South End
The giant rainbow flag unfurled on
Tremont Street covers several storeys. Many
others nearby pay testament to the gay
community’s role in reviving the South End.
Historically a diverse area, by the 1960s it
was one of Boston’s poorest neighbourhoods
— all tenements and absentee landlords.
It was a sad state of affairs for what should
have been, and now is, one of Boston’s
most attractive ’hoods. It has the highest
concentration of Victorian buildings in the
city, with several small parks dotted between
them. But the gay community stayed during
the bad times and helped shape the good
ones that followed.
Nowadays, the South End is regarded as
Boston’s arts hub, with the giant former
warehouses flanking the pedestrianised
Thayer Street home to scores of studios
and galleries. MOHR & MCPHERSON does big
statement homewares, GOOSEFISH PRESS uses
antique presses to do letterpress printing,
BOBBY FROM BOSTON sells vintage menswear.
The creative process is by no means
confined to Thayer Street, though. Tremont
is home to JIM ANDERSON STAINED GLASS,
where decorative windows are made for
hotels and restaurants in the city. Across
the road is the CYCLORAMA BUILDING,
originally constructed to house a huge
circular painting of the Battle of Gettysburg
and is now the main exhibition hall for the
BOSTON CENTER FOR THE ARTS. THE BEEHIVE,
a bohemian bar inside, gleefully throws
everything into the mix — a quick look at the
upcoming events poster shows fiery Latin
jazz, a Bastille Day soiree and a Monday night
Dub Club with reggae, dub and soul.
It’s a fine example of how the South End’s
most enjoyable spots don’t limit themselves
to one thing. Tremont Street is regarded as
a restaurant strip, but the likes of BUTCHER
SHOP defy easy categorisation. Chopping
boards and cleavers hang from the walls,
fridges full of wrapped-up cured meats and
cuts of beef line the back, as people gather
round the bar on stools to work their way
through the wine list.
Nearby, recently opened WINE RIOT turns
the idea of a booze shop on its head too. The
walls are covered in maps of wine regions,
explaining the different characteristics of
everywhere from Austria’s Wachau Valley to
Central Otago District in New Zealand. It’s as
much an educational resource as a place to
buy a bottle, something backed up by the bar
offering free tastings at the rear.MORE INFO
Bukowski Tavern. bukowskitavern.net
Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar.
lolitatequilabars.com
Trident Booksellers and Cafe.
tridentbookscafe.com
Newbury Comics. newburycomics.com
Hahvahd Tour. trademarktours.com
Grolier Poetry Book Shop.
grolierpoetrybookshop.org
Mr Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers.
mrbartley.com
Area Four. areafour.com
Aeronaut Brewing Company.
aeronautbrewing.com
Tasting Counter. tastingcounter.com
Davis Square Theatre.
davissquaretheatre.com
Saloon. saloondavis.com
Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar.
rosebudkitchen.com
Bronwyn. bronwynrestaurant.com
Mohr & McPherson. mohr-mcpherson.com
Goosefish Press. goosefishpress.com
Bobby From Boston.
bobby-from-boston.com
Jim Anderson Stained Glass.
jimandersonstainedglass.com
Beehive Bar. beehiveboston.com
The Butcher Shop. butchershopboston.com
Wine Riot. wineriot.comApprentice Adam Choquette (left) and
stained glass artist Cecile Coisne in the
workshop of Jim Anderson Stained Glass
in Boston's South End neighborhood60 natgeotraveller.co.uk
NEIGHBOURHOOD