Buena vista

Squaw Rock Park Location: Squantum (Quincy). Driving: Head south from Boston on Route 3A; just after you cross the Nanta sket Bridge, take a left onto East Squantum Street. The park is on the left just before the American Legion post.

Squaw Rock Park in Squantum is a well-kept secret, known mainly to people who live on this residential peninsula. Owned by the city of Quincy, the windswept, rustic park marks the spot that Myles Standish landed in 1621, with Squanto as his guide. You could spend 10-minutes here, clambering down the birch-lined path, inhaling the fragrance of wild roses, and taking a quick look at the fab view of Boston - including Columbia Point, the Back Bay, downtown, and South Boston. Or you could spend an hour or more exploring the grassy knoll studded with gnarled trees, and the rocky beach streaked with seaweed and mussel shells. Wander to the right - away from the vivid view of the Corita gas tank on the Southeast Expressway - to the end of the beach. You'll find a shalelike outcropping, articulations on the beach that look like jagged edged index cards.