Boston Bar Association

Daniel Conley – Suffolk County District Attorney
"My favorite city neighborhood is the place where I grew up - my hometown of Hyde Park.  Hyde Park is full of friendly people, and has a great mix of restaurants, specialty shops and recreational opportunities.  One of the most diverse neighborhoods of Boston, Hyde Park is a city neighborhood with a suburban feel and a real great community. Drop by sometime and check it out!"

Rachel Hershfang –Securities & Exchange Commission
"I grew up in the South End and, after a detour through Chicago, Connecticut, and the North End, am lucky to live there again.  Decades of change mean that the neighborhood I live in is not the one I grew up in, but it’s still my favorite in the city.  There are the obvious reasons -- great restaurants, well-treed streets, plenty of parks, easy walk to work – but also the less obvious (the diversity that still exists, at least at the margins of the neighborhood, the community gardens, salsa at Villa Victoria, and the chance to run into my parents unexpectedly on the street (which is a good thing. Really)."

Lawrence DiCara – Nixon Peabody
"Having served on the Boston City Council for ten years, I know each of the city's neighborhoods quite well. My favorite, not surprisingly, is Jamaica Plain, given that Teresa and I decided to live there over twenty years and have raised our three daughters in that eclectic corner of the city. I welcome the fact that we can walk to the T and to most every conceivable kind of store or restaurant. We especially welcome having Jamaica Pond nearby. Most importantly, all are welcome in JP. That means a lot to me and Teresa and is an important message for our children."

Ingrid Chiemi Schroffner - Executive Office of Health and Human Services
"The Old Port district in downtown Portland, ME.  In terms of proximity, variety and atmosphere, it is fabulous – on the ocean, not so far to drive from MA to get away, with lovely cobbled streets to walk about in that are filled with all kinds of eateries and shops in quaint Victorian brick buildings, and a nice local live music and arts scene to boot.  Having fun family to visit there is also a plus."

Michael Bogdanow – Meehan Boyle Black & Bogdanow
"My new favorite neighborhood is the one we moved to last February -- Avon Hill in Cambridge. Great streets for walking, interesting houses, wide variety of nearby restaurants and clubs, walkable to A.R.T. and Passim, near the Red Line and the Commuter Rail to Boston (one stop Porter Sq. to N. Station), and a diverse population. It’s wonderful!"

Jane Willis - Ropes & Gray
"Last year, I visited Japan for the first time.   I spent an afternoon alone walking around the Harajuku neighborhood in Tokyo.    There are a lot of young people -- expressing their own style.  I felt 15 years younger immediately.   I told my partners in Ropes & Gray's Tokyo office that I would want to live in an apartment with a balcony in Harajuku.  Apparently, that is a crazy idea."

Michael Flannery - Goulston & Storrs
"Though no one lives there, Castle Island is a meeting place for people from neighborhoods all over the Boston area. When I was growing up in Milton, there was no better place than Castle Island to spend a hot summer evening – watching the planes, eating burgers and ice cream, and playing with kids from all sorts of other neighborhoods. I still feel that way now that I visit with my own family."

Renée M. Landers - Suffolk University Law School
"Boston's neighborhoods give the city a unique character, melding the past with the present, that many other cities in the United States lack.  I like the neighborhood where I work--near the Boston Common, the Park Street Station, and the BBA!--because one can be among the buildings and places associated with events that are part of the founding of the country as part of everyday life.  As locals, we tend to take the Park Street Church, Old South Meeting House, King's Chapel, the colonial burying grounds, the Old State House, and other such treasures for granted.  Walking among tourists who have come from all over the country and all over the world to experience the city's contribution to history reminds me that Boston is really a special place.  I wish only that the spectacular potential of some of Boston's underappreciated neighborhoods such as Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, and the waterfront areas of South Boston could be more fully realized." 

George P. Field - Burns & Levinson LLP
"For more than a decade (before Married With Kids), I lived on Beacon Hill and enjoyed the short walks to great spots, from The Sevens to the Bristol Lounge (and even to the office), the proximity of parks, boating, shopping, music and theater, and the excitement of stepping out into a clear spring or fall day with the feeling of Paris all around.  And the winter was no worse than anywhere else in Boston, with the unique consolation that you could sip a warm drink while looking out the window at the sideshow of vehicles struggling up and down the snowy slopes.  Beacon Hill, without a car, definitely!"

Laura Khoshbin - Partners Healthcare
"My favorite neighborhood is Harvard Square -- the one spot in the world where the sartorially-challenged and socially-quirky are at home in the confluence of over 4 centuries of New England history and the timeless energy of campus (year-round).  The Square is also sacred ground for can't-live-without books and office supplies (Yes!  Bob Slate's is back!).  Most of all, it's where to go to feel absolutely ageless."

John H. Lacey - The McCormack Firm, LCC
"South Boston  -  This isn't your father's South Boston anymore, but some of the best parts remain. As it always has, living in Southie gives you unparalleled access to the ocean, beaches and downtown. Now that the West side has seen its renaissance and the Seaport District’s explosion of development, the entire peninsula is your neighborhood. The views from the rooftops of Southie are spectacular. With new restaurants seemingly opening  weekly, the neighborhood is seeing its true potential. Still want to see Southie in the 70's? Stop by the Quencher Tavern…it still lives there; thankfully, Whitey’s gone."

