Free Holistic Escapes in Boston
Dear Karlo,
I could use a healthy escape from the wintry mess that is my neighborhood, but I
just don’t have the cash to head for a spa or fly to warmer climes. Can you
recommend any local escapes?
Snowy in Somerville
Dear Snowy,
Like urban dwellers who only visit their historic and cultural sites when they
are presenting them to out-of-towners, we often undervalue the opportunities for
healthy escape that are in our own neighborhoods. Let me remind you of some that
might surprise you, plus a great one that could use your help coming into being:
We tend to tend to think of libraries and bookstores as places to acquire
information or purchase the latest bestsellers, but it’s undeniable that the
best ones offer cozy opportunities for escape, particularly in the winter. Who
wouldn’t want to sit in a comfortable chair and unhurriedly browse through all
types of books? The best libraries or bookstores to escape to for the afternoon
are not necessarily the largest or most comprehensive. The older, smaller branch
or annex libraries are often the best. The pace is slower, and the librarians
have time to help and even recommend a nice spot where you can read undisturbed.
Don’t forget that membership in one Boston area library entitles you borrowing
privileges from other area libraries: call your local library for details. For
the best bookstore escapes, I recommend the independent booksellers over the
chain stores (to find one near you, visit
www.booksense.com). In the opinion of this literary loiterer, used
bookstores are the best for their slow tempo, unusual finds, and relaxed staff.
Another unsung means of local escape are small museums. Yes, the Museum of Fine
Arts has the big exhibits and well-known masterpieces, but if it’s escape you’re
looking for, you’re not likely to find it among throngs of noisy schoolkids.
It’s the small museums that avoid the tourist crowds and give you just enough
culture feel satisfied but not overfed. Try out the Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum (www.gardnermuseum.org),
one of Boston’s most underappreciated cultural gems. Its stunningly beautiful
skylit (and free-of-charge) courtyard is an oasis in winter in which to sit and
reflect. Harvard University also has a variety of modest-sized museums (see
www.harvard.edu/museums) to suit many tastes; they charge reasonable
admission fees and provide a haven for solitude-seekers. For the full rap on
local museums, visit
www.museumsofboston.org.
Holy buildings have long provided refuge for the weary, and many of Boston’s
churches, synagogues, mosques, and other religious centers open their doors to
the general public, some generously offering up their spaces for quiet
reflection in between services. For a directory listing of Boston’s remarkably
diverse religious institutions, visit the website of Harvard’s Pluralism Project
at
www.pluralism.org. Although I am not a Catholic, I have found cathedrals to
be great places from which to escape the urban hustle and bustle, particularly
during organ practice times. A great antidote to the pervasive anxieties about
Islam that many of us may have unconsciously absorbed in recent years is to
visit a local mosque. I recommend checking out the Islamic Society of Boston (www.isboston.org),
on 204 Prospect Street in Cambridge. The ISB is active in the interfaith
community, and in educating the public about Islam. Mosques in America welcome
visitors, and tours for the curious can be arranged at most facilities. As with
any religious institutions with which you may be unfamiliar, it’s best to call
before arriving for information on when and how to visit.
Used as a means for walking meditation and prayer, labyrinths continue to grow
in number and popularity. Etched into church floors, carved into gardens, or
landscaped into parks, labyrinths are enjoying a much-deserved resurgence.
Unlike garden mazes, labyrinths are not a puzzle, instead providing one
continuous path to pace. To find a labyrinth near you, visit the website of the
World-Wide Labyrinth Locator at
http://wwll.veriditas.labyrinthsociety.org. Winter walkers may choose to
inquire ahead of time whether a labyrinth is set up for year-round use. Boston
College has designed a striking labyrinth (see
www.bc.edu/alumni/association/labyrinth.html) in memory to the 22 BC alumni
lost in the 9/11 tragedy. As to how to walk a labyrinth, BC Professor Rebecca
Valette recommends “there are many approaches to the walk. Begin by quieting the
mind and then follow the path that is right for you: “1) The Path of Silence:
Empty your mind of the hubbub and commotion of the outer world. Open your heart
to the silence of the walk; 2) The Path of Image: Follow the images or dreams
that arise in your imagination; 3) The Path of Memory: Walk the sacred path in
the memory of a friend or family member who has passed away; 4) The Path of
Prayer: Recite a prayer, a Bible verse, or a line of poetry; 5) The Path of
Questioning: Concentrate on a question. Don't expect an answer. Simply be
content to explore the possibilities.”
It has always surprised me that a world-class city such as Boston lacks a
sizable indoor botanical garden or conservatory, a spacious indoor greenhouse
where one can escape the barrenness of winter into a paradise of lush, humid,
verdant tropical life. With your support, however, that might finally change.
The Darwin Project (www.darwinboston.org)
is “a collaborative process to create the vision, to design, and to build
Boston’s Botanical Garden and Conservation Learning Center on four acres of land
on the Rose Kennedy Greenway located at the heart of downtown Boston. A
beautiful outdoor gateway garden and unifying landscapes will welcome you to the
site. The Botanical Garden will be enclosed in a spectacular 21st Century
expression of a classic glass conservatory. It will form an urban oasis where
residents and visitors can linger on cold winter days and where school children
can touch and learn about plants and animals…The Darwin Project also will try to
reconnect adults with the imagination and freedom of expression we came by
naturally as children, but may have lost as the challenges of our fast paced
lives and work have filled in those spaces.” Sign us up!
Snowy, I hope these places are worth your putting on your Wellingtons and
trompling out to. One need not fly to Hawaii to find inner bliss in January.
First published in Boston Natural Awakenings magazine's January 2006 "Ask
Karlo" column.
2009 Karlo Berger. Some rights reserved. Website Design by Solid Uncoated.
Thanks to Hannah Burr, Kristin Granli, and Jim Kelly.