
The Common is a gentle uphill slope that leads you up to Beacon Street.
There are lots of walking paths and big chunks of lawn and many park benches.
The Boston Common is built to be a welcoming and comfortable space, kinda like one huge backyard.
In one section there is a playground near the Frog Pond.
With water fountains and a shallow pond to cool off in in the summertime.
In the winter it turns into an ice skating rink.
There is a section devoted to the dog lovers of the city and in another section during the summer you will find a professional outdoor stage set up for one of many Shakespeare plays.
Scattered about the Common there are many monuments and many people. Most are harmless.
There are some homeless here and some that pretend they are, just to let you know. Some of them could use a little help, some not.
Use your judgement when giving alms to the Beggars and the homeless for some may be making more money than you!
If you look at the Common from Tremont Street, the section close to the street and over to your left, according to local lore, is where the drug dealers and prostitutes hang out, so be warned.
We want to make your visit to Boston a fun and knowledgeable one.....
The Boston Common is a nice place to spend a few hours on a picnic, reading a book or just passing through to get to all the nearby areas like the State House, Beacon Hill, The Public Garden, Downtown Crossing, or the old burial grounds, all of which are a stone's throw away from the Common.
Back to Boston Common
Although in the early days of the Common there were public hangings and you could bring your cattle...
Boston Common is easy to get to via the T.
Taking the subway, the stop you want is Park Street Station.
You can get there with either the Red or Green Line.
When you exit the T you are there!
The Common is a gentle uphill slope that leads you up to Beacon Street.
There are lots of walking paths and big chunks of lawn and many park benches.
The Boston Common is built to be a welcoming and comfortable space, kinda like one huge backyard.
In one section there is a playground near the Frog Pond.
With water fountains and a shallow pond to cool off in in the summertime.
In the winter it turns into an ice skating rink.
There is a section devoted to the dog lovers of the city and in another section during the summer you will find a professional outdoor stage set up for one of many Shakespeare plays.
Scattered about the Common there are many monuments and many people. Most are harmless.
There are some homeless here and some that pretend they are, just to let you know. Some of them could use a little help, some not.
Use your judgement when giving alms to the Beggars and the homeless for some may be making more money than you!
If you look at the Common from Tremont Street, the section close to the street and over to your left, according to local lore, is where the drug dealers and prostitutes hang out, so be warned.
We want to make your visit to Boston a fun and knowledgeable one.....
The Boston Common is a nice place to spend a few hours on a picnic, reading a book or just passing through to get to all the nearby areas like the State House, Beacon Hill, The Public Garden, Downtown Crossing, or the old burial grounds, all of which are a stone's throw away from the Common.
Back to Boston Common
Getting To The State House
The Massachusetts State House is located on
Beacon Street.
The easiest way to get there is to take the T's Red Line to Park Street Station.
As you exit the T, you will be deposited in the Boston Common. In front of you is the Historic Park Street Church.
But if you turn to your left and look up the slope of the Common, at the top of the hill you will see the golden dome of the State House!
Well, there ya go!
Walk on up, take a tour, check out the cool statues, but before you go be sure you circle around the State House to the right!
There you will find a nice garden and memorials for Fire Fighters and Police Officers.
If you keep circling around to the back and far side of the State House, not only will you be entering the famous Beacon Hill area, but you will also get some dramatic views of the State House additions designed by the same Architect that gave us the Burrage House!
On your way up to the State House at the top of Park street is the Beacon Hill Fox25 News Studio, the place where VB always hangs out.
You may also run into "Spare Change Guy". Quite harmless and doesn't really need your money, just walk on by and try to ignore the gravelly horror movie voice!
Local lore has it that VB once had him on the newscast and since then he continues to haunt the area.....
Back to State House
The easiest way to get there is to take the T's Red Line to Park Street Station.
As you exit the T, you will be deposited in the Boston Common. In front of you is the Historic Park Street Church.
But if you turn to your left and look up the slope of the Common, at the top of the hill you will see the golden dome of the State House!
Well, there ya go!
Walk on up, take a tour, check out the cool statues, but before you go be sure you circle around the State House to the right!
There you will find a nice garden and memorials for Fire Fighters and Police Officers.
If you keep circling around to the back and far side of the State House, not only will you be entering the famous Beacon Hill area, but you will also get some dramatic views of the State House additions designed by the same Architect that gave us the Burrage House!
On your way up to the State House at the top of Park street is the Beacon Hill Fox25 News Studio, the place where VB always hangs out.
You may also run into "Spare Change Guy". Quite harmless and doesn't really need your money, just walk on by and try to ignore the gravelly horror movie voice!
Local lore has it that VB once had him on the newscast and since then he continues to haunt the area.....
Back to State House
Directions To Public Garden
I find that the most enjoyable way to get to the Garden
is as follows:
Take the Red Line to Park Street Station.
It will drop you off at the Boston Common.
Walk up the slope until you get to the stairs that lead you to Beacon Street and The State House and take a left.
You will now be on a wide pedestrian walkway, follow that downhill until you get to the end.
As you are walking, Beacon Street will be on your right.
Once you get to the gates you will be at the corner of Beacon and Charles
If you look over to the right, there will be a Starbucks in case you need a coffee drink, and in case you need a snack De Luca's market is just around the corner on Charles and has everything you need for a picnic in Boston's Public Garden.
After you grab your snack, head back across the street and enter the Public Garden.
With lots of places to sit, on the ground or on one of many park benches, it is a great place to bring a picnic, to feed the ducks, to see some of Boston's landmarks or to cruise the lagoon on the famous Swan Boats.
Oh, did I mention that there are many flower beds?
There is no cost to tour the Public Garden and there is a water fountain located near the Brass Ducks.
Back to Public Garden Page
Take the Red Line to Park Street Station.
It will drop you off at the Boston Common.
Walk up the slope until you get to the stairs that lead you to Beacon Street and The State House and take a left.
You will now be on a wide pedestrian walkway, follow that downhill until you get to the end.
As you are walking, Beacon Street will be on your right.
Once you get to the gates you will be at the corner of Beacon and Charles
If you look over to the right, there will be a Starbucks in case you need a coffee drink, and in case you need a snack De Luca's market is just around the corner on Charles and has everything you need for a picnic in Boston's Public Garden.
After you grab your snack, head back across the street and enter the Public Garden.
With lots of places to sit, on the ground or on one of many park benches, it is a great place to bring a picnic, to feed the ducks, to see some of Boston's landmarks or to cruise the lagoon on the famous Swan Boats.
Oh, did I mention that there are many flower beds?
There is no cost to tour the Public Garden and there is a water fountain located near the Brass Ducks.
Back to Public Garden Page
