Atlantica - 01.06.2004, Page 27

A T L A N T I C A 25
When your shoes overheat, hop on the
subway, otherwise known as the T. With
only four lines, the T is easy to navigate.
History fans will be excited to know that
the T is America’s oldest (yet another
first) subway system. But don’t take my
word for it. One trip on the sluggish
Green Line will do it.
When the Green Line lurches to a stop
at Park Street, mosh your way out of the
train, ascend to street level and you’ll be
in the Boston Common. The Common is
a 48-acre playground for Bostonians. It’s
the site of softball games, pick-up soc-
cer games, and when the sun’s out the
Frisbees fly. During the winter,
Bostonians and tourists alike go skating
on the Frog Pond. Known as the first
public park (hey! another first) in the US
– established in 1634 – the Common is a
respite from the rush of city life.
Opposite the Common, across
Charles Street, is the Boston Public
Garden, a 25-acre swath of greenery
that was – surprise, surprise – the first
public botanical garden in the US,
established in 1837. The Public Garden
is slower and more relaxing than the
Common. Wander amongst the colour-
ful flowers and thick foliage and you’ll
stumble upon the Pond (not to be con-
fused with the Frog Pond) which is, dur-
ing the spring and summer, full of
Swan Boats. When my photographer
and I arrived, the tour operators were
setting up the boats for the spring’s first
The Freedom Trail on the corner of Court Street and Washington
020 Boston ATL 304-25.ps 21.4.2004 17:36 Page 25