SUMMARY:

As always happens, you ate too much at Thanksgiving, so what better way to spend Black Friday than to try to work that extra stuffing off with a nice walk at the nation's oldest arboretum in Jamaica Plain.  We will meet at the front steps of the Hunnewell Visitor Center and go for a leisurely walk on the grounds, and all the way up to Peter's Hill, where the views of the Boston skyline are incomparable.  We will be doing about 4 to 5 miles, taking circutious routes to try to cover all the different sections of the collections.  November can be a tricky month, so dress warmly, comfortably and in layers.  The Arnold Arboretum is essentially a city park, easily accessible by car and by the T.  Feel free to leave early if you don't want to do the entire walk, but please let the trip leader know you are leaving early, so that we won't have to file a missing person report with Boston's finest.  We should be done by around 2:00 p.m., and we may then head on over to the always popular Galway House for a late lunch and/or refreshments.  Dogs are welcome on this hike, but please observe Boston regulations by keeping your dog on a leash and cleaning up any waste.  Heavy inclement weather will cancel.  I will be checking the weather reports throughout the week and keep you updated.

Driving directions to the location and spot to meet at:

The official address of the Arboretum is 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130.  If you are taking the T, take the Orange Line or Bus Route #39 all the way to their last stops at Forest Hills Station, then cross Washington Street to enter through the Forest Hills gate.  You will have to walk from there across the park to the Hunnewell Center.  If you are driving, there is some parking on the Arborway, or on the residential streets across.  There are also a couple of relatively large parking lots in J.P. Center where you can park for several hours.  One of those lots is conveniently located right behind the Galway House.