NEIGHBORHOODS > BACK BAY


In Style
It's the great American success story: rising from the humblest of beginnings to achieve prestige and greatness. As such, Boston's chic Back Bay may well be the ultimate American neighborhood-classically beautiful brownstone residences, paired with block after block of high-end, glamorous retail space, on a stretch of land that was once a fetid marsh.

Between 1857 and 1882, what we know as today's Back Bay was a tidewater flat for the Charles River. Gradually it was filled in, the largest part of a project that would more than double the size of the city. Once the swamp was gone, architect Arthur Gilman drew up the plans to build a largely uniform series of three- and four-story brownstones.

Real estate is pricey in this highly desired neighborhood-bordered on the north by the Charles River, Arlington Street to Park Square on the east, Columbus Avenue to Huntington Avenue, Dalton Street and the Massachusetts Turnpike on the south, and Charlesgate East on the west-and it's easy to understand why when one strolls past the gorgeous old brick buildings, amply shaded by trees, and within short walking distance of picturesque Boston Common and the Public Garden. Another prominent feature is the alphabetical cross streets, which intersect the main residential thouroughfares of Beacon Street, Marlborough Street and Commonwealth Avenue, as well as the commercial boulevards of Newbury and Boylston streets.

The Back Bay draws a high number of visitors because of Newbury Street, which has been referred to as "the East Coast's own Rodeo Drive." If you're itching to rev up the charge cards, and names like Gucci, Cartier, Chanel and DKNY get your heart racing, then this is the place for you. Once your shopping is complete (or you just need to rest and reload), the street also boasts ice cream shops like JP Licks and Ben and Jerry's, and fashionable restaurants and bars like Sonsie, Stephanie's on Newbury and Ciao Bella, great for outdoor dining.

The Back Bay is also home to some of Boston's architectural standouts-from the classic beauty of Trinity Church (built in 1877) and the Boston Public Library, to Boston's largest and most impressive modern skyscrapers, the 62-story John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center, which houses offices, restaurants and shops.