Boston outdoor stairclimbing

June 1, 2006 9:29 AM

Boston-area outdoor stairs where members of the public go to train (ideally, but not necessarily, free and T-accessible)? (Not Harvard Stadium.)

As recently as last week, I went to Harvard Stadium to do my stair-climbing in fresh air. Yesterday, the gates were locked. A guy inside them told me, "The stadium's closed for construction until September." Is there anyplace else in the metro area where people go to climb stairs outdoors? I don't need to know about outdoor steps where I'd be the lone exercise freak, like City Hall Plaza. I've already done that, and may go back to it if I have to. I'd much rather have one or two other fresh-air stair-climbing freaks around, like at Harvard Stadium. I'm also not terribly interested in stairs located in areas with little foot traffic (safety reasons).

posted by cybercoitus interruptus to sports, hobbies, & recreation (12 comments total)

The Red Line station at Porter has ~4 stories of stairs once you go through the turnstile.
posted by rxrfrx at 9:36 AM on June 1, 2006

Across the street from the Stadium, there's Baker Library which has a few dozen steps. Only the center area sees any traffic. The only conflicts would be with Exec Ed students wanting to take group photos and my minions hurling boiling oil down upon you. Widener across the river is the same, but with more steps, more foot traffic, and more boiling oil.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:50 AM on June 1, 2006

Man, I've been meaning to ask this same question as regards New York. So here I go! Anyone know of any good training stairs in Lower Manhattan (south of 14th street), preferrably on the East Side?

Sorry for the partial derail, cybercoitus interruptus.
posted by saladin at 10:05 AM on June 1, 2006

no problem, saladin, though I wonder if you'd get more responses if you went ahead and posted your own. There might be a lot of NY people who'd skip over this one entirely because they don't know Boston.

robocop & rxrfrx, thanks for the suggestions (and for the boiling oil advisory. I'll have to see if I can work up a dead cow to fling over your ramparts). I have actually been to the Porter Sq station, once, a long time ago, but I'd completely forgotten about it. Not exactly outside, but definitely a good workout (and down escalators to give my knees a break).
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 11:08 AM on June 1, 2006

Also not outside, but how about the tower in Mt. Auburn Cemetary? I bet there are other towers like it, but taller.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:30 AM on June 1, 2006

There's the staircase alongside City Hall in Government Center, but I'd rather hang out in the Porter Square T than in that concrete wasteland.
posted by nev at 12:53 PM on June 1, 2006

They aren't super long, but there is a decent set of stairs that go from the BU bridge down to sturrow drive.
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 2:41 PM on June 1, 2006

Or, even better, how about Nickerson Field at BU?
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 2:47 PM on June 1, 2006

What about the various footbridges along the Esplanade?

The two that come to mind, stair-wise are:

- footbridge which connects "BU Beach" to the Esplanade (the last footbridge before the BU Bridge)

- a few staircases that lead up and down the footbridge/connector near the Longfellow Bridge which connects to the Esplanade.

Possibly not long enough for your needs, but you could get plenty of stairs (cumulatively at least) and not have to stop inbetween for lights, traffic, etc.
posted by mykescipark at 3:35 PM on June 1, 2006

There's a footbridge that crosses Soldiers Field Road, joining the Weeks Footbridge (across the Charles) with the Harvard Business School campus. It's perfect for this.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 3:42 PM on June 1, 2006

I love you people. I'll check all these places out over the next couple of weeks. Thanks for helping!
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 7:41 PM on June 1, 2006

There is a really really really long staircase in brookline that goes up corey hill. There is a great view at the top. You can get there from the C-line.
Google Earth puts the total elevation gain at 150 ft.
this map shows you where the staircase starts. (it goes north from the crosswalk.)
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 9:25 PM on June 1, 2006