Globe Corner Blogs

After over three months of riding home on sweltering subways tucked under a stranger’s sweaty armpit, elbowing my way over simmering sidewalks between armies of tourists in mirrored sunglasses, and sticking to La Brea-like tar while waiting for egregiously late buses,  I needed a break. Hailing from the corn fields of the Midwest, I wither away under the glare of glass skyscrapers and blinking neon.  Without a car, the choices seemed limited. I could go to Boston Common and pretend not to notice the necking teenagers and muttering homeless. I could wedge myself between sunbathers on the Charles River bank and laugh at the runners. Or I could sit in the mini front garden of a Beacon Hill home when I thought no one would be home.

Fortunately I found there was a better way to get my seasonal dose of Vitamin Green: Boston’s Arnold Arboretum. At the end of the Orange subway line lays 14 acres of dignified oaks, poky spruces, ancient bonsai, wispy silk trees, and everything else in between that I couldn’t identify. The paved paths that wind through the Arboretum are not only a great place to identify plants, but also an ideal people- and dog-watching spot (by which I mean rambunctious children with training wheels and puppies who can’t believe so many trees exist in the world).

The Arboretum is planned around several 200-foot plus hillocks. While not exactly K2, 240 feet is a mountain in a sea-level town. From the southernmost bump, Peters Hill, I could see the back side of Boston’s skyline. It looked strange there, popping out of the distant greenery, and it felt almost wrong to have the Hancock Tower on the right — like I was sneaking up on the city somehow.

While the view was beautiful and impressive, and while the smiling babies and hopping puppies were undeniably cute, I was there for green. In my opinion, the next best thing to catching a great view from a hill is lying down on your back there and watching the clouds pass by through the branches above…and eventually closing your eyes and just listening to the trees.

Read more: Arnold Arboretum, Boston, Nature & Wildlife, New England, Outdoor Recreation, Travel


Llalan specializes in all things Ohio, but has funny stories from all over the US and Canada, plus a few snort-inducing ones from Thailand. And not only does she read books from around the world, she also samples beers in as many languages as possible. Favorite style: the multi-national American Double IPA.

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