Boston Bits ~ Insiders’ Tips -- our monthly journal of things Bostonian, to give Boston Your Way site visitors a sense of our city.

Cool it!
When you are out sightseeing in Boston you don’t need to give in to the call of your hotel’s AC to escape our distinctive New England heat. Instead, chill out at one of our city’s delightful fountains and wading pools. Here are a few within range of favorite tourists areas.
Christian Science Center, on its Huntington Avenue side. Near by is, of course, the Christian Science Center and its Mapparium, but also the Prudential Center shops, and Symphony Hall;
Boston Common Frog Pond, for when you are visiting Beacon Hill or Charles Street or Tremont Street-area historic sites;
Post Office Square, a wonderful hidden gem in the heart of the financial center at Milk and Congress streets;
Christopher Columbus Park on the Harborwalk at Atlantic Avenue and, close to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market and the North End.

The Running of the Brides
On one special day every August in Boston, these players rise early and suit up. They arrive at the starting line downtown at dawn, backed up with highly trained teams and carefully drawn strategies.
“They” are the hundreds of bargain seekers, mostly young women, determined to win big at Filenes’s Basement’s one-day designer bridal gown sale. And you don’t want to get in their way! When the doors open, they storm the cavernous space for the racks of super-marked-down top-of-the-line wedding gowns. They grab as many as they can fit on their airs, clearing the racks within seconds. They try them on right in the aisles over their clothes, eyeing the competition, prepared to engage in some serious bartering. Most go home happy.
This year the phenom occurs on August 18. It has been going on since the 1940’s and somewhere along the line got the nickname, The Running of the Brides -- even though some of these shoppers are not brides-to-be.

Before there was a Fenway or even a Red Sox Nation
Did you know that the first major league baseball World Series ever played occurred here in Boston?

In 1903, at the old Huntington Avenue Baseball Grounds (now Northeastern’s Cabot Cage), the American League Boston Pilgrims (later named the Red Sox) took on the National League Pittsburgh Pirates. And won!

One of the Pilgrims’ star pitchers was Cy Young. You can find a statue of the legendary pitcher on the site of the field’s pitching mound. Also, a plaque commemorating the grounds is on the side of Cabot Cage.

Why not take a look when you are in the Cultural Fenway -- home to the Museum Fine Arts, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, BU’s Huntington Theatre, Symphony Hall, and yes, Fenway Park.

For photos of the grounds and an excellent history of this period: http://www.redsoxconnection.com/stories/huntington.html

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