South End, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

The City of Boston lists two dozen distinct neighborhoods, each sometimes with a particular ethnic and/or cultural emphasis or heritage. The City of Boston website says, "Located just minutes from downtown and the Back Bay, in recent years the South End has become one of Boston's most popular neighborhoods. It has attracted a diverse blend of young professionals, families and a vibrant gay and lesbian population to this Boston Landmark District. You will be sure to notice the South End's renowned Victorian brownstone buildings and homes as you walk along Tremont Street, Columbus Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue. Small business owners also enjoy the amenities of the South End and are supported by the national award winning Washington Gateway Main Streets Program. Some of Boston’s finest restaurants, a thriving arts community and nearly 30 parks also call the South End home."

Great railings on the entrance stairs to these buildings.

Quiet leafy streets, beautiful old brick townhomes, shopping, transportation - the South End has it all. I don't live in the big city but, if I was going to live in Boston, I think I'd choose the South End - (although I probably couldn't afford it).

According to the real estate website Zillow, the home value index is about $645,000 compared to the national home value index of about $175,000. Boston's Back Bay area is about $805,000. I like South End - I think it's quieter than much of Boston and feels more like home to me.

A little blue door.

And a little red door.

Visible just north of the neighborhood is the Prudential towers complex.

Parking is extremely difficult for visitors. Most of the area requires a resident sticker. Otherwise, pay to park or take public transportation are the options.

Southwest Corridor Park defines the northern boundary of the neighborhood. This local resident woman doing the volunteer gardening said the best line of the day in talking about her work in the hot sun, "the world is my gym, why bother to pay to exercise when I can do this instead." 

Wikipedia describes Southwest Corridor Park as, "a linear urban park in Boston, Massachusetts, part of the Metropolitan Park System of Greater Boston and managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). It extends from the South End and Back Bay neighborhoods south for almost five miles (8 km), ending in the Forest Hills section of Jamaica Plain in what was originally planned to be the alignment for Interstate 95 to Boston. It closely follows the routes of regional Amtrak and Commuter Rail lines and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Orange Line rapid transit rail line, from its Back Bay Station to its terminus at Forest Hills station. It features tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, and walking, jogging, and biking paths."

This is one of the streets directly off the park.

South End is a beautiful place in a world-class city. (Note: I had to take all these photos with my phone today because my camera was misbehaving. Frankly, I can't tell much difference.  Maybe it's the start of a new trend for me.)