11/19/2023 0 Comments Somerville massachusettsWhen it comes to food, a few essentials are the fish and chips, Irish stew and vegetarian shepherd’s pie, but there’s also a lineup of sandwiches, burgers, salads and appetizers like quesadillas, warmed spinach & hummus and Rhode Island calamari.ĩ. It’s no exaggeration to say that there’s a different act every night, in genres from Irish folk to rock, pop, indie, jazz, bluegrass and everything in between. As well as serving a wide choice of beers, cocktails and traditional pub food, The Burren has made a name for live music. Often named among the best Irish pubs in America, The Burren opened in Davis Square in 1996. The Burren Source: chris.rycroft / Flickr | CC BY The Burren The gallery here is a non-profit exhibition space that was established in 1989, with exciting shows taking place throughout the year. The association has scores of members, both resident and non-resident, and with specialties spanning everything from textiles to ceramics, performance art, print, documentary film, oil painting and drawings. In the mid-1980s a former bakery and cannery building for the A&P Grocery chain became one of the country’s first artist-developed live-work buildings.īrickbottom remains one of the largest setups of its kind, renowned for its open studios event each year in November. Brickbottom Artists Association (BAA) Source: guruXOX / shutterstock Art Gallery This is one of the locations for Paddle Boston, which offers shuttle trips upriver to the Mystic Lakes, for a gentle four-mile paddle back to Somerville.ħ. ![]() To the west is Blessing of the Bay Park, with a scenic strip of grass, and tree-shaded benches. You can reach the waterfront at the Sylvester Baxter Riverfront Park on the north side of Assembly Row, where there’s a plaza-like space with trails and public art. In Somerville and neighboring communities like Medford and Arlington, the banks are part of the Mystic River State Reservation, dating back to 1893 and made up of almost 350 acres. The Mystic River is one of the Commonwealth’s best protected watercourses, and almost the entirety of the riverbank is open to the public. Mystic River State Reservation Source: Alexander Rodas / shutterstock Sylvester Baxter Riverfront Park In the 20th century the eastern, riverfront neighborhood, Assembly Square was associated with heavy industry and then urban decline from the 1960s onwards.īut over the last 20 years there has been a lot of redevelopment, and the area has been reborn as a commercial destination.Įmbodying this transformation is Assembly Row, a large-scale mixed-use development, with offices, residential space, shops, dining and a revitalized waterfront, all completed in 2014.Īlong with international stores like Sephora, there’s also a slew of outlets for the likes of Nike, Converse, Saks Fifth Avenue, Columbia and Banana Republic, as well as upmarket restaurant chains (Ruth’s Chris, Shake Shack) and the AMC Assembly Row 12 if you want to make a day of it. Assembly Row Source: 2p2play / shutterstock Assembly Row Mid-May to late November there’s also a farmers’ market in Davis Square, 12pm to 6pm.ĥ. One is the evocatively named Rosebud diner, which opened in 1941 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, while we’ll talk about the Somerville Theatre and the local candlepin bowling later in this list. One explanation for the inclusive spirit and young crowd here is the proximity of Harvard, Tufts University and Lesley University, all within a mile or so.Īmong the spots for bubble tea, poke bowls and organic flatbread pizza, there are still a few businesses from before the Red Line arrived at this busy intersection. If there’s a single place that epitomizes Somerville’s journey over the last three decades it’s Davis Square, which is hip, packed with restaurants, nightspots, independent shops and cultural venues. Davis Square Source: Heidi Besen / shutterstock Davis Square ![]() In the absence of big-time landmarks, there are still a lot of fascinating spots in Somerville, like the place where the first United States flag was raised, and the oldest stone structure in Massachusetts. What you get now is a diverse community, and commercial areas home to inventive, stylish and ethical businesses that appeal to young people from neighboring universities. ![]() One was the extension of the MBTA’s Red Line in the 1980s, spurring development around Davis Square and Porter Square in particular. ![]() To the northwest of Boston, Somerville is a densely populated city that was once unflatteringly known as Slummerville.Ī lot of things have happened since the 1980s to change that perception.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |