Hyde Square - Jamaica Plain, MA

Hyde Square was the first area in Jamaica Plain to be settled by the English. Shortly after the first Puritan settlements in Boston in 1630, William Heath and his family built the first house just south of Parker Hill, bestowing his name to Heath Street. Other families joined, and the settlement developed into a small farming village.

Today, many galleries grace the southern section of Jamaica Plain, and the Jamaica Plain Open Studios event invites the public to meet local artists and view their work at various locations, including several private studios and group spaces in Hyde Square. Every May, the Southwest Corridor Park on the neighborhood's eastern edge hosts the annual Wake Up the Earth festival. Started as an activist event in 1979 to celebrate the defeat of the extension of I-95, the festival now attracts tens of thousands every May to feast on street food and watch live music and dance performances on four stages. The festival kicks off with a parade of costumed residents playing music, twirling streamers, and holding signs. In the fall, another festival takes place at nearby Pine Bank Field, when the annual JP Music Festival brings music lovers together for a free day-long jam on two stages.

Hyde Square has a diverse restaurant scene along Centre Street with American bistros and pubs, tapas bars, and Cuban and Ethiopian all next door to each other. You'll also find cheaper eats including Mexican, Chinese, pizza, and sandwich shops.

At the Haven, customers sample Scottish fare in a relaxed, rustic environment, complete with quirky modern touches such as chandeliers made from antlers. The Boston Globe-reviewed menu has thoughtful renditions of simple classics, such as beer-battered haddock served with minted mushy peas and herb-roasted chicken with rumbledethump cake. Regulars praise the crispy Scotch eggs, which arrive with a side of strong mustard, and more daring patrons report an excellent house-made haggis with a rich, buttery taste. The intimate bar area won the 2014 Boston Magazine's Jamaica Plain award for its extensive craft beer list, including many brews unique to Scotland.

Regulars keep returning to El Oriental De Cuba for the extensive menu of authentic Cuban eats and the reasonable prices. The light-filled restaurant with brightly-colored decor makes for the perfect casual meet-up with friends, while the flavorful food has gotten the attention of both Zagat and Fodor's.

Jamaica Plain boasts a vibrant nightlife scene, though the streets near Hyde Square tend to be quieter. For live music and dancing, locals can trek south to the Midway Cafe, a small music venue that stages everything from rockabilly and blues to metal and hip hop.

For residents looking for a quiet drink, several watering holes on Centre Street fit the bill. At local favorite Brendan Behan Pub, patrons step into the dark, wood-paneled room and check the chalkboard menu for recent additions. The friendly staff pour a wide selection of ales, lagers, stouts, and Guinness, including some hard-to-finds on tap, such as Sixpoint and Smuttynose, alongside wine and a full bar. The reasonably-priced establishment prides itself on being a real Irish bar where people chat, or a "talking bar," as the owner likes to say. Musicians sometimes play live here, usually Irish or acoustic rock, and though the bar has no kitchen, customers are invited to bring their own food to accompany the drinks and music.

Hyde Square offers residents the magic combination of walkability and strong public transit. The busy, energetic streets make it easy to run errands on foot, while the historic architecture adds to the neighborhood's everyday beauty. Riders of the T, Boston's transit system, can pick up the orange line at the Jackson Square or Stony Brook stops or catch the green line from Heath station. Local buses provide additional service, with route 41 running northeast along Centre Street and route 39 running north-south along Huntington Avenue. Hailing a cab can be tough, especially at night, but Uber services the area along with local car companies.

Drivers have a straight path into downtown Boston by taking route 28, a commute that takes as little as 15 minutes without traffic. Trips to Cambridge aren't much farther, and reaching major interstates I-90 and I-93 takes just 10 minutes. Drivers find free street parking fairly easily, including many spaces open to non-residents, though you have to turn off the busy thoroughfares to find a good spot.

Cyclists find bike-friendly streets throughout Hyde Square, including some stretches of dedicated bike lanes along Centre Street and South Huntington Avenue. A bike trail along the Southwest Corridor Park provides a straight path to Northeastern University or south to Arnold Arboretum, where some of the city's best riding awaits with a four-mile loop and a maze of smaller tree-lined paved paths to get lost in.

Four playgrounds dot the area: the Mozart Street Playground, the Bromley Health Play Area, the Forbes Street Playground, and the largest, the Jefferson Playground. Next door, Nira Rock Park invites the public to rock climb right in their own backyard. A 40-foot natural wall challenges climbers with a steep grade, and a hilltop meadow provides a nice spot to rest afterwards. The two-acre park welcomes leashed dogs and has a bike path and a young orchard where you can sample fruit right off the trees.

Residents looking for larger parks trek just a few blocks west of Hyde Square to Jamaica Pond. At the deep, scenic Jamaica Pond, visitors can rent sailboats or small kayaks from the Boat House and fish for trout from the spring-fed waters. Shaded paths line the pond for quiet strolls, long walks with the dog, or morning jogs, and benches provide a place to rest while looking out over the serene waters. In the summer, music lovers bring blankets and lawn chairs to hear free concerts in the park performed by Boston-area orchestras.

For decades, new residents have come to Jamaica Plain for the affordable housing, and Hyde Square is no exception. The average one-bedroom apartment in Hyde Square rents for around $1,450, significantly less than the city's average of just under $2,000. Though groceries and utilities don't differ much, the neighborhood's affordable restaurants and shops help keep budgets low.

The best shopping in Jamaica Plain lies south of Hyde Square along Centre Street, where small, independent shops sell books, comics, records, home goods, and antique furniture, along with some of the city's best vintage clothing. However, Hyde Square has a few unique boutiques on Centre Street that are worth the trip.

At J.P. Knit and Stitch, knitting fans peruse the selection of yarns, from natural and organic fibers to recycled blends and locally-dyed colors, along with cheery print fabrics perfect for quilting. The real strength of the shop lies in its classes, with crafty types coming for group sewing, knitting, or crocheting. Though regulars wish for a greater selection of yarns, the helpful instruction and community vibe keeps them coming back.

The Lucy Parsons Center was once called the Red Book Store, which sold progressive-movement books and homemade pamphlets at its Cambridge location for decades. Devoted readers followed the shop to Hyde Square, where the shelves are chock full of missives on everything from worker's rights and environmentalism to Marxism and the anarchy movement. Local activists hold free meetings here, and Radical Film Nights feature movies and documentaries on global freedom struggles.

For groceries, Hyde Square residents choose from a Whole Foods or a Stop and Shop that lie just a 10-minute walk apart. Locals trek south on Tuesdays and Saturdays to the Jamaica Plain farmers market, or walk east to the Egleston farmers market. Saturdays at Egleston bring a huge selection of fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and coffee. It also offers baked goods, pasta, and artisanal treats along with food trucks and special events.