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Here’s how to spend the perfect day in East Boston
Kannan Thiruvengadam, the executive director of Eastie Farm, takes us through his perfect day in the neighborhood.
In Boston.com’s Perfect Day series, we’re talking to a local expert in each of Boston’s 23 neighborhoods about how they’d spend their perfect day. See what makes this city so special to your neighbors, and share your perfect day with us at [email protected].
East Boston, often called Eastie, is a dynamic and evolving neighborhood north of Downtown Boston. Known for its vibrant and diverse immigrant population, the neighborhood has undergone significant transformation while retaining its historic charm.
Kannan Thiruvengadam, director of Eastie Farm – a community-focused urban farm dedicated to community resiliency – has called the neighborhood home for 12 years and lives in the Jeffries Point area of East Boston.
His deep connection to East Boston is evident in his various community roles. As board president of the Friends of Belle Isle Marsh, he helps protect the largest salt marsh in Boston, ensuring it remains a critical habitat for wildlife and a beautiful space for residents. He volunteers on the Conservation Commission and previously served on the Community Preservation Committee, focusing on affordable housing and historic preservation. He also hosted “What’s Up Eastie?,” a radio show about local issues, and serves as a Climate Ready Boston Leader.
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He loves the neighborhood for its diversity, he said. The neighborhood has historically been a hub for immigrants, and today, Latinos make up half of Eastie’s residents, with the majority coming from Colombia, El Salvador and Guatemala.
“We have communities that are diverse in many ways – linguistically, culturally, ethnically, economically – and in that diversity, there’s so much beauty,” he said.
Despite its many assets, East Boston faces challenges. Encroaching development and gentrification has displaced many long-time residents, and rising sea levels brought on by climate change pose a serious risk to the neighborhood, which is surrounded by water.
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Still, the neighborhood’s tight-knit, resilient community continues to thrive, thanks to residents like Thiruvengadam.
Here’s how he’d spend a perfect day in East Boston.
Morning | Afternoon | Evening | Map | Share your perfect day in Boston
Morning: Ferry, breakfast, a Greenway walk, and a visit to a geothermal greenhouse
Kannan Thiruvengadam’s perfect day in East Boston is all about spending as much time outside and in nature as he can, with stops at many of the neighborhood’s diverse restaurants.
To maximize the Boston skyline and harbor views, Thiruvengadam will start his day in Downtown Boston and take the East Boston Ferry from Long Wharf North to Lewis Mall North.
Many people – Bostonians included – forget they live in a coastal city, he argued. Why take a subterranean ride on the Blue Line when you can smell the salty air and feel the sea breezes on a ferry?
“The ferry is great because you get to enjoy this extensive view of water, the harbor, and the city. You’re not going underground in the dark, you’re out in the open, enjoying the light and the air and everything,” he said.
When he arrives at the East Boston waterfront, he’ll head to Cafe Iterum (11 Monsignor Albert A Jacobbe Rd.) in Maverick Square, a bustling section of the neighborhood – and the oldest commercial hub in East Boston.
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At the cafe, he’ll order a fresh cucumber spritz or a chai latte and a farmwich (fried egg, braised kale, smashed beets, pickled red onions, squash tahini puree, and herb vinaigrette on sourdough) to start his day.
For another equally tasty breakfast option, he recommends La Sultana Bakery (40 Maverick Sq.) in Maverick Square. The no frills bakery serves empanadas and Colombian pastries, and Thiruvengadam described it as one of the few places in East Boston where the food is “actually affordable.”
After breakfast, he’ll head to the Mary Ellen Welch Greenway, a rail trail pathway connecting the Jeffries Point Waterfront to Constitution Beach. Thiruvengadam will hop on and off the Greenway throughout the day to traverse the neighborhood – “it’s the best way to travel through East Boston,” he said.
In the hot summer months, the Greenway provides a canopy of trees that the neighborhood is desperately lacking, Thiruvengadam said. East Boston has the lowest percentage of tree canopy coverage of all of Boston’s neighborhoods at just 7.3%, according to a 2019 study by Speak for the Trees. By comparison, Jamaica Plain has the highest canopy coverage at 43.5%.
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Thiruvengadam has dedicated his life to helping environmental and climate justice communities like East Boston thrive in the face of climate change and development. One prime example of this is his next stop: the Eastie Farm geothermal greenhouse (6 Chelsea Terrace).
The innovative space, powered by using the natural warmth of the Earth from below the frost line, represents a leap toward sustainability in the community – something that isn’t often done for working-class neighborhoods, Thiruvengadam said.
