NORTHEAST
MY NEIGHBORHOOD
Karen E. Haas, giving a tour at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
P
P L A I N ,
B O S T O N —
Picture Perfect
ROXIMITY TO downtown Boston convinced Karen E. Haas, Lane Senior Curator of Photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts, to move to Jamaica Plain with her photographer husband more than 30 years ago. But over time, “JP,” as locals call this Boston neighborhood, has become a destination in itself. “It’s a very quick commute. Several of my colleagues are neighbors, and many of us either walk or ride our bikes to work. But we no longer feel the need to head into other parts of Boston to have a meal or meet up with friends, as there are many more shops, restaurants, and activities here in JP,” says Haas, who oversees the MFA’s collection of more than 6,000 American modernist photos, writing books and organizing exhibitions like the recent “Ansel Adams in Our Time” touring show. In recent years, JP has become a magnet for young families, attracted by the green space and diversity. “I love seeing growing numbers of children out in the parks, playgrounds, and bike paths,” says Haas. —Jeanne O’Brien Coffey Homes in Jamaica Plain
dfkh dkhfdkj dd
IN GOOD TASTE “We especially love Vee Vee (763 Centre St., 617.522.0145) for its casual elegance, great food, wonderful wine list, beer flights, and warm welcome from hardworking owner couple Kristen and Dan Valachovic. The menu changes regularly, but I am partial to their crispy shiitake mushroom appetizer, panseared scallops, and housemade ice creams, which are almost always available. “For a drink and a quick bite, we love our local
tapas bar, Tres Gatos (470 Centre St., 617.477.4851), [which has] a vinyl-record shop attached. It’s a great place for a glass of wine and small plates, including blistered shishito peppers, tortilla Española, and creme caramel. Also nearby, The Haven (2 Perkins St., 617.524.2836), Boston’s only Scottish restaurant, is known for its wonderful fish suppers and array of single malt scotch and craft beers.”
Park in Dorchester. “From its shores, one can follow beautiful, wooded paths that meander all the way down to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where I began my career as a curator, and the Museum of Fine Arts, right next door, where I’ve worked full-time since 2001. The pond and its surroundings are a great place for walking, jogging, bird-watching, sailing in the summer and sledding in the winter, music festivals, and children’s soccer. Living only blocks from all of its natural
DECORATIVE ARTS
“Salmagundi (765 Centre St., 617.522.5047) is a really fun hat shop that offers incredible service and a varied selection of contemporary and vintagestyle hats. It is the antithesis of the homogeneity of chain stores—just the kind of thing that makes JP so special. “Jameson & Thompson Picture Framers (18 Bartlett Sq., 617.524.1805) has been at the creative heart of JP since 1985. I use them, as do many local institutions. They host artists’ exhibitions and are great supporters of local arts-related causes.”
GREEN GARLAND
Haas loves Jamaica Pond (507 Jamaicaway,
617.635.4505), a link in landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s “Emerald Necklace”—1,100 acres of parkland extending from the Back Bay to Franklin
Tres Gatos desserts
beauty has been one of the highlights of residing in JP.” And speaking of the
Museum of Fine Arts (465 Huntington Ave., 617.267.9300), “My favorite space within is anywhere photographs are installed. That can be in nearly every gallery. Right now, I have a small exhibition of about 30 photographs on view in the Art of the Americas wing as part of a larger installation that celebrates the recent centennial of women’s suffrage and centers on often-underrepresented women artists.”
CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM: MATT KALINOWSKI; © MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON; SUSAN LAFARGE; TRES GATOS
— J A M A I C A
Skating on Jamaica Pond
