Saturday, May 30, 2015

Urban Hike

Urban Hike

I've had a plan in my head for a two-part urban hike with the girls. Part 1 would visit a huge piece of public art that is suspended above the park right outside my old office. Part 2 was to explore some parks and bridges that I can see while I walk to and from work.

Today we finally did it.

We started at the Greenway right in front of my old office, to see Janet Echelman's huge suspended sculpture, "As If It Were Always Here".

It was worth the trip. It's beautiful; a very inspiring work of public art. They have even placed a few hammocks in the park so you can relax in them and enjoy looking up at the sculpture.

Of, if you're 9 and 11-year-old kids, swing in them.

Here's a cool time lapse of the installation of the sculpture.

Then it was on to Part 2.

When I don't ride my bike to work I take the train from Melrose to Boston's North Station and then walk 25 minutes to my office in Kendall Square in Cambridge. There's a direct shuttle bus, but I prefer the walk.

After leaving North Station I walk along the Charles River for a short distance and then cross the Charles River Dam Bridge (the "old" dam). Along the way I can see the new North Point Park across the water, and also the very new North Bank Bridge. For a while now I've wanted to take the family on a little excursion to visit those sites, as well as cross the "new" Charles River Dam.

It was a pretty warm day and the girls were not too excited about a "hike". But they were soon distracted by the locks in the dam. Then by the cool sloped concrete pillars of the Zakim Bridge, by the skate park under construction next to the North Bank Bridge and then by a huge playground I didn't know about in North Point Park. That playground also had a spray park that was very welcome.

We finished up by stepping into the Museum of Science where we know they sell Dippin' Dots. A sweet reward.

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