What is the prettiest suburban downtown in Greater Boston? (Lowell: neighborhood, shops)

[UrbanQuest]

I am talking fairytale beautiful. Concord or Marblehead maybe?

[UrbanQuest]

Comon Boston. Just a few sentences to type. Show that Massachusetts friendliness I hear all about.

[lrfox]

When I think "fairytale," I think Tudor architecture and Bavarian or English countryside villages. If that's what you're looking for, I don't think you'll find it in the Boston suburbs or even New England.

We still do have some beautiful downtowns. Marblehead is certainly very nice. It has a lot of colonial charm, but I wouldn't call the downtown area "fairytale beautiful." More like Maritime New England pretty.

The first one that came to mind was Rockport. Now it's on the outer edge of the suburbs, but it's strikingly beautiful. It has small, quaint shops lining a picturesque peninsula, large overhanging wooden signs, and perfectly aged architecture.

Manchester-by-the-Sea has a similar feel to Rockport, but on a much cozier, smaller scale.

After that, I have a hard time thinking of anything that would count as "fairytale." There are a bunch that resemble a small British village in a way (Winchester, Melrose, Hingham, etc). There are others that resemble small seaport villages (Newburyport, Gloucester, Plymouth, etc). Salem has a very unique charm too.

Some of the more urban neighborhood centers closer to Boston are excellent too in terms of giving a real sense of place and being full of charm. Harvard Square is an obvious one. Newton Center is another as are Davis Square and Coolidge Corner (especially with the Tudor building with the clock tower).

[seeriously]

Greater Boston has a lot of charm but fairytale?? Beacon Hill is pretty in a stately historic way. Manchester-By-The-Sea is breathtaking with it's inlet views. There are numerous cities with unique charm whether it be a cutesy downtown, a harbor view, or a well laid out Main Street. Newburyport has always been my favorite.

[Gabe1972]

I will probably get crucified for this, but I am going to go with Lowell. I think if you weren't from the area and had no inclination of the stigma attatched you would be pretty impressed with downtown Lowell purely in a visual sense with the network of canals and such.

[LeavingMassachusetts]

Originally Posted by Gabe1972

I will probably get crucified for this, but I am going to go with Lowell. I think if you weren't from the area and had no inclination of the stigma attatched you would be pretty impressed with downtown Lowell purely in a visual sense with the network of canals and such.

Consider yourself crucified.

Lowell. Seriously? Lowell??????

[holden125]

Originally Posted by Gabe1972

I will probably get crucified for this, but I am going to go with Lowell. I think if you weren't from the area and had no inclination of the stigma attatched you would be pretty impressed with downtown Lowell purely in a visual sense with the network of canals and such.

Downtown Lowell's pretty nice to look at.

I don't know about fairy tale, but I'd go with Salem, Marblehead, Newburyport, Concord, Sudbury, Hingham, Cohasset. I don't think fairy tale is exclusively Bavarian or old English cottages.

[Thomas144]

I love downtown Lowell - I don't think of it as particularly picturesque of "fairytale" however (not really sure what that means).

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by Gabe1972

I will probably get crucified for this, but I am going to go with Lowell. I think if you weren't from the area and had no inclination of the stigma attatched you would be pretty impressed with downtown Lowell purely in a visual sense with the network of canals and such.

Hahaha, you probably will. I do agree that Lowell has an awesome downtown area. There are few small cities with architecture that's as rich as Lowell's and few small cities that are as delightfully urban. But no, it does go against the grain of normal thinking as Lowell (with over 100,000 people) is not the prototypical New England Hamlet. I think Lowell has one of the best downtowns anywhere, not just New England. It's just not a quaint seaside village and "fairytale" is not the word I'd choose to describe it. Maybe "Dickens-esque" without all the negativity?

New Bedford also has an excellent downtown. It transports you back to the mid 1800s, but like Lowell It's a city and carries a stigma and I wouldn't call it "fairy tale".

New Bedford:

[UrbanQuest]

Thanks guys. All these places are definitely beautiful places. The concensus though points to Concord, Manchester, Rockport, Marblehead and Hingham. Now Greater Boston also includes RI and Southern NH so maybe you can add a few from there.

For example:
Bristol, RI
Newport, RI
Exeter, NH
Milford, NH
Dover, NH

To be honest the inspiration for this question comes from seeing seven towns in particular on the West coast.
Mill Valley, CA (The granddaddy imo) (nestled within a valley of redwoods, norman rockwell downtown a few miles from the golden gate bridge)
Laguna Beach, CA
Carmel, CA
Sausalito, CA
Kirkland, WA
Bainbridge Island and Gig Harbor outside of Seattle.

Honorable mentions out there include; Tahoe City, CA and Sonