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Pier Less

A hidden-away park with unparalleled city views

piersPhoto: Brian Burt

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ost people overlook Piers Park, built and maintained by Massport in East Boston and a favorite with locals who prefer to keep it to themselves. Go see it for yourself, and, from it, an unparalleled view of the city skyline. But that’s not the only draw. A 600-foot red-brick pedestrian promenade juts out into the harbor on two rebuilt piers with covered pavilions and especially well-maintained landscaping. The park is popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists, and with families whose kids enjoy the playgrounds and the sight of airplanes taking off and landing at nearby Logan Airport, or who pack a lunch to enjoy at one of the many picnic tables. There’s an outdoor amphitheater with live music in the summer, and a priceless amenity: free parking. Healy

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One of the Piers Park pavilions honors Donald McKay, whose East Boston yard produced the world’s fastest clipper ships, including the famous Flying Cloud, which sailed between New York and San Francisco in a record 89 days—twice—and Sovereign of the Seas, which reached 22 knots in 1854, the fastest speed ever by sail. There’s another monument to McKay near Fort Independence in South Boston.