Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
letters, documents, and keepsakes. There's a film about the Cuban Missile Crisis and
displays on Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier
Kennedy, the civil rights movement, the Peace Corps, the space program, and the
Kennedy family. As the tour winds down, you pass through a darkened chamber
where news reports of John Kennedy's assassination and funeral play. The final room,
the soaring glass-enclosed pavilion that is the heart of the I. M. Pei design, affords a
glorious view of the water and the Boston skyline.
Columbia Point.
&
866/JFK-1960
or 617/514-1600. www.jfklibrary.org. Admission $12 adults; $10 seniors and stu-
dents with ID; $9 youths 13-17; free for children under 13. Surcharges may apply for special exhibitions. Daily
9am-5pm (last film begins at 3:55pm). Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, and Dec 25. T: Red Line to JFK/UMass, then take
free shuttle bus, which runs every 20 min. By car, take Southeast Expressway (I-93/Rte. 3) south to Exit 15 (Morrissey
Blvd./JFK Library), turn left onto Columbia Rd., and follow signs to free parking lot.
Museum of Fine Arts
One of the world's great art museums, the MFA
works nonstop to become even more accessible and interesting. Every installation
reflects a curatorial attitude that makes even those who go in with a feeling of obliga-
tion leave with a sense of discovery and wonder. That includes children, who can
launch a scavenger hunt, admire the mummies, or participate in family-friendly pro-
grams scheduled year-round (and extra offerings during school vacations).
Among the numerous highlights of the magnificent collections are the
Impression-
ist
paintings (including one of the largest collections of Monets outside of
Paris), Asian and Old Kingdom Egyptian collections, classical art, Buddhist temple,
and medieval sculpture and tapestries.
The works that you might find most familiar are paintings and sculpture by Ameri-
cans and Europeans. Some favorites: Renoir's
Dance at Bougival,
Childe Hassam's
Boston Common at Twilight,
Gilbert Stuart's 1796 portrait of George Washington,
John Singleton Copley's 1768 portrait of Paul Revere (which looks suspiciously like
the Samuel Adams beer logo), a bronze casting of Edgar Degas's sculpture
Little
Dancer,
John Singer Sargent's
The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit,
Gauguin's
Where
Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?,
and several Luminist master-
pieces by Fitz Henry Lane (formerly known as Fitz Hugh Lane). There are also out-
standing holdings of prints, photographs, furnishings, and decorative arts, including
the finest collection of Paul Revere silver in the world.
None of this comes cheap: The MFA's adult admission fee (which covers two visits
within 10 days) is among the highest in the country. A Boston CityPass or Go Boston
card (see the “Let's Make a Deal” box on p. 142) is a bargain if you plan to visit
enough of the other included attractions.
Kids
MFA FYI
The Museum of Fine Arts entrance through the West Wing is usually much
busier than Huntington Avenue entrance and the Fenway entrance, which
reopened in 2008 as part of the ongoing expansion project. To soak up the
drama of the older entrances, check the website to see which one is in use, and
walk back along Huntington Avenue or the Fenway after you leave the T.
Inside, in the Upper Rotunda between the two original entrances, are the
museum's famed John Singer Sargent murals.
Tips
