Boston's Waterfront from Pier to Warf

There’s been a lot of jibber-jabber about Boston’s Waterfront and its growth from tween to awkward teenager recently. Not the waterfront where the Aquarium is, nor the waterfront where Castle Island is, or Charlestown, but on the waterfront where Fan Pier is. Now where did Fan Pier go, is that still a thing? 

Regardless of exactly where the new Waterfront is, I’m here to tell you what actually does exist on (not near) Boston’s Waterfront - from Columbus Park to the Harpoon Brewery. Columbus Park was in fact Boston’s first waterfront park when it opened in 1976 to help celebrate the Bicentennial. Prior to 1976, pretty much all of Boston’s waterfront was going through an identity crisis as the city transformed its warehouses and piers into condos and retails shops.  The old world shipping and trading industries that shaped Boston’s waterfront left the area convoluted and with limited access to the bay itself. It was in fact a dangerous place. In the early 1970’s residents grasped the revitalization possibilities - which provoked Boston bureaucrats to start spinning their wheels…very, very, slowly.

View of the Fan Pier area and Courthouse

Our tour begins at the Atlantic Sail Loft (80 Atlantic Ave). This well worn seafood joint sits atop the harbor and features a great little deck for cocktailing – no chairs or tables, just a place to hang out and enjoy the view and summer breeze. The food here is pretty basic – for a life altering seafood experience walk a couple blocks to the North End and find Neptune Oyster. An old standby, Joe’s Bar and Grill hovers on the sidelines of Columbus Park and has a titanic amount of outdoor seating. Columbus Park is really starting to mature and grow into itself; in my opinion it’s the nicest place to enjoy an outdoor bag-lunch or some take-out anywhere downtown. Across from the park sits Tia’s. Good ole Tia’s. Attached to the Marriott, Tia’s is a meeting ground for cubicle dwellers engaged in post-work mating rituals.

 Joe's Bar and Grill at Columbus Park

Going through or around the Marriott points to one of Boston’s most remarkable and visited attractions: the New England Aquarium. By the time this blog is posted, major renovations to the giant ocean tank should be complete – the largest one in the World at the time of its construction. I could happily spend half an afternoon here watching the Northern Fur Seals roll and tumble by. The rest of this area is tourist laden and home to many of the departing bay cruises and party boats. 

The next leg of what's called the Harborwalk can make the average wallet shiver in fear.  Home to Rowes Warf and the Boston Harbor Hotel, if you do happen to own a giant fucking mega yacht, dock it here next to Red Sox owner John Henry. But if you’re a free-loader like me, a better option might be to wander into the lobby at the BHH and enjoy their fine antique map collection of the New England coastline. Rowes Warf is also home to a floating stage with over 50 free nights of music and film. Film night is Friday, and Monday thru Thursday features themed music nights - for white people. Very white people. There’s a Rat Pack night and a Country night, but certainly not a Reggae or Latino night.  If you have even the slightest amount of soul in your body, you’ll probably end up having a good time laughing at the awkward white people trying to dance. I recommend the Thursday Blues Night - Racky Thomas has a couple gigs this summer…he’s a cool shit.

Intercontinental with Tea Party Museum in the background

Passing by the unpretentious James Hook Lobster Company, the walk along the channel leads to more high-end hotels with outdoor dining. With all the redevelopment in this area, this enduring lobster shanty looks incredibly out of place, even if it was re-built after a recent fire. Although, it’s still a fine option for a lobster roll quickie. The extravagant Intercontinental Hotel has contributed to the Waterfront by building a gracious little two-acre promenade – where blue-bloods sip bubbly with no worries in the world. Smith and Wollensky offers a steak experience in the same pleasant outdoor space. Crossing over the channel from Congress Street and walking past the Boston Tea Party Museum and the Children’s Museum (if you do have young kids, you pretty much have to visit) will lead you to Boston’s infamous crab shack.  The rustic Barking Crab and it’s menu has endured some criticism in recent years, but I ate here last week and didn’t die.  Regardless of the food quality, no one can take away the huge deck, outdoor bar, public boat docking and up close sky-line view. It’s a great place to start a downtown tour with out of town friends.

