In my life, two of the biggest rites of spring are the Boston spring real estate market, and the blooming of Back Bay.
I always enjoy the days that I am working among the grand homes and magnificent trees of the Commonwealth Mall. The glimpses of the Charles River between the brownstones on Beacon Street still give me a thrill after living here for decades.
Marlborough Street is the quiet one. It isn’t the two way parkway of Comm Ave shuttling people in and out of the Public Garden and the heart of the City. Nor is it Beacon Street, aiming to get people out of town. Marlborough Street has been quieted purposely by the “traffic calming” of the first block. Also by design, it is the small street that ends at the Garden (the one with the swan boats and flowers, not the pucks and roundball) among some truly stunning homes.
I enjoy Back Bay homes. I enjoy the grand spaces, the exquisite craftsmanship, and the precious gardens behind their petite iron fences.
In spite of all of that, Spring, to me, is about the blooms. First the tiny flowers. Then the larger flowers. Tulips! Then the magnolias and lilacs, before the full green trees of summer. (Fall and winter are separate delights all their own.)
Back Bay is always the new year for me. The start of the real estate season, getting back to work in earnest. Seeing colleagues and friends that I didn’t see as much in the winter. The hype of the holidays is over. The slush will finally stop someday. Really. It will.
As I walk through all of our neighborhoods, I am always aware of the “old” buildings. They have seen the changing of the generations like the changing of seasons. They have seen people come and go. And stood during world crises from wars to economic crashes.
And, thankfully, they are still here. Designed to be beautiful and lasting.
With beautiful flowers. Every year.
My new year. Happy Spring.
Would you like to live in Boston’s Back Bay? Or own a place for a city home or pied-à-terre?
Single Family Homes along Beacon Street, Marlborough Street, and Commonwealth Avenue including the cross streets Arlington, Berkeley, Claredon, Dartmouth, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, and Hereford.
Some of the brownstones and hotels have been divided into exquisite condominium properties. Explore the luxurious slices of landmarks.
The storied streets of Back Bay offer a variety of properties as city homes.
No matter the size of the home, walking out onto the brick streets, among the beautiful gardens and exquisite homes is a thrill that never gets old. Browse some pieds-à-terre for all.