“It speaks to the ingenuity of this community. Cool things like this don’t just have to happen in rich neighborhoods. They can happen in a climate justice neighborhood like this one,” he said.
The greenhouse is likely the first geothermal greenhouse in Massachusetts, and perhaps even in New England, according to WBUR. It can cultivate a variety of crops efficiently and sustainably year-round, Thiruvengadam said.
Afternoon: Visit Central and Day Square, and Belle Isle Marsh
After a morning spent walking, it’s time for lunch. Thiruvengadam will make his way to Central Square, a vibrant area filled with diverse food options.
He’ll head to one of two Colombian restaurants for lunch: El Paisa Restaurante (215 Border St.) or La Terraza Restaurant Bar (19 Bennington St). Thiruvengadam suggests trying Sancocho, a traditional stew that’s a staple in Caribbean and Latin American cuisines. It’s the first dish he had when he first came to East Boston, and continues to be a meal he returns to time and again.
He also recommends Punto Rojo (16 Bennington St.), a Columbian restaurant, and Pueblo Viejo (170 Marion St.), a Salvadoran restaurant in Central Square.
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After a satisfying lunch, he’ll continue his journey to Eagle Hill. This area is a quiet, mostly residential neighborhood located in the northwest corner of East Boston, directly across from Charlestown. The streets are named after birds of prey (hence, where the area gets its name) and feature a dense collection of wood-frame, Victorian houses. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
In Eagle Hill, Thiruvengadam will head North toward Chelsea, where he’ll reach Chelsea Creek. In May 1775, American colonists won the first offensive victory of the American Revolution over the British, in a naval battle known as the Battle of Chelsea Creek. He said he enjoys touring the historical parts of the neighborhood, which are part of East Boston’s unique charm.
Afterward, he’ll head to Bremen Street Park (344 Bremen St.), a community space built by Massport as a partial restitution for taking land from the neighborhood to build Logan Airport.
The park is open year-round to the public, and includes public lawns, a shared use path, a spray fountain, a community garden, playgrounds, a performance amphitheater and East Boston’s only dog park. Thiruvengadam recommends checking out the East Boston branch of the Boston Public Library (365 Bremen St.), which is located at one corner park, and the Bremen Street Park Community Garden (344 Bremen St.) across from the library.
From the park, he’ll head to Day Square. There, he’ll grab a drink or a bite at the Mexican restaurant Taquería Jalisco (291 Bennington St.) He’ll order a horchata or tamarind agua fresca (tamarindo) to drink. He also recommends the fajitas, which you can customize to your preferred spice level. He’ll choose the spicy option, but it’s nothing to be afraid of. “It’s not so hot that you’re hurting or burning. It’s hot to make it interesting,” he said.
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Another option is the Peruvian restaurant Rincon Limeño (409 Chelsea St.). Thiruvengadam has a bit of a sweet tooth, so he’ll order mazamorra morada, a popular Peruvian dessert made from purple corn and fruit. It’s thickened into a pudding-like texture with potato flour or cornstarch and spiced with cinnamon and cloves. It has a flavor similar to blackberry pie filling, but with more tropical flavors and spice.
He’ll close out his afternoon with a visit to Belle Isle Marsh Reservation (1399 Bennington St.), the only remaining natural salt marshes within Boston, and a haven for over 200 bird species.
“Once you get there, you wonder, how did I get here? I was in the middle of a city!” Thiruvengadam laughed.
Evening: Dinner and a view of Boston’s skyline
As evening approaches, Thiruvengadam will explore Orient Heights. The area sits on a hill, which measures 152 feet in elevation at its highest point. The main thoroughfare through Orient Heights is Bennington Street, and the principal intersection sits at Bennington Street and Saratoga Street.
He’ll start at the base of the hill for dinner and drinks. For a craft beer, he’ll head to Renegade Pub (1004 Bennington St.). For dinner, there are several restaurants he recommends: New Saigon (985 Bennington St.) is a Vietnamese restaurant where Thiruvengadam likes to order the vegetarian pho. At the Japanese restaurant Sunny Cafe (1000 Bennington St.) you can find sushi burritos and poke bowls. And at Angela’s Cafe (1012 Bennington St.), a restaurant serving Mexican cuisine from Puebla, México, Thiruvengadam loves the mole poblano – he called it “to die for.”
After dinner, he’ll climb to the top of Orient Heights for a panoramic view of East Boston, the harbor, and the Boston skyline. At the summit is a statue, Madonna Queen of the Universe Shrine, that offers a serene spot to reflect on a perfect day in East Boston.
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“It’s a beautiful thing to behold,” Thiruvengadam said.
Find all of Kannan Thiruvengadam’s recommended spots below.
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