Adjacent to the Barking Crab sits the Federal Courthouse, summer home to Whitey Bulger. It also houses another seafood restaurant, the Daily Catch. Like the Crab, you can’t beat the view, but the food and the service can only be described as…meh. The hands down, best seafood dining experience on the Waterfront with a view is, of all places, Legal Seafoods. Well, Legal Harborside actually. It’s the chain’s 20,000 foot, three floor flagship property on Boston’s Waterfront. The first floor is considered casual dining, the third spotlights cocktails and small plates and the second floor is a panty dropper.  Sorry to use such vulgarities, but being unable to “close a deal” on a third date at this restaurant is completely unacceptable. The dining experience here is truly that outstanding. Legal’s shares a warf with Del Frisco’s (steak), Jerery Remy’s (sports bar) and 75 on Liberty Warf (overpriced) and all have waterfront seating.  My second pick for a date night would be Sam’s atop Louis Boston. I was expecting it to be a bit more pretentious, seeing that a wife-beater at Louis Boston sells for $175 (I’m sure it’s happened), but there’s usually a cool little crowd at Sam’s gazing thoughtfully at the passing ships and sailboats. If I was a swarthy Mediterranean man of considerable girth I’d bring my lovely, well-tanned date to Strega. If in search of a potential date, or maybe a late-night parking lot date, The Whiskey Priest has my blessing and possibly your salvation. I bring my parents to the No Name Restaurant, because nothing on the menu scares them.  I have no idea who goes to Anthony’s Pier Four.

  A small fishing community still exists in the area.

Along the Harborwalk and Waterfront man-made green spaces are popping up like weeds in a cracked parking lot. The Courthouse has created a nice little oasis in its back yard, Eastport Park is all greened up and well groomed, the new Innovation Center (a mixed use public space) just planted a bunch of birch trees and there’s a park big enough to play Frisbee and soccer right next to Strega’s. It’ll be interesting to see how the hulking and hovering Institute of Contemporary Art will acclimate to the changing landscape. I wish this museum had more ongoing exhibits and a larger in-house collection, but I have to give the ICA a lot of credit for their commitment to street artists - Barry McGee’s work will be showing until Sept. 2^nd.  In the summer months they have a First Friday event that makes for good mingling - with a DJ, cocktails and you guessed it…art.

Let’s wrap up this little tour and have a beer! Harpoon, Boston’s largest brewery, offers tours daily that start in their newly constructed beer hall and visitor center – I recommend their Hoppy Belgian Ale and a big salty pretzel.  Cheers!

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Google Map of the Waterfront

Just a walk in the park...

Battle of the Beat Down Beaches – Revere vs. Nantasket

In this tale of two beaches, one just a bit north of Boston and the other a little bit farther south, both locations share many of the same qualities. The most notable of those being that they have seen better days.  Revere Beach was in fact "the first to be set aside and governed by a public body for the enjoyment of the common people". In its heyday Revere Beach flaunted a 1400 foot pier with a dance hall, the Cyclone roller coaster, bowling alleys, roller skating rinks, a fun-house and a variety of rickety rides where death awaited. In Nantasket’s glory days the beach was home to Paragon Amusement Park, which survived the Blizzard of ‘78 but finally closed in 1984. At both locations, most of these attractions have been replaced by condominiums. Big ugly ones. Only a few remnants exist - an arcade in Revere and a carousel in Nantasket. Oh, and a place called Fascination on Nantasket which is actually a game that combines the “skills” of skee ball with the tedium of bingo – oh fun!  It is in no way a strip club.

One of the remaining structures on Nantasket - the old clock tower

There certainly are beaches closer to Boston, and beaches in town, but I chose these two because of their size and services. Both have plenty of parking options, changing rooms, showers and budgets to keep the beaches kinda clean and lifeguards paid. Revere Beach can be reached by the Blue Line and there are plenty of four hour on-street parking spots. Earlybirds at Nanatasket might be able to find one of the coveted free street spots – but there are plenty of lots, and they only fill up on the busiest of summer weekends ($10-$20).

   

Revere Beach - parts of its past still linger

There’s also quite a bit that sets these two beaches apart – and for me, the biggest is swimming. I have never ever, nor will I ever swim at Revere Beach. It’s four miles from Boston and surrounded by industry, refineries and a lot of dirty toxic shit. Granted, the entire beach has been re-sanded, the original pavilions restored and the boardwalk as a whole revitalized, but I just can’t get passed the location. We live in a dirty, filthy world.  The closest beach to Boston where I have plunged into the ocean and flopped around like a baby seal is Nantasket. This is actually one of five beaches in New England that I’ve surfed – okay, tried to surf. Fine – I suck at surfing.  But the point I’m getting at here is that if your goal is to get in the water and ride some waves (even if it’s just to body surf), Nantasket is the obvious choice. If the weather is mild there may not be any waves, and if there was a recent downpour always check beach conditions for high bacteria levels. If there's a storm out at sea making the ocean gods angry, Nantasket can make a person forget that they are about 45 minutes away from downtown Boston. This beach has one major downfall though, during high tide there is no beach. Only a few pockets of sand will survive as the tide pushes everyone against the rocks or up onto the boardwalk. It makes for an awkward afternoon – check the tide chart and conditions before planning a trip.

Nanatasket Beach - getting smooshed onto the rocks...

So why go to Revere Beach if swimming is not the best option? One of the answers is roast beef. Kelly’s has been slinging beef, fried seafood and lobster rolls along the shore since 1951. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan, nor is it an old family tradition or anything like that, but at least once a year I find myself snarfing down a Kelly’s roast beast sammy down by the seaside. And that’s part of the appeal to Revere Beach – if you find yourself with a craving and nothing to do on a nice sunny day, Revere Beach is only minutes away. It’s also good for a quick ice cream getaway – with Banana Boat and Kell’s being much revered.  Revere Beach is also world renowned for its famous people watching – trust me, you’ll get an eyeful!

   Car show in front of Joseph's Pizza on Nantasket

What these beaches lack, for the most part, is fine or decent dining (especially seafood) and late night entertainment (where you won’t get shanked).  There are some options, Barefoot Bobs on Nantasket has a nice little outdoor deck with a Tiki theme going on, and their margaritas always hit the spot. Both locations have multiple pizza options, a hotdog stand and Revere Beach even has a Chinese food shack. The C Note on Nantasket is known for its live entertainment - but it’s mostly dad-blues, open mic nights and DJ’s. Revere Beach has a plethora of ill-reputed dive bars, the entrance to the Shipwreck Lounge might actually be a wormhole that goes right to 1979. Hairy chests and gold chains still rue the day here. A few traditional Italian restaurants are scattered up and down the strip in Revere, but I’m not usually looking for pasta with gravy at the beach.

Overall – both beaches have their quirks but make for great day trips. Sometimes a trip to the beach to get silly can do wonders for the soul. I wouldn’t stay overnight, or even too late into the evening at either beach – unless you are a brave warrior looking for a true Boston adventure.


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Bike Blog - South Boston Shoreline

Distance - 4.78 miles one way, round trip about 10 miles

Time - 23:45 minutes one way / no stopping

Average Speed: 12.08 mph

Skill level: Wicked easy

Google map of route

This bike ride begins at Castle Island, breezes along the waterfront and beaches of South Boston and finishes at the entrance to Umass in Dorchester. The sidewalks are double wide most of the way, so riding close to the water and enjoying the view is an option. On really nice weekends there might be some congestion from walkers, joggers, dogs and extended families with their brood running amuck. When I cycled this route on a mid-week afternoon the only thing I really had to battle was a blustery wind. 

Several years ago this length of waterfront did not have a continuous track from end to end.  It’s now part of the extended Harborwalk, which has a cleared path around Columbia Point’s housing and the Umass Campus. Once you get past the beaches and some of the craziness that is Southie, it’s quite a peaceful ride - with some tucked away green spaces and unique views of the city skyline. This really is the only decent shoreline bike ride in Boston proper - the Waterfront area along downtown and Fan Pier is just not suited for biking.

Give yourself about an hour and a half for the complete ride if you plan on taking some photos, bringing the kids or exploring a little.  Sometimes I like to stroll parts of the coastline during low tide to see what kind of crazy crap comes drifting ashore. There’s a peaceful little oasis right behind the JFK Library with some picnic tables, lush grass and lots of shade trees. The area past the Umass entrance can be explored, where the Harborwalk officially ends, over to the Savin Hill / Malibu Beach area, but the route breaks up and traffic along Morrissey Blvd can be a pain in the ass.

