2016-04-12 – Panorama of the Mountains

If you’ve been following my A to Z journey through Jamaica Plain, you may be interested in learning more about the neighborhood on a walking tour.

First, there’s the Jamaica Plain Historical Society whose website is full of articles and research that have been invaluable to me during this project. JPHS offers FREE walking tours through different areas of JP on Saturdays at 10 am from spring to autumn. Note, that while I’ve lead these tours in the past, I don’t currently have the time to lead them but I highly recommend them as a fun and healthy way to learn some local history.

Second, Boston By Foot will be presenting the annual April Fool’s tour True Lies and False Facts in Jamaica Plain this Sunday, April 17 from 2-4 PM, meeting at Stony Brook station on the Orange Line. Once again, while I am a guide for Boston By Foot, I am already committed to attending the Red Sox game at that time, so I won’t be able to make it. But YOU should definitely go if you can make it!

Click to see more “Blogging A to Z” posts.

J is for Jamaica Pond

A defining topographical feature of Jamaica Plain is this 68 acre kettle pond that is 53 feet deep at its center. Jamaica Pond was formed of land scooped out by glaciers and was landscaped by the Frederick Law Olmsted firm to retain a natural beauty. It’s a popular destination for walking, jogging, sailing, and fishing. On a promontory above the pond is a field used for children’s soccer and baseball games and for festivals. Another kettle hole called the Sugar Bowl – this one not filled with water – is a popular destination for wintertime sledding. Every October, children dressed in costume circle the Pond’s 1.5-mile trail carrying hand-made lanterns for the Jamaica Pond Lantern Parade.