Regina S. Rockefeller - Nixon Peabody LLP
"My new favorite neighborhood is the Boston Seaport.  The night view of the busy port of Boston and the city skyline from the harbor is spectacular.   The new Institute of Contemporary Art, the three story Legal Seafood restaurant complex with its neighboring restaurants brings excitement to our city.  In 2011, Boston is finally taking advantage of our beautiful waterfront.  Kudos to those who had the courage and conviction to envision this new neighborhood."   

Colin Zick - Foley Hoag
"My favorite neighborhood in Boston is where I live:  Beacon Hill.  I still have days when I am walking to work and look around in awe at the classic buildings, quirky alleys, wonderful shops and great restaurants.   Even though I’m in the city, I can cross-country ski, bike, and sail within steps of my front door.  If I want to see a concert, I’ve got the Hatch Shell.  If I want Shakespeare, I can go to the Common.  And, if I want to get some work done, I’m within walking distance of the Adams Courthouse!"

Frances Cohen - Bingham McCutchen
"Since we married 28 years ago, my husband and I have lived near the river in West Cambridge.  Originally a compromise -- he wanted to live in the suburbs, and I, an ex-New Yorker, needed to be able to walk to buy a newspaper and ride the T -- we've come to love it.  We're just a block from the beautiful MDC running trails so the changing scene along the Charles River is always with us.  We walk into Harvard Square for newspapers and coffee at Darwin's, our local bodega, and, in the other direction, go to Huron Avenue for free cheese samples at Formaggio's and bread at High Rise Bakery.  And I've turned into an avid gardener, which I could never do in New York.  So, mom and dad, the move was a good idea."

Peter F. Zupcofska - Burns & Levinson LLP
"My neighborhood is the South End, probably one of the best examples of what urban living ought to be: vibrant, busy sidewalks, a diverse population, great restaurants, galleries and boutiques, all set in wonderful architecture both old and new.  A favorite past time is Peters' Dog Park with our coton, Cooper, off the leash and playing with neighborhood friends!"

Jessica Kelly - Sherin & Lodgen
"Charlestown. It is the perfect combination of old and new. Instead of Whole Foods, we have Johnny’s. Instead of Starbucks, we have Zumes. And that’s the way everyone likes it. It is a family oriented community and there are lots of programs for children and great parks. And because Hollywood seems to be as obsessed with Charlestown as we are, you are bound to see a celebrity every once in a while!"

Pasquale DeSantis - Prince Lobel Tye
"My favorite neighborhood in Boston is the North End. When my family moved to America from Italy many years ago we settled in the North End. The North End is a very special place: the energy that exists there cannot be found in any other part of Boston (not even at a Red Sox World Series game or Patriots' playoff game). When I lived there  the North End was even more special. It was wholly Italian. English was a second language.  It truly was like living in a little Italy!  More recently, I was in one of the Cafes watching the Italian Soccer team win the 2006 World Cup. It was like the Super Bowl, World Series and Stanley Cup all wrapped into one event. That day the North End was the center of the Italian Universe (in America)!  The  spirit and atmosphere that existed back then somehow (magically) continues to  permeate the North End today. I like to gauge the pulse of the North End every Saturday morning in my favorite Cafés (after going to the produce market at the Haymarket) and every Thursday night at one of my favorite restaurants, Trescas.

Kristen A. Young - Sullivan & Worcester LLP
"While I have certainly developed an affinity for the Financial District over the years, I would have to say Back Bay.  Maybe it was how I felt as a college student at Boston University in a dorm on the edge of Back Bay, all full of hope and optimism, that has kept the neighborhood in my heart.  The brownstones seem to epitomize Boston, and the shopping opportunities are endless.  However, I think that it is the people - the mix of young people, college students, professionals and tourists all intermingled and doing their own thing, so that almost everyone always fits in - that draw me to the place." 

Jeremy C. McDiarmid - MA Director, ENE (Environment Northeast)
"I've always loved Central Square with its cacophony of smells, sounds and sights.  It's an amazing fabric of grittiness and glamour, of high-brow and low-brow.  This is a heterogeneous scene where people of all cultures, races, incomes and pursuits mix freely and there is a rhythm to Central unlike any other place in town.  Although long-time residents will tell you how much it's changed over the years, to me, it has preserved its unique essence, and that’s what makes it one of my favorite spots."

Cynthia Mark - Greater Boston Legal Services
My favorite neighborhood in Boston is Chinatown.  Chinatown is the most densely populated neighborhood in all of Boston, and the cultural hub of both newly arrived Asian immigrants and deeply rooted Asian Americans from throughout New England.  I can always find good food, from Chinese dumplings, Vietnamese Banh Me (i.e., subs), to Malaysian clay pots.  Most of all, I love the energy and fighting spirit of the residents, who are still looking or their "Gold Mountain" or piece of the American dream, be it in the form of voting rights or workers' rights.  Check it out, and I trust that you will find some hidden treasures."

Richard Yurko - Yurko, Salvesen & Remz
"My favorite neighborhood is Shore Road in Ogunquit, Maine. It has many of the attractions of a city, with fine restaurants and a cosmopolitan mix of folks from all over, but also the feel of a New England village. When one walks up the sidewalk on Shore Road, most everyone will greet you with a "Good morning" or smile-filled "hello." And the calming voice of the ocean breaking on the rocks of Perkins Cove is just a few steps away."

Susan L. Repetti - Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP
"In my 30-plus years in downtown Boston, I’ve seen Post Office Square transformed from a run-down and rat-infested parking garage to a verdant and well-maintained park. Many office workers spend their lunch hours there and concerts are sometimes held. There’s nothing else like it in the vicinity of the Financial District."