Downtown Crossing, Boston
Historically, Downtown Crossing has primarily been known for its shopping appeal, with its peak popularity occurring in the early 20th century. To alleviate the congestion caused by heavy traffic, this central shopping district at the intersection of Washington, Winter, and Summer streets was transformed into a pedestrian-friendly area between 1975 and 1978. Today, it's a vibrant place with street vendors and summer lunchtime concerts, boasting an appealing and picturesque atmosphere characterized by charmingly designed buildings.
While Macy's stands as the sole remaining department store in Downtown Crossing, the area offers a diverse range of other retail options, including bookstores, camera shops, and a thriving jewelry district. The bustling Macy's is part of a nationwide chain, with the most famous store located in New York. Across Summer Street, the former home of Filene's Department Store, now occupied by Arnold Worldwide, remains a notable local landmark. Following a decade-long redevelopment project, the original 1912 Beaux-Arts facade was preserved, and a sleek condominium tower was added. The complex also houses various shops and restaurants, including a Roche Brothers supermarket branch offering an abundance of fresh produce and take-out lunch choices.
Meanwhile, at 100 High Street, the High Street Place Food Hall showcases a diverse selection of 20 local vendors offering delectable and high-quality cuisine of all types. You can find gourmet doughnuts from Blackbird, porchetta sandwiches from Pennypacker's, Jewish deli delicacies from Mamaleh's, sushi at Fuji, and much more. It's a great place to satisfy your hunger anytime you visit!
Tip:
The historic multi-story building at 333 Washington Street is colloquially referred to as the "jewelry building" due to its housing of over 70 small jewelry stores and jewelry repair shops spanning five floors. Feel free to stop by and admire the sparkling jewelry on display.
While Macy's stands as the sole remaining department store in Downtown Crossing, the area offers a diverse range of other retail options, including bookstores, camera shops, and a thriving jewelry district. The bustling Macy's is part of a nationwide chain, with the most famous store located in New York. Across Summer Street, the former home of Filene's Department Store, now occupied by Arnold Worldwide, remains a notable local landmark. Following a decade-long redevelopment project, the original 1912 Beaux-Arts facade was preserved, and a sleek condominium tower was added. The complex also houses various shops and restaurants, including a Roche Brothers supermarket branch offering an abundance of fresh produce and take-out lunch choices.
Meanwhile, at 100 High Street, the High Street Place Food Hall showcases a diverse selection of 20 local vendors offering delectable and high-quality cuisine of all types. You can find gourmet doughnuts from Blackbird, porchetta sandwiches from Pennypacker's, Jewish deli delicacies from Mamaleh's, sushi at Fuji, and much more. It's a great place to satisfy your hunger anytime you visit!
Tip:
The historic multi-story building at 333 Washington Street is colloquially referred to as the "jewelry building" due to its housing of over 70 small jewelry stores and jewelry repair shops spanning five floors. Feel free to stop by and admire the sparkling jewelry on display.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Boston. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51±¬ÁÏÍø: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
Downtown Crossing on Map
Sight Name: Downtown Crossing
Sight Location: Boston, USA (See walking tours in Boston)
Sight Type: Shopping
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Boston, USA (See walking tours in Boston)
Sight Type: Shopping
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Boston, Massachusetts
Create Your Own Walk in Boston
Creating your own self-guided walk in Boston is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Beacon Hill Historic Houses Tour
Boston’s historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill is quite a charm! One can spend hours here, admiring the elegant uniformity and restraint of the architecture; at times, perhaps, imagining people from the past in their horse-drawn carriages. Federal-style and Victorian row houses, narrow streets lit by antique gas lanterns, brick sidewalks and lavender-hued windows adorn the area, which is... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Boston Shopping Areas
One of the top shopping destinations in the US northeast, Boston has a strong network of interesting stores, galleries and boutiques to visit along with its many high-class shops, some of which are nestled inside historical buildings. Shopping here in more than one way mirrors the city itself: an amalgamation of classic and vanguard, the handmade and the high-end, and both local and international... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles
Historical Churches Walking Tour
Boston's great churches are among the most precious of the city's numerous architectural jewels. What makes them special are their unique styles, elegant facades and long history.
Starting with the Old North Church, which towers in the city’s North End, this journey surely feels like taking a step back in time. Legend was made there, in the very place that Paul Revere waited for... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Starting with the Old North Church, which towers in the city’s North End, this journey surely feels like taking a step back in time. Legend was made there, in the very place that Paul Revere waited for... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Historical Cambridge MA Walking Tour
Once a quiet New England farming village-turned capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, today's Cambridge, MA is a university town that dazzles visitors as the home of renowned Harvard University – alma mater of many intellectuals, literary geniuses, celebrities, and wealthy and powerful. Many of America’s elite have spent some time at Harvard, and their contributions to Cambridge have... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.5 Km or 2.2 Miles
Harvard University Walking Tour
The United States’ oldest institution of higher education (and, of course, among the most prestigious), Harvard was established in 1636. Reverend John Harvard, who bequeathed his entire library and half of his estate, is the University’s namesake. Presidents, billionaires and Rhodes Scholars are only some of the illustrious graduates; in fact, Harvard has more Nobel Prize-winning alumni,... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
North End Walking Tour
The North End was the city's first neighborhood, and one that has been key to its fortunes, having become a hub of commercial, social and intellectual activity by the 1750s. Later known as Boston's Little Italy, it has been home to Italian immigrants through much of the 20th century, and still retains a certain Mediterranean flavor in its many restaurants, cafés, and specialty shops. In... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.0 Km or 0.6 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
Boston's Marblehead Eateries
With such a diverse variety of dining cuisines and styles, the little town of Marblehead has something to satisfy every budget and culinary palate. You won't find any neon here, none is allowed in town and there are no fast food or drive-thrus establishments either. Most are quaint and...