Walking Tour of Downtown Boston

There is a lot one can do in Boston. One of the oldest cities in the USA, it’s an important landmark in the freedom movement and a dream destination for history buffs. It also happens to be one of the biggest college towns in the country with Harvard and MIT campuses – so there is always a young crowd here keeping things fresh.

I happened to be in Boston in the summer of 2008 for work. My office was happily situated in the heart of downtown – on the intersection of Bolystn and Clarendon St. I often spend my lunch hour walking and exploring the area. I recommend the following leisurely walking tour if you have a day to spare.

Downtown Boston Walking Tour:  Along Bolstyn Street

This walking tour covers some of the main points of interest along Boylston Street; starting at Trinity Church and ending in the large green expanse of Boston Common

Trinity Church 

Boston is a city of old churches and the jewel in the crown is the Trinity Church.  Founded in 1733, this is one of the more treasured heritage churches in the US. I was lucky enough to make it in time for a free guided tour which was full of interesting information on its history and architecture.

Trinity Church

The man behind Trinity Church was primarily Phillips Brooks. A Rector by calling, he had traveled the world and was influenced by the elaborate European and Middle Eastern religious structures. He wanted the buildings to have domes, arches, and lots of colors. The man who helped turn his vision into reality was Henry Hobson Richardson. Richardson’s first major achievement was the Trinity Church and his architectural style came to be known as ‘Richardsonian Romanesque’ characterized by the use of colors in interiors and multiple patterns of arches.

Walking inside the church, the European influence was clear – there was lots of color, lots of gold, and lots of stained glass windows. It is breathtaking. Trinity’s collection of stained glass windows is one of the finest in the world. And apart from the gold-gilded Chancel – they are probably the second thing that stands out.

Stained Glass Windows @ Trinity Church

The windows were ordered from various European artists. The seven windows in the Chancel are all by Clayton & Bell of London and depict the various stages in Christ’s life. There are 6 more, each on the north and south sides of the church. And the south walls have some ten or more. All-in-all there are 36 stained glass windows. One of the most significant works of art here are the glass windows created by La Farge – these are unique in the way they are made. The colors and images were created using a process of layering opalescent glass. An entire window was made of thousands of pieces of glass to create one coherent image!

Next to the US Heritage site of Trinity Church is the shimmering glass building of John Hancock Tower – the tallest building in New England Imagine the contrast!

Things to consider: Trinity Church is a functioning church so check the website for when it is open to visitors and also the schedule for a free tour

Copley Square

Trinity Church is on Copley Square – a little plaza popular with office workers on the weekdays coming out here to take a break during lunch hour. On the weekends, this place is full of tourists. Kids are often found dabbling in water fountains next to the famous Tortoise and Hare sculptures.

Copley Square

Boston Public Library (optional) & Old South Church

Just across Copley Square is the Roman façade of the Boston Public Library. If books don’t rock your world, then you could skip this or just take photos.

This central branch of the Boston Public Library is of architectural interest and is made of two main buildings. The McKim building is the one that faces Copley Plaza with the motto ‘Free to All’ engraved into the stone.

A statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, adorns the large steps that lead into the cavernous lobby of the library. The lobby leads into the Grand Staircase which is adorned by large Lion statues and beautiful murals on the wall. Inside the library, one can quietly visit the Bates Hall and the Abbey Room.

Boston Public Library

Things to consider: Boston Public Library will be closed on public holidays so make sure of visiting hours before you plan to stop by.

From the library, walk back to Boylston Street and head east in the direction of the Boston Public Gardens. As you get back to Boylston Street, you will not be able to miss the spires of the Old South Church. 

Boston Public Gardens & Boston Common

Boston Public Gardens is a spot of green in the city which has a small pond popular with tourists and city dwellers alike. Boston Gardens is also the place where the famed ‘freedom trail’ starts, the walk that covers monuments of significant history in the freedom movement of America.
The garden is famous for two things – The Swan Boats and the ‘Make Way for the Duckings’ sculptures. The Swan boats sail through the lagoon that runs across the public gardens. I did not take it simply coz I thought this was more of the tourist hype ( also the long waiting line) – but I did take a lot of photos.

Boston Public Gardens

Some of the memories that stayed behind from Boston Public Gardens – brilliantly colored flowered beds, the bridge over the lagoon that gives such a lovely view of the boats, the willows on the bank, the statue dedicated to the discovery of ether as an anesthetic with the words’ Neither shall there be any more pain’ and the craze for taking photographs with ducks ( wtf!!).

Boston Public Gardens

Now about the ducks. Boston Public Gardens has both – the real ones that are people-friendly and keep hopping on and off on the lagoon banks and the bronze ducks. The bronze ducks are actually the reproduction of the illustrations of the award-winning children’s story ‘Make Way for the Ducklings’ by Robert McCloskey, about a family of ducks that tries to make their home in the lagoon at the Boston Public Gardens.

For some reason, the statues are really famous. Everyone from 5 to 50 was taking snaps next to them in various poses. A 55+ yr man saw my amusement and came to me and said ‘ I read this story as a kid. I really did. I had no idea they were this famous!”. Well, neither did I.

Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden are separated by a street and both appear popular. Boston Common is a much smaller park with fewer things to do.

This walking tour can take up to 3 hrs if done at a leisurely pace. You can add the Freedom Trail to this if you want to spend more time walking around.

For more photos of Boston, check out my clicks here and here

Recommend your favorite things about Boston in the comments!