I feel like I'm overusing the word iconic in these posts but there aren't many more places here in New England as iconic as the Boston Public Garden!!
I actually took a few hours off of work on this particular day (hooray for annual leave!) to walk over to the Public Garden and to Boston Common (see another post for that!) On the way there, I walked past this building - which is where Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706! You would probably just walk by this and not even notice it - it's so unassuming!
As I marched up Beacon Street, I also passed THIS adorable building - which houses the Boston Bar Association. The structure itself is known as the Chester Harding House.
It was built in 1808 and is named the Chester Harding House because that famous American portraitist lived here for four years in the 1820s. He famously painted John Quincy Adams, James Madison, James Monroe, Daniel Boone and several Dukes of Great Britain!
The Boston Public Garden and Boston Common are separated by Charles Street and are two very distinct and different public spaces. The Boston Public Garden was established in 1837 as the first public botanical garden in America. Hard to tell now because of the snow, but it's really lovely in the spring and summer.
One of my favorite things about the Public Garden is that all of the trees have little labels on them to tell you what kind of tree they are. It's 24 acres of elms, maples, beech, birch, redwoods (yes!), ginkgo, magnolia, oaks, pagodas - and dozens of other types of trees including this weeping willow. You like a tree in the garden? Take a picture of the sign attached to it and plant it in your own garden - you know it will grow here!
One of the most visited spots among the trees in the Public Garden is the Make Way For Duckling's statue(s). SO stinking cute!
This bronze duck and her ducklings were made by Nancy Schön and modeled after the famous book "Make Way For Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey.
McCloskey wrote the book in 1941 about Mr. and Mrs. Mallard settle into the Boston Public Garden to nest and have their babies. At one point, a child on a bicycle zooms past them and they declare that the park is MUCH too dangerous for their babies - and off they go, to settle down near the Esplanade on the Charles River.
These babies (known as Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack!) arrived at the Public Garden in 1987. It's tradition for people to dress them up for various holidays and sporting events.
The Public Garden sits right up against all of the pretty buildings on Beacon Street.
One of those pretty buildings is the bar where they filmed the outside scenes of the TV show Cheers! The writers actually modeled the bar in the show after this particular bar. It's known as Cheers now, but originally it had been the Bull and Finch pub dating back to 1969. The funniest thing here (to me!) is that on the menu, under "Diane's Entrees" they have "Rebecca's Fish and Chips." Team Diane forever!
Back in the Public Garden, we find Duck Island in the middle of the lagoon. Which is, of course, where Mr. and Mrs. Mallard eventually relocated with their baby ducks (after she taught them to swim and dive over on the Charles River)! A happy ending for a family of cute little ducks! Normally in the summer, you will find this park full of people, and the lagoon full of the famous swan boats.
You can also see the lagoon bridge in the background. Originally built in 1867, it HAD been the world's (!!) shortest suspension bridge before it was converted to just a regular bridge in 1921. The eyebar suspension still remains (although it's for decoration purposes only now since they installed the girders) - but it is still the oldest known eyebar suspension systems in the whole country! This city is just full of ridiculous superlatives!
Robert Paget built the first Swan Boats in the 1870s. When bicycles started becoming more popular, he decided to make the boats foot propelled paddle wheels - but by a driver, not the occupants of the boat. In order for the occupants to have more privacy, he thought up the idea to cover the driver with a swan! Today, four generations later, Robert's great granddaughter (and her cousin, also a Paget) still run the Swan Boats in the Boston Public Garden and they are one of THE most popular tourist attractions in the city.
But let's talk about the real hero of the story though... Robert died at the age of 42 in 1878, and his wife Julia kept the Swan Boats alive through the early 1900s (when her son John took over the business). Back then, it was a huge effort for a woman to prove that she could even run a business (particularly with four small children) - but she persisted!
Until next time (in the summer when it's prettier) Public Garden!
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