Boston’s South End

words by > Jill Fergus

South Side

*Boston’s hip South End neighborhood is home to the city’s most cutting-edge restaurants, art and shops.

Boston is a city of neighborhoods, from the Italian enclave of the North End to the fashionable shops and brownstones in the Back Bay. But at the moment, no area is grabbing the spotlight more than the South End—the burgeoning arts district just south of Copley Place. Once gritty and neglected, historic Victorian brick row buildings have been renovated and now house trendy restaurants and cafés, and abandoned warehouses brim with artist studios and galleries. In fact, many of the infl uential galleries that lined Newbury Street have now opened shop in the South End, lending a stamp of approval to this creative outpost.

Harrison Avenue is home to the bulk of the area’s galleries, including the Bernard Toale Gallery (www.bernardtoalegallery.com).

A South End pioneer, Toale was one of the fi rst artists to make the move from Newbury in 1998. He shows cutting-edge contemporary art by not only internationally known artists, but up-and-coming ones as well. Other galleries of note include cooperatives such as Bromfi eld Art Gallery, Kingston Gallery and the Boston Sculptors Gallery. All mediums are represented, from painting and photography to new media and sculpture. If you’re in town September 16-17, watch artists at work through the South End Open Studios program (www..useaboston.com). On Sundays through October, stroll Harrison Avenue’s South End Open Market (www.southendopenmarket.com), where you’ll fi nd hand-blown glass, jewelry, ceramic tableware, as well as fresh produce and goods from local farmers and bakers.

In addition to the many galleries, there are plenty of one-of-a-kind shops to be found in the South End. On Washington Street is Lekker (www.lekkerhome.com), which sells high-end European home accessories and furniture including bamboo bowls, white porcelain votive candle holders and teak coffee tables. Also on Washington is the Red River Trading Co. (www.redrivertradingco.com), where you can browse among the beautiful Asian designs. You’ll fi nd colorful batik textiles from Bali, Japanese ceramics and Chinese-style black lacquered antique cabinets. A few blocks away on Tremont Street is Sooki (www.sookiboston.com), a pretty boutique selling women’s clothing, accessories and items for the home. Look for beaded jewelry, studded and jeweled belts and strapless sundresses and tuxedo halter-tops.

The South End’s dining scene, like the arts scene, is vibrant and growing every day. The SoWa district (South of Washington Street) is emerging as a veritable Restaurant Row with places like Union—owned by restaurateur Seth Woods (Aquitaine, Armani Café)—leading the way (www.unionrestaurant.com). The bar hums with creative types, while the circular black leather booths are the prime seats—try the Narragansett fried calamari with chipolte aioli and the pan-roasted haddock with basmati rice. Another hotspot is Stella (www.bostonstella.com), whose white-on-white interior seems straight out of South Beach. It’s an informal but fun spot for unfussy Italian dishes such as thin-crust grilled pizza and orecchiette with smoked salmon and peas. The first-come, first-served sidewalk terrace is usually jumping—have a glass of prosecco while you wait for a table.

The South End also hosts the annual Beantown Jazz Festival (September 29-October 1, www.beantownjazz.org)—the main event is a free day-long series of concerts that takes place on three outdoor stages erected on Columbus and Massachusetts Avenues. This year’s festival is being produced by the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and highlights include a performance by legendary pianist McCoy Tyner (a former John Coltrane band member) and a gospel brunch at the Colonnade Hotel. One of the three stages will be dedicated to the artists of Marsalis Music, the record label owned by Grammy-award winning musician and Berklee alum Branford Marsalis. See up-and-coming acoustic guitarist/vocalist Doug Wamble and renowned jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb (who played on Miles Davis’ “Kind of Blue”).

Since the South End is still emerging, there are not many hotels to choose from—though the Clarendon Square Inn (www..clarendonsquare.com), a charming bed-and-breakfast with antique-fi lled rooms, is quite a find. While the Four Seasons and Ritz Carlton are classic Boston hotels, insiders (including celebrities and CEOs) gravitate to Fifteen Beacon (www.xvbeacon.com), a 60-room boutique hotel on the edge of Beacon Hill, the posh colonial-era neighborhood. Rooms come with perks such as whirlpool tubs and push-button gas fi replaces, and the Lexus that shuttles guests around gratis is a nice touch. Even if you’re not staying here, try the Federalist restaurant, lauded for its updated New England classics including lobster bisque and beef Wellington. The 112-room Onyx Hotel (www.onyxhotel.com), part of the San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels, attracts a younger crowd who appreciates the hotel’s social vibe—there’s a complimentary wine hour in the lobby, and the intimate Ruby Room cocktail lounge has become a destination unto itself, especially on Rouge Thursdays, where an attractive after-work crowd imbibe on half-priced martinis.

And don’t leave town without visiting the new home of the Institute of Contemporary Art (www.icaboston.org ), the fi rst art museum to open in the city in a century. The ICA, which dates from 1936, was instrumental in introducing Boston to some of the world’s most infl uential contemporary artists, including Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg and Cindy Sherman. And it was one of the fi rst museums to mount an Andy Warhol solo exhibition. The ICA has moved from its Boylston Street location to an ultra-modern 65,000-square-foot building on the harbor front, and its signature cantilever, which extends to the water’s edge, already has architectural buffs buzzing. The museum’s fi rst permanent collection includes works by Boston-trained photographer Nan Goldin and British sculptor and installation artist Cornelia Parker. One of the inaugural exhibitions focuses on works by fi nalists for the ICA Artist Prize, awarded to a local artist (the winner will be announced this November). Who knows, perhaps the winning artist will be the next star to shine in the South End.