The Beacon Hill Times notes that the Wall Street Journal recently highlighted the new ‘Esplanade Playspace’ near the Hatch Shell, as part of an overall WSJ piece on the move away from hyper-safety-conscious playgrounds. If we were still kids, it’s safe to say we’d love this playground. Photo via BeaconHillTimes.com

The non-profit Esplanade Association has released a long-term plan to revitalize the famous parkway along the Charles River in Boston. They have some cool ideas, including building a new year-round café where there’s now a kind of honky-tonk type shop near the Hatch Shell. They also envision replacing and/or expanding the Authur Fiedler Footbridge with [...]

Do you know of an unusual home?  I’m not sure what the exact definition is, but if you have a home like the photo above from Somerville, than read on. WCVB’s Channel 5′s Chronicle program has a show upcoming on November 17 on unusual homes.  This is an opportunity for Boston real estate agents to post a few pictures [...]

Univeral Hub reports that developer Ori Ron is pushing ahead with plans for a new condo tower at Kingston and Essex, where Chinatown and the Leather District meet. Interesting tidbit: The city actually asked that the building be made more boring so it wouldn’t distract from the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Did they stop to think [...]

Feng Shui and your Boston condo: How to bring wealth into your life Here’s a unique take on how to bring more wealth into your life by tapping Feng Shui at home. Credit to New York real estate professional Debra Duneier: -The burners on your stove represent wealth. Keep them clean and alternate your use [...]

According to the The Boston Courant Suffolk University’s plan for a new art school building at 20 Somerset Street in Beacon Hill cleared an important hurdle last week. At the Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) meeting on October 14, Suffolk University received aurthorization to demolish the former Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) headquarters. The word I’m hearing [...]

Buildings new and old, around Boston. (New) John Hancock Tower W Hotel and Residences Ritz Carlton Hotel and Towers Dominic’s Restaurant and Bar Paramount Theater Rose Kennedy Greenway, Chinatown InterContinental Boston and The Residences at the InterContinental and Russia Wharf and Federal Reserve Bank of Boston – click on photos to enlarge

What’s a townhouse, what’s a rowhouse? Row house, town house, brownstone – By James McCown, The Boston Globe It is a question that has vexed real estate brokers and lovers of urban architecture for generations: What’s the difference between a town house, a row house, and a brownstone? Boston native Kevin D. Murphy, whose book [...]

UPDATE I received a voicemail from someone on Tuesday after this thread began and after I posted the developer’s renderings on my blog. He seemed frantic that people were talking about the “movie theater” as if it was going to actually happen. I just got off the phone with him; he’s the Director of Development [...]

At least, on paper. The City That Might Have Been, By Rachel Levitt, Boston magazine An illustrated history of the boldest Boston building projects that never got off the drawing board.