“How do I get to the Esplanade?” “How do I get to the River?”
Whether it's for the Fourth of July, a concert, a special event, to exercise, or simply to enjoy this historic park, newcomers to Boston ask these questions all the time.
Because Storrow Drive cuts off the Charles River Esplanade from the rest of the city, you have to know where the pedestrian crossings are to get to the park.
The Esplanade is the park on the Boston side of the Charles River. It reaches from the Museum of Science in the East to the BU Bridge to the West. The photo above is a view of the park from the Cambridge side of the river.
Here’s a rundown of where you can cross from East to West.
- Martha Road/O’Brien Highway has crosswalks to the park.
- Blossom Street in the Massachusetts General Hospital campus has a ramped pedestrian bridge
- Charles Street has a bridge that takes you across to a spot right near the Community Boating building.
- Arlington Street will connect you to the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge and the Hatch Shell.
- Dartmouth Street at Back Street has a crossover that will position you near the lagoon, canoeways and the stone bridges to the Esplanade Islands.
Yes, in some places it looks like you are going into a strange area. For example you have to follow Fairfield Street all the way to Back Street to access its crossover
- Fairfield Street at Back Street’s bridge will take you to the bike path and another bridge to the Islands.
- Massachusetts Avenue at the Harvard Bridge (also known as the Mass Ave Bridge) has a ramp on its east side that will lead you down to a multi-use path along the river.
- Silber Way (Formerly and still called Sherborn Street by most Bostonians) will take you across to one of the nicest, scenic views of the park and the city, plus a state-of-the-art Parcourse.
- In back of Marsh Chapel at BU there is a crossing bridge to the park.
We created a map to show you these points of entry. Click here. (It may take a little time to load with the blue place markers. Wait for them!)
Want a taste of the Pops on your phone or MP3 player? Here’s a link: A full list of the Boston Pops recordings with Kieth Lockart
Related Post:
What's Open in Boston on July 4th?
Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2010 Penny Cherubino
