October 2, 2021 - Boston Greenway/North End (Little Italy)
After leaving the Boston Tea Party attraction in the middle of Fort Point Channel, we walked to the west side and then turned north on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. We were headed to the Boston's North End and the Greenway took us right there.
The Greenway is a linear park located in several Downtown Boston neighborhoods. It consists of landscaped gardens, promenades, plazas, fountains, art, and specialty lighting systems that stretch over one mile through Chinatown, the Financial District, the Waterfront, and North End neighborhoods. Officially opened in October 2008, the 17-acre Greenway sits on land created from demolition of the John F. Fitzgerald Expressway over the Big Dig.
Essentially they tore down the above ground highway and converted the land area into a park. The highway was moved underground as part of the Big Dig project which is considered one of the largest, most complex, and technologically challenging highway projects in the history of the United States. I know the Big Dig was way over budget and way late but I must say that after driving through it a couple of times on our Boston trip it is impressive.
We arrived at the North End which is also considered Little Italy. It was jumping! Everyone was out and about on a Saturday night. The restaurants were jammed. If you didn't have a reservation you were out of luck. A young greeter at Monica's Trattoria took pity on us and found a table for us where we had a delicious Italian dinner.
The North End has the distinction of being the city's oldest residential community, where Europeans have continuously inhabited since it was colonized in the 1630s. Though small, only 0.36 square miles, the neighborhood has nearly one hundred establishments and a variety of tourist attractions. It is known for its Italian American population and Italian-themed restaurants.
