Emerald Necklace

Running the Necklace

adamg — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:05:53 +0000

Nathaniel Smith, who lives in Jamaica Plain, limns the joys of an early morning run through the Emerald Necklace:

I run around Jamaica Pond, then down around Wards Pond and Olmsted Park. The park system is great, with sidewalks, ponds, and unpaved wooded paths, and while very popular it feels like a private moment when I run at 7am.

There's another abandoned park restroom Boston wants to lease out

adamg — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:54:37 +0000

This time, in the Fens. The Fenway News reports Boston is seeking ideas for what to do with "the Duck House," an old restroom building on Agassiz Road that's gone unused since a fire in 1986:

... The Parks Department is seeking expressions of interest that provide for a public benefit and complement park management and programming. If a compatible use can be identified, the Department could grant a lease to a tenant who would restore the building for this use, provide public benefit, and enhance the Back Bay Fens. The Department would consider a long lease term; however, if the term is longer than three years, legislation will be required to enact such an agreement. ...

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Ambiguous sign modification in JP

cosmo.catalano — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:52:10 +0000

The Arborway sign was altered to read "Motorway" this morning. The message is somewhat ambiguous - are pedestrians and cyclists protesting the speed and noise of traffic along Boston's parkways? Or is it motorists laying claim to their turf?

Come, lettuce reason together

adamg — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:02:21 +0000

When not getting dissed by surly help at Somerville creperies, Mike Mennonno tends to his garden in the Fenway Victory Gardens. He reports on a green war between members of the Fenway Garden Society over the height of some people's plants:

... For those who protested, the President of the FGS ominously reminded gardeners that back in the day they used to plow the whole thing under every year. He warned that if allies in the Parks Department weren't properly placated, Fenway gardeners could lose their unique privileges. No other community garden has individual plots the size of ours, each with its own fence and gate. He even went so far as to say that there were those who would love to see the gardens themselves, which they consider an eyesore, disappear. ...

Putting the bite on Bicon Dental Implants

adamg — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:05:09 +0000

City attorneys are rooting around Inspectional Services Department documents to see if the department went too far in approving expansion at the Bicon building off the Emerald Necklace, the Jamaica Plain Gazette reports.

Lyss, who is both a Bicon patient and a nearby resident, doesn't get the root cause of opposition to the building:

I understand the desire to keep Boston's neighborhoods leafy and keep them from getting overrun by rampant, soulless development. Let's be realistic here - it's not in a park in the proper sense - it's not surrounded by parkland in the traditional sense (ex: Tavern on the Green in Central Park). It's on a high-traffic rotary that isn't too attractive itself, save for the leafy entrance to Franklin Park.

Thundersnow

adamg — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 23:22:46 +0000

Thanks to Tim, we now know that that lightning we saw and rolling thunder we heard early this afternoon is called thundersnow.

Night Owl City took some photos around Leverett Pond in the Emerald Necklace at the height of the storm (also see hardcore snow in JP and snow on Acorn Street on Beacon Hill).

Halley did a little cross-country skiing:

... When I got home, I shook out my hat, it was breaded in snow. As I whacked it along side of the outside wall, a burst of lightning happened. It was really weird since the sky is so thick with snow, I didn't even realize at first what it was. I turned around in the entryway, thinking a light had burned out. I couldn't believe it was lightning and then BOOM, it was followed by thunder. ...

Blurst got a bit exercised at bosses who make you come into work, then stay home themselves because they have kids.

Colin got a bit exercised at New England weather for forcing him to shell out $90 for a hotel room when it didn't look like he'd ever get home today (he eventually did):

You go to hell and you die, New England. You and your f****** blizzards with thunder and motherf****** lightning and 8-inch snowfalls in 3 goddam hours. ...

BK reports on a commute on 128 near Salem:

...It was moving - no joke - 5mph. Then the visibility dropped to 5ft. ...