COVER STORY
Mass. appeal
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MORE INFORMATION
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Bangkok Cuisine 177A Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-262-5377. (Get directions).
Berklee Performance Center 136 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-266-1400, ext. 8820 or www.berklee.edu. (Get directions).
Bombay Cafe 175 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-247-0555. (Get directions).
Christian Science Center Mass. Ave. and Huntington Ave., Boston. 617-450-2000.
Compleat Strategist 201 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-267-2451. (Get directions).
Daddy's Junky Music 165 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-247-0909. (Get directions).
Dixie Kitchen 182 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-536-3068. (Get directions).
Dorothy's Boutique 190 Mass. Ave., Boston. 671-262-9255. (Get directions).
Economy Hardware 219 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-536-4280. (Get directions).
E.U. Wurlitzer 180 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-738-7001.
Looney Tunes 1106 Boylston St., Boston. 617-247-2238. (Get directions).
Symphony Hall 301 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-266-1492 or www.bso.org. (Get directions).
Tower Records Mass. Ave. and Newbury St., Boston. 617-247-5900. (Get directions).
The Wrap 137 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617-369-9087.
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The music mile
At Wally's, Mass. Ave. segues into its next three-quarters of a mile, which happens to be dominated by music. You can find almost all facets of the local scene in the stretch from Symphony Hall to the mammoth Tower Records store.
Between these two landmarks are the Berklee College of Music and a pair of musical-instrument stores, Daddy's Junky Music and E.U. Wurlitzer. Berklee hosts free student recitals as well as concerts by national artists; check out the posters outside its performance center.
And with the Boston Conservatory, the New England Conservatory, and several more music stores just off the avenue, it seems as if every other pedestrian here is composing something in his head. Even the cars contribute to the musical atmosphere: During rush hour, this stretch of Mass. Ave. has what may be the slowest traffic in the city, which means that you can listen to an entire song from a car radio without ever breaking into a trot.
Across Huntington, the Christian Science Center features one of the most striking open spaces in Boston - an Italian plaza in a city known for its French and English architectural accents. The area around the 700-foot-long reflecting pool attracts skateboarders in the daytime and strolling couples at night.
Among the string of businesses between the church and Berklee are an array of Asian restaurants; the Compleat Strategist with its mind-boggling games; and Dorothy's Boutique, a jewelry shop with a window full of fabulous wigs. Dixie Kitchen latches onto the neighborhood's musical theme with a sign reading, "Cooking with jazz." This informal Cajun restaurant is a great place to get seafood not associated with Boston, including catfish, crawfish, and soft-shell crabs. Even the nearby McDonald's tries to fit in with a musical decor that includes posters of Louis Armstrong and other jazz greats.
The music mile comes to a grand finale at Tower Records. Look for the stars in the sidewalk dedicated to such Boston musical legends as Arthur Fiedler and Aerosmith. Thanks to the closing of stores like Waterstone's, the book department here may be the biggest in Back Bay. It is rather idiosyncratic, though, with large sections on the occult and alternative medicine.
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