Patch Passport

Venture Out: See Art and Maritime Curiosities Less Than 60 Minutes Away

The Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem has a collection of maritime treasures from around the world, along with art and other exhibits, and it's less than an hour from Watertown.

One of the oldest exhibit halls at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) is filled with maritime curiosities from around the world, while a haunting, curious melody spills into the room from the speakers. PEM curators place contemporary art or music next to the older pieces from their collection. The goal of this is to make unique connections between the past and present by placing two unrelated things in context with each other. Click on the video to the right to see more of the museum. The museum began as a place for sea captains to store and share trinkets and curiosities from around the world. Over time, this collection grew to include rare artifacts from India, Japan, Korea, and American Indian tribes. For example, PEM houses one of the …

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Patch Passport

Dining Around the World: Watertown Offers a Wide Range of Cuisines

The Saturday Patch Passport lists some unique, local dining options, organized by international flavor.

Persian Molana Restaurant 5 Spring St. 617-923-2554   Shiraz Persian Cuisine 72 Bigelow Ave. 617-923-2222   Chinese China Rainbow 36 N Beacon St. 617-926-5170   Master Wok 485 Arsenal St. 617-926-1216   Green Peapod Restaurant 557 Mount Auburn St. 617-926-8881   Asian Asiana Fusion 1 Waverley Ave. 617-923-3874   Greek Demos Restaurant 64 Mount Auburn St. 617-924-9660   Aegean Restaurant 640 Arsenal St. 617-923-7771   Indian Lazziz 51 Main St. 617-926-0002   Italian Grappa Restaurant 71 Elm St. 617-924-2941   Verona Restaurant 18 Mount Auburn St. 617-926-0010   Porcini's 68 School St. 617-924-2221   Stellina 47 Main St. 617-924-9475   Japanese New Ginza Japanese Restaurant 65 Galen St. 617-923-2100   Super Fusion Cuisine 54 Mt Auburn St. …

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Patch Passport

Treasure Hunt: Interesting Imports, Comic Books and More

You don't have to travel out of town to explore unique local shops. Here are two of them.

Arax Market Several Middle Eastern specialty markets clustered along one side of Mt. Auburn Street have become destinations for shoppers looking for authentic Middle Eastern and international products. They offer a dozen different kinds of fresh olives, many soft cheeses, spices, grains and dried fruits in bulk, honeys, tahinis, flat breads, Middle Eastern yogurts, pastries, and prepared foods. One of the busiest is Arax Market, at 585 Mount Auburn St. Along with all the foods above, it also has two aisles loaded with fresh produce – peaches, apples, pears, melons, greens, peppers, and tomatoes – different kinds of dried peas and beans, loose-leaf and bagged teas, olive-oil soaps and other skin products, and, most eye-catching, water pipes…

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Patch Passport

A Little Bit of Paradise: Watertown Spa Offers Hot Stone Massage

Patch Passport takes you to the aptly named Tranquility Day Spa, where therapeutic massage offers relaxation, stress relief and a mini vacation.

As I headed to my appointment for a hot stone massage at Tranquility Day Spa, the temperature reading on the dashboard said 90 degrees. It seemed counter-intuitive to go indoors, slip under a blanket and be massaged with hot rocks, but the appointment was already scheduled and I was excited to try something new.  My experience with this type of massage was limited to an image I had seen on a resort brochure of a woman on the massage table, stones in a "T" shape down her spine, pale purple orchid tucked behind her ear, as the surf crashed in the distance. I was hoping to be transported to a place where deep relaxation hid behind every corner, and hot stones seemed like the way to go. Opened in 2007, Tranquility Day Spa is tucked in at 15 …

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Patch Passport

Travel Back in Time: Mount Auburn Cemetery is Filled with History and Natural Beauty

The cemetery located in Watertown is a National Historical Landmark and is the final resting place for some of Boston's most famous residents.

A visit to the Mount Auburn Cemetery takes visitors away from the hustle and bustle of the 21st Century and into a hilly-green enclave, filled with some of the area’s most historic figures. Founded in 1831, the cemetery ­– which lies in both Watertown and Cambridge – was named a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Boston residents built the cemetery when burial space became scarce in the city, and to provide a final resting place for their loved ones in a natural setting. To see more, click on the photos and video at right. Not only does Mount Auburn provide the final resting place for poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, artist Winslow Homer, Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and many more figures, it is also the first large-scale garden cemetery. …

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Hidden Gem: Take a Stroll Through Watertown's Hidden Forest

Tucked at the end of some dead end roads near Watertown High School is a forested enclave called Whitney Hill Park.

Despite being tucked between residential neighborhoods, a walk through Whitney Hill can take you away from the hustle-bustle of Watertown Square. The park shows up on Google Maps, but there are no signs to mark the beginning of the park. Paths stretch through the trees and provide a place for people to take a quiet stroll or give their dogs some exercise. On the south end of the park, the paths start at the end of Marion Road and where Oliver and Marshall streets come together in a "U." From the north, the path comes out on Marlboro Terrace, a small street off Springfield Street.

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Paul Angiolillo

2:36 pm on Monday, July 25, 2011

I love these kind of places--thanks Charlie.   more ›

Coming Monday: Your Patch Passport to Watertown

Join us every day next week as Patch becomes your guide as you become a tourist in your own town.

Beginning Monday, Patch will help be your guide as you become a tourist in your town. Whether you're new to town or want to explore the city you've loved for years, we're here to show you what there is to see. Come back to Watertown Patch daily to see what excursion is next. We will feature stories, photos and videos showing off the best of Watertown. And you can tell us what you love about Watertown, and we'll include it as part of our project. We hope this project encourages you to shop locally, eat locally and be local. Patch wants to show you how much your own town has to offer.

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