Back Bay, Boston

The prominent Back Bay neighborhood features upscale shopping and dining on Newbury St., the John Hancock Tower (tallest building in Boston), and is tucked between two other famous neighborhoods, Fenway and Beacon Hill. The craziest about Back Bay we learned was the area was originally an actual bay on the Charles River that was filled with dirt from nearby hills, including Beacon Hill, from 1857 to 1882 in order to build more land for a new neighborhood.

One unique exhibit we attended was a 360 degree experience called the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddie Library in the Christian Science Monitor. Once inside, you are surrounded by a 3-story high glass globe that displays the correct size and proportion of the continents and oceans. Interestingly, the country boundaries are out of date as the map has not been updated since 1935.