The Boston Traveler

Let’s take a quick trip to Back Bay’s Newbury Street, one of the most popular shopping, eating, and people-watching destinations in Boston for locals and tourists alike.

Newbury Street is an eight-block, mixed-use thoroughfare, lined on both sides by many dozens of retail and restaurant businesses housed in gorgeous, historic, renovated 19th-century brownstones. The intricate architecture alone is enough to make one stop and stare before taking scores of pictures and then moving on to the numerous additional stores and businesses on surrounding streets.

Bound on one side by the Boston Public Garden (Arlington T Station) and by Massachusetts Avenue (Hynes T Station) on the opposite side, Newbury Street has a distinct hierarchy of shops. The closer you get to Mass Avenue, as we call the state-named street for short, the quirkier and less expensive the stores become. As a result, the shopping district can accommodate just about anyone, whether a person has upscale or downscale tastes.

Newbury Street is also home to popular attractions that are historic in their own right, such as the original branch of the music chain Newbury Comics. But keep in mind that during peak times — for instance, the warmer months, when school is out and more people are on vacation — the wide and normally comfortable sidewalks can get very crowded.

I personally only visit the location at downtimes, when I know congestion will be limited. If you enjoy experiencing the sights and sounds of thriving, active neighborhoods, however, then peak time is probably the prime time for you to go.

Take a look at a brief video tour of Newbury Street, courtesy of Travelistic, after the jump and visit the shopping district’s official website to learn more about what it offers.

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