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. 2nd. In the summer months they have a First Friday
event that makes for good mingling - with a DJ, cocktails and you guessed it…art.
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Google Map of the Waterfront
Just a walk in the park...
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