Charles River Esplanade
Riverside park with a public sailing basin, bike paths, lawns, and an open-air concert shell.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Charles River Esplanade in Boston follows Joseph Lee Junior, a Brahmin who broke with his own class on New Year's Day 1937 to open Boston's sailing clubs to the working kids of the West End, launching a fleet of homemade dinghies he called the Lee Boys. It traces the pushback from the old-money yacht clubs, a state order to clear the water, and a sail-in staged at the city's most genteel regatta. Stand near the boathouse between the Hatch Shell and the Longfellow Bridge to watch the small boats still on the water today.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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