Well friends, this is my final post about my Boston trip (about time, right?) It’s also the one I’ve been looking forward to the most!

When I told my parents I was going to Boston, my mom immediately started singing the praises of the Boston Common – America’s first public park, opened in 1634.

Sure enough, I ended up there for at least some portion of time every single day I was in the city. It serves as the starting point for the Freedom Trail, is filled with open spaces perfect for lying out with a book, and of course is ideal for people-watching.

Adjacent to the Common is the Boston Public Garden. A lost of people think it’s one giant park, but they are distinct entities – which led to some confusion myself! I was searching the Common for the swan boats my mom had told me she rode in as a little girl, only to discover that they are in fact at the Public Garden, across the street.

Living in New York has made me somewhat of a park snob – when your summer weekends are spent at Central Park or Prospect Park, how can anything else compare? But I can safely say that these Boston parks DO compare, and are the perfect (free!) spot to relax when visiting the city.