For the Boston parents out there who do not yet own a copy of Boston Baby, this week (high of 96 degrees today!) might be the week to pick up a copy! Author Kim Foley MacKinnon dedicates an entire chapter of the book, "It's Hot, Hot, Hot," to summer activities that'll keep the whole family cool (plus the museums, classes, and getaways in the rest of the book will also keep you busy). From beaches, spray decks, sailing, and parks, to children's Indie bookstores and libraries, there's no reason to feel overwhelmed by the heat. Here are a few options to get you through this week:
Artesani Park and Wading Pool, 1255 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton. Kim lists this as one of the best spray parks in the city. Located on the Charles River you'll get a great view and (hopefully) slight breeze, while the kids can splash around, enjoy the playgrounds, break for a picnic, and even feed the ducks nearby. Plus, there are lifeguards on duty, changing rooms, showers, and free parking (with an ice cream truck that hangs around too!)--you'll be all set for the day.
Courageous Sailing at Jamaica Pond, 617-268-7243, www.courageoussailing.org. Can't swim in Jamaica Pond but sailing away on the water will keep the kids cool. Paddle around, feed the ducks, and get the little ones fishing.
Castle Island and Fort Independence, Day Boulevard, South Boston, 617-727-5290. Hang out by the water, explore Fort Independence, and enjoy a snack at local landmark Sullivan's, all at the tip of Pleasant Bay. Plus, your future pilots can watch the planes as they land and take off from Logan.
Curious George & Friends, 1 JFK Street, Cambridge, 617-498-0062, www.curiousg.com. If you'd rather have the kids out of the sun, head on over to Harvard Square to explore the two floors of books and toys in this local Indie that was founded with the help of Curious George writer Margret Rey. Perhaps an afternoon (iced) tea is in order too? Upstairs on the Square has an array of treats for the fam.
Museum of Science, Science Park, Boston, 617-723-2500, www.mos.org. With exciting exhibits, live presentations, and the omni films, the museum offers plenty for a daytrip--or multiple daytrips. Stop by the Butterfly Garden for a tour or catch one of the 3D films to learn all about our planet. Your future scientist is certain to be intrigued by the creatures and interactive activities; and for any kids below the age of 8, the Discovery Center should be your first stop upon arrival.
Hope these tips help get the family out and about despite the heat. And send us (or tweet us @unionparkpress) some favorite hot spots in your area too--the cooler the better!
Dubbed by the Boston Phoenix as "the world's classiest luncheonette," Union Park Press is pleased as punch that our June 13th tour: "The Big Dig: Boston Blasts, Builds, and Reconnects" co-led by Boston's Gardens & Green Spaces author Meg Muckenhoupt and Boston Your Way's Maryglenn Vincens will be finishing up with tea and treats at Barbara Lynch's Sportello.
In fact, Sportello is the perfect ending point for the first of our three June walking tours.
Why?
Two reasons.
Sportello--in addition to Lynch's Drink and the new Menton--is located in a former industrial building in the ever-changing Fort Point Channel. That is, smack in the middle of the evolving landscape that Muckenhoupt and Vincens plan to discuss on their tour. This growing neighborhood is home to the John Joseph Moakley US Courthouse, the ICA, the Boston Children's Museum, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway and South Station just across the channel. There are also an increasing number of exciting public spaces in the area, many of which are covered by Muckenhoupt in Boston's Gardens & Green Spaces. Like Lynch's chic counter-eatery, however, these landmarks and parks are sited upon land that was predominantly under water and/or created by landfill within the past two to four hundred years.
The second reason is Chef Barbara Lynch. Born and raised in the projects of Southie, Lynch became fascinated with cooking at a young age and earned a reputation of being the "badass Boston girl" in Todd English's kitchens. She worked her way up the local food chain and today Lynch owns six restaurants, a catering service, a demo kitchen/cookbook store, and is the author of Stir. Lynch's Boston is the real deal--which is perfectly suited to Muckenhoupt and Vincens's agenda of helping locals re-discover what sets this city apart.
"The Big Dig: Boston Blasts, Builds, and Reconnects" will take locals and visitors on a journey along the new and exciting spaces of Boston's unique waterfront--tracing land building, the city's changing cultures, and the political showdowns that led to massive decisions and innovative park lands. The tour will begin at 1PM at the Beach Street Gate in Chinatown and end at 3PM at Sportello with tea, treats, and a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how Boston--and Bostonians--continue to shape this city geographically and otherwise.
To register: email events@unionparkpress.com or call 617 423 0840. More tour info can be found here.
We are pleased to announce that Under Cape Cod Waters by author and photographer Ethan Daniels is now available online and in bookstores throughout the region.
Part coffee table book, part essay on conservation, award-winning photojournalist Ethan Daniels takes Cape lovers on a stunning photographic journey through the often overlooked natural communities found along the shores of Cape Cod. Trained as a biologist, Daniels guides diving trips around the world, shooting underwater locations as exotic as Belize, Palau, and Micronesia. However it is Cape Cod, where he spent summers as a boy, that he chose as the subject of his first book-length collection.
With Cape Wind, fisheries management, and the Gulf Coast Oil Spill in the news (and memories of the 1969 Cape Cod Oil Spill), Under Cape Cod Waters offers a timely and unique chance to immerse yourself in the ecosystem that maintains this cherished peninsula--and to understand how important native species can potentially be affected by human action or inaction.
Check out the Boston Globe's travel section coverage of Under Cape Cod Waters this past Sunday. And come learn more and meet Ethan Daniels in person at various events in Boston and on the Cape, June 15-June 22 (more details here).
