In honor of mothers everywhere, thousands of Bostonians celebrated the opening of the long-awaited Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway on Saturday, which includes a walkway engraved with more than 1,600 mothers’ and caretakers’ names.
The Greenway, which is located in the heart of Boston and at the former location of the I-93 Central Artery, includes four parks and stretches for more than one mile from the North End to Chinatown.
People strolled down the Mothers’ Walk, a path dedicated to Rose Kennedy, and enjoyed live musical and dance performances as Boston Mayor Thomas Menino cut the ceremonial garland, along with Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, Eunice Kennedy Shriver and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Schlossberg, the granddaughter of Rose Kennedy, spoke on behalf of the Kennedy family.
She said Rose viewed Boston as ‘constant innovation, accomplishment and daring,’ traits she took from the city and tried to instill in her children and grandchildren. She hopes people who visit the Greenway will be inspired to leave the world a little better than how they found it.
Mayor Bloomberg, originally from Medford, and the largest financial donor to the Greenway, said he came to the event to honor his mother, who kept his family together after his father’s early death.
Boston resident and WriteBoston Director Betty Southwick said she thought the new park is refreshing.
‘Having lived with the highway that was overhead, the Greenway is just a breath of fresh air,’ she said.
Tufts University professor Richard Harold said the project improved his commute time to Boston, but was wary about the financial turmoil that came with it, as the project is a part of the Big Dig Project, which has gone more than $11 billion over budget.
‘I think the Big Dig is not quite over, there have been some improvements in infrastructure, but overall I’m disappointed with cost overrun,’ he said.
Christina Griffith, who moved to the North End in 2005, said she was glad that her family has a safe place to stroll.
‘I love the Greenway,’ said Griffith. ‘It’s so family friendly.’
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