One of the Best Places in Boston to Visit
Are you a diligent student seeking a place to study that doesn’t smell like your little brother’s socks?
Are you a tourist to Boston who enjoys lovely spaces which photograph well, but don’t charge a tiresome entrance fee?
Boston’s Main Branch Library: Good for All Ages
Are you a hip 20-something questing for a quiet space to rock out the Internet?
Are you an economical human who is sick of spending money on music and books, or on that obligatory coffee which will allow you to sit in a nice cafe?
Step right up to Boston’s sexiest combination of history, beauty, and functionality:
The Boston Public Library Main Branch at Copley!
I have been a total Copley Library groupie lately, sprawling for hours in the glamorously gorgeous Main Reading Room (how much do you love those green lamps?) on any free moment between work and evening engagements, lapping up the free Wi-Fi and swimming in the delicious studious silence that swirls around the marble arches.
Ooo, the excitement of being in a hushed room alongside over a hundred other people, all delving deeply into the delectable task of productivity!
Who’s here in this grand Reading Room with me as I type this now? Everyone, really… or rather, anyone who has a need to be quiet and work in a beautiful environment. Yet despite the sheer number of people here, it never feels crowded.
Copley Library is a Free and Peaceful Place to Work
As we tap away at our computers or leaf through our books, awe-struck rivers of tourists flow by, snapping photos of the sky-high marble columns, stately lions, and sea-green lights.
Everyone looks content and impressed.
It’s hard to find a free and fantastic tourist attraction these days!
Some families decide to take a seat for a time to rest, take it all in, and gaze at guidebooks without being harassed by the crowds outside.
This library is a sanctuary… and it has freeee books and music, too!
The Copley Library Courtyard
Here is another super-beautiful feature of Boston’s Copley Library: the Courtyard.
Want to pretend you’re an Emperor or Empress for a few hours?
Stride to the middle area between the old and new wings of the complex… and suddenly you’re staring at a what feels like your own personal palace: a bubbling fountain, sculpted greenery, arched stone columns, and the open sky!
Tasteful tables and chairs line the sides of the Courtyard, and take heed of my words now: this Copley Library Courtyard is turning into the hot place to see and be seen among the city’s studious yet good-looking population!
As of now there’s not Wi-Fi Internet signal in the Courtyard, but plenty of people still have their laptops out, banging out papers.
Others are holding business or pleasure meetings, and still others are just drinking in the sights with their eyes.
Boston Restaurants in the Copley Library
Wait, did someone mention drinking? How lovely that there’s both a cafe and restaurant right smack dab in Copley Library’s Courtyard!
And continue back inside to take in art and photo exhibits and a bevy of cultural events in the various meeting halls.
So there you have it: I’m hooked on hanging out in Boston’s Copley Public Library.
I love it for how it gives me a gorgeous place to chill out while being productive.
I love it for how it gave my close friend a sanctuary to study when she was growing up, paving the way for her successful trajectory from a Boston Public Schools student to an accomplished doctor.
But most of all, because I have a truly superficial streak, I love the Copley Library… simply because it’s beautiful.
For more famous buildings, click here!
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
Octavia Daniels
Thursday 28th of April 2011
Every time I see a picture of the library I get this feeling, a cross between Christmas Eve as a child and standing in line for a roller coaster. Truly beautiful.
chris
Sunday 28th of November 2010
Ms Marshall I noticed you like calling a lot of buildings sexy. 0__0
Mohamed Abdelrahim
Friday 29th of October 2010
It feels like I'm in Rome when I look at these beautiful pictures of Roman architecture. I always loved the Copley library more than the other library's, there no is no comparison at all.
ayngelina
Sunday 29th of August 2010
Oh wow you are right, the building photographs so well. Even though I grew up on the East Coast of Canada I never made it down to Boston but it's on my road trip list when I get back.
Barbara
Friday 27th of August 2010
If you're inspired to drop by the library, check out all of this, plus the gorgeous Abbey room, with its murals of the story of Sir Galahad by Edwin Abbey, and the Elliot Room, featuring the ceiling mural called "The Triumph of Time." And of course, the grand Sargent gallery, designed by John Singer Sargent with three dimensional murals, on the third floor.
I can't believe I haven't been there for two and a half years (moved across the country)... these pictures give total recall. I want to hop on the bus and go on over today!