Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Where It Starts

Turtle pond, 2007.


I'm adding a picture of Turtle Pond today. There's no vantage point to take in the whole pond, so I went with a sectional shot. There's actually a wall of rock that rises behind the north side of the pond, but trees block what would be a very nice view.
It's really a shame that Stony Brook Reservation gets so little use. There is a parking lot directly opposite the pond on Enneking Parkway, and another between the pond and Washington street, but both are permanently closed. As I recall, back 10-20 years ago there were "incidents" near the parking lots, and the police closed them. So you get a few crimes in the parking lots, and you effectively close down the park? Great solution. When my relatives from Sweden visited us, we drove them to Boston by way of Turtle Pond and Enneking Parkways. They were amazed when we told them that the park was within the border of the city of Boston. I think they imagined American cities looking like a Kojak episode - endless brownstones and empty lots. I doubt many people in Boston know Stony Brook reservation any better - it's a hidden gem.

5 comments:

jchristian said...

I agree - I live in Roslindale and yet have never really explored the area of the reservation except by driving through. Thanks for the info - I have been in the Arboretum and looked at Bussey Brook many times without wondering about a connection to the Stony Brook, or where it started. Fascinating stuff!

Mark B. said...

It's hard to connect little streams with Stony Brook - which you can't see. I recommend the JP Historical Society Stony Brook tour:

http://www.jphs.org/2008-walking-tours/

I'll be leading the next one Sept. 6.

Neponset River Bridge Dig said...

I used to play hockey on that pond...in winter of course.

great stuff you have here.

Mark B. said...

Thanks for the comment!

Unknown said...

I remember the view from that cliff in the 80s, when the trees were shorter and the parking lots were open. I always thought it was budget cuts that closed the lots, somehow, as though maybe they used to close them at night and then stopped opening them?