Thank You, Fenway

During the COVID-19 distancing most of us have been sticking to our immediate neighborhoods for safe walks and outdoor hangouts. Luckily, I live in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston which is about as ideal for a pandemic quarantine as you can get. Here are a few of the neighborhood spots I’ve been taking advantage of during this time.

The Back Bay Fens

Thank you Frederick Law Olmsted for having our backs with this park! Part of Boston’s beautiful Emerald Necklace (7 miles of gorgeous parkland winding through the city), the Fens has a lot of natural beauty to offer. We’ve got the Fenway Victory Gardens, the oldest continuously operating Victory Gardens in the country, a beautifully maintained rose garden, acres of grass and trees for picnicking and napping in the sunshine, and an athletic track that’s become a big community meeting spot. 

The other day I saw a group of neighbors playing a pickup social-distanced baseball game on one of the basketball courts that’s been out of use during the pandemic. There are also several musicians, a saxophonist and an opera singer, who regularly perform in the Fens and the music carries all across the picturesque landscape. It’s a beautiful reminder of the very special place I live. 

The Northeastern Campus

I typically avoid college campuses at all costs because students are one of my least favorite populations of humans. But with the campus all emptied out I’m able to enjoy their extensive collection of murals by local, national, and international artists. It’s nice to be able to get my art fix while museums are closed and performances have moved online. It’s also an opportunity explore East Fenway (I live in West Fenway) which is an area I’m less versed in.

Perusing Local Shops

Despite the constant development in the Fenway we do still have local businesses! I’ve been making regular rounds to Oakloaf Bakery, the Economy True Value on Mass Ave (they’ve dubbed themselves “the hipster Target”), and WinePress among many others. It’s especially important to patronize local businesses during the pandemic but here in Fenway it’s also about keeping some of the authenticity in the neighborhood. Some of these shops have been here for decades, well before the Fenway was a popular place to live, others have moved in to try to retain some local ownership in the area. Even when places have only been doing online orders or curbside pickup it was nice to be able to chat with the owners and see the community come together.

I’m very grateful to live in a neighborhood with so much to make me smile, even during the most challenging of times. What spots in your neighborhood have been keeping you sane?