The shady oasis behind the JFK Library

As you finish up your trip back on Castle Island, don’t forget to reward yourself at Sullivan’s. This take-out bayside shanty servers burgers, dogs and food from the sea, and is a place of pilgrimage for the locals. I guess there’s something special about chowing down on a lobster roll while gazing out at that dead crustacean’s recent home. You can’t beat the prices though – I bought a hot dog and fries for $3.80. There aren't any glamorous attractions along this waterfront though; no boardwalk with games, rides or fried dough…thankfully. If you’d like something a little more upscale than Sullivan’s, or maybe an adult beverage, try Local 149 at the corner of E. 6^th and P St. They’ve got a great beer list, and you know a pub is serious about their charcuterie when they plop a giant meat slicer right on the bar (this is the post Whitey Bulger era of Southie - no doubt).  And feel free to enjoy the beautiful beaches of Boston, I wouldn’t necessarily swim here...but there are plenty of people who dive right in!

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Artwork Discovered in Boston's Fort Point Neighborhood!

When it comes to planning a trip, even a day trip (hell, even a walk around town) I leave out the planning part. I roam, wander, stray, amble, mosey and stroll. I don’t ask for directions and I don’t have GPS in my car.  The basic philosophy behind this is that if you let yourself go, you’ll eventually see the things you want to see that you didn’t even know you wanted to see.  See?

Sometimes I get lost and don’t see shit.

On a recent ramble around Fort Point and Boston’s Waterfront I stumbled upon a form of expression that I thought had gone extinct in the area – art.  Now let me tell you a little story kids, back in the day (like 1999) the Fort Point area made up the largest artist community in New England. Paper mache literally tumbled through the streets like debris from an Oklahoma tornado. At the heart of this community was the Revolving Museum - an evolving laboratory of creative expression in multiple mediums that embraced people of various backgrounds, music and all manifestations of inspiration.  And the parties – holy shit! Live bands would grind until 3 or 4am and the cops just didn’t give a fuck…even as the drinking and dancing bled out onto the streets.  The only people that lived in the area were artists, and most of them were probably at the party anyway. When I hit up Fort Point’s Open Studios in the early ought’s, I spent an entire day wondering the mazes of old converted warehouses and factory spaces but only got to see a fraction of the artists. Sculptors, metalworkers, designers and jewelers were tucked away in every available nook and dark corner.  As the day progressed so too did the complimentary wine, lots of cheap ass wine, and PBR, and… yeah.

So I was thrilled to meet Ari Hauben, a Fort Point artist and Boston Public School teacher whose work responds to the detrimental effects of the increasingly standardized and mechanized worlds of education and society. Take that society! Here’s a man, much like his Fort Point predecessors, who creates art not because it's cool but because he has to. The desks, pencils, grades, students and standardized tests of his teaching life manifest themselves in his current showing of work entitled Above the Standard. The gallery is tucked away behind Ming Tsai’s new fancy pants Blue Dragon restaurant at 50 Melcher Street. And there in lies the rub. If Fort Point could find more spaces for socially conscious artists like Mr. Hauben, I’d feel much better about buying a fancy $15 cocktail from Drink, Tavern Road or any of the other places benefiting from this gentrification and the ousting of artists. I’ll always miss the free cheap ass wine and tall boys.*  

Ari Hauben Homepage

When I am in wander mode I love running across unexpected street art. So I’m going to give Boston and their Vital Street Art program a big thumbs up. Organized by Design Museum Boston and the Boston Society of Architects, its mission is to bring designers and the public together to create a dialogue. As part of this series, the Street Seats exhibit is scattered up and down the Waterfront. Just don’t call it a bench. Over 170 seating designs were submitted with the winning works sprinkled throughout the area for the pleasure of buttocks everywhere. Sure, it’s not earth-shattering artwork, but the kids I was with had a fun time hunting for the seats and might have even learned a little something about art and design. Hopefully the city of Boston will look back fondly at the exhibit and be more open to street art and murals throughout the city.  The entire city of Boston is a blank canvas as far as I’m concerned…     

      

*Mr. Hauben did offer me a tall boy (which I accepted), but it was a Narragansett. Oh how the times have changed!

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Boston's Open Spaces and the Greenway Need Help!

The city of Boston needs your help (kinda) - they’d like you to take this survey to “Help us make your parks and open spaces better!”

Boston Parks Questionnaire

The little survey asks some provocative questions like “what do you do when you visit parks in Boston,” and here’s a winner; “Do you notice a park rules sign in the park?”  Oh look, no booze or hunting – I better put this keg and my shotgun back in the car before I enjoy my day on the esplanade! > Sarcasm <

Please be forewarned – the following commentary says nice things about New York City and is a little critical of Boston – call it tough love!

Here’s a suggestion to the mighty overlords of Boston’s trees and bees - make the parks accessible to those who live in the neighborhood and want to use them! The city has recently denied a permit to the Allston DIY Fest based on several noise complaints from neighbors.  Um…what?  “Several” complaints and they deny this neighborhood a permit!? So let’s get this straight: Boston Police have cracked down on Allston DIY rock shows (mostly in basements) because they are illegal, and then when the community tries to go through the proper channels to perform music (oh, the horror) they get denied. Of course, if the event was sponsored by New Balance or Verizon the city would lay down the red carpet and give out back rubs. Not allowing people who live in the neighborhood to use the parks as they see fit is a big fucking problem. This neighborhood is frequently referred to as Allston Rock City, as such…Ringer Park is probably not the appropriate place for a chowda fest or a chili cook-off.  As it says on the page for the petition, "If the community can’t use the park, who can--and what is it there for?"

Petition for Allston DIY Fest

Allston DIY Fest 2012 - pretty fucking mellow if you ask me

My second piece of advice - take everyone who has anything to do with the planning of open spaces in Boston, put them on a bus and drive them directly to the High Line in New York City.  It’s a great modern example of observing the environment first and then planning around and in between its features instead of trying to force a natural setting into a very urban space. I don’t want to call the Rose Kennedy Greenway a complete failure (although many do), but I think everyone can agree that it’s incomplete and lacking a soul. Here we had a perfectly stretched canvas across a large swath of downtown Boston, and what we ended up with was an unfinished painting without a frame.  The vision of what the Greenway could become, was simply that, a vision (or maybe a fantasy) – and could not be realized due to poor management and lack of funds.  The horticultural society’s garden under glass, the YMCA, the center for arts and culture and the Boston history museum all died on the vine.  Meanwhile in Manhattan an abandoned railway line has become the centerpiece for revitalizing an entire neighborhood on the Lower West Side.  When two guys noticed that the abandoned raised railway tracks that used to service the Meat Packing District were being reclaimed by nature in 1999, a group was formed to push the fauna in the right direction. What developed was the High Line, what made this vision successful was the proper funds and management to make it a reality.  What it’s doing now is fueling development all up and down a full mile of real estate that was more or less a black hole just a decade ago.

Photos I took on the High Line in 2012

I recently strolled the Rose Kennedy Greenway on a late weekday afternoon on a 70 degree day in May. There were two memorable things that stood out - a farmers market and that crazy giant mural by street artist Os Gemeo in Dewey Square.  Other than that, the entire Greenway, from Chinatown to the North End was a dead zone. And it’s no surprise, it’s almost like the City of Boston wants people to stay away! There are little to no attractions – so I offer our fair city some ideas : a bocce green, handball court, café, beer garden, live music, theatrical stage, more interactive art exhibits – fucking anything! The place is dull and dreary. Even homeless people avoid the place, there’s simply no one to hustle.

Mural and Farmers Market on the Greenway in Boston

The whole Greenway is devoid of anything representative of New England and its landscapes. For Chrissakes Boston, throw down a dozen huge granite boulders and a rock wall to fill in the blank spots. Go to the Blue Hills and grab a shit-ton of big-ass rocks from the woods – it’ll cost you like $500! And if the city can’t afford a museum, at least throw some artifacts around - a giant fucking rusty anchor would go a long friggin’ way on this barren landscape. Just…do…something.

             

Nothing to see here, literally - Greenway May 2013

With these obvious shortcomings, the potential for neighborhoods along the Greenway to flourish with new business is practically impossible. There are no new retail shops, bars or cafes to capture overflow that doesn’t exist. Maybe when the new Waterfront experiment gets stale (don’t get me started with that place) people will re-discover the Greenway and somebody’s vision will actually become a reality. The good news is that there’s plenty of open space just sitting there waiting for inspiration.

Plenty of room for improvement.  What would you do?

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