Local Expert
Maria Olia
I am a freelance writer and the author of “The Little Black Book of Boston” (Peter Pauper Press). I fell in love with Boston when I was a kid, came to the city for college, and never left!…
I am a freelance writer and the author of “The Little Black Book of Boston” (Peter Pauper Press). I fell in love with Boston when I was a kid, came to the city for college, and never left!
Travel is my passion; and I have written dozens of articles about the various places that I have visited. My absolute favorite travel destination is Tuscany, the most “exotic” place that I have visited is Iran, and my dream vacation is Greece.
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Hidden Boston
Like any big city, Boston has its share of interesting "secret" attractions. For those willing to ditch the well-worn tourist path, here are three Boston spots that may not be well known, but are still pretty impressive.
The posh Langham, Boston Hotel occupies the Renaissance Revival building that was once Boston’s Federal Reserve Bank. Most Bostonians do not know that the hotel’s clubby and beautifully appointed Julien Bar is home to two important N.C. Wyeth murals, commissioned by the bank’s governors in the early 1920’s. In keeping with the finance/banking theme, one painting is of George Washington with Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Across the room, the second painting is of Abraham Lincoln with Salmon Chase, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury during the Civil War. Imbibing in a cocktail beneath these fabled paintings is pretty heady stuff. Definitely order a martini- the Julien bar menu lists 101 different types including several different types of chocolate martinis. Yum! Note: You can see the paintings and visit the bar without being obligated to buy a drink.
If you are coming to or from Boston via Interstate 93 South you will pass the Boston Gas Keyspan Tank Mural, which is the world’s largest piece of copyright art. It’s both a landmark and urban legend. Artist Corita Kent, a well-known Vietnam War protester, painted the 150-foot rainbow mural in 1971, and the blue stripe is said to contain the profile of North Vietnam leader Ho Chi-Minh.
At the Mary Baker Eddy Library you can walk across a 30-foot footbridge and step right into the Mapparium, a three-story stained glass globe that remains a snapshot of the world just as it was in 1935. There is a sound and light show that goes along with the exhibit and very cool acoustics too. Try out the “whisper gallery” effect here- you and a friend can stand at each end of the bridge and whisper to each other. It is as if you are standing next to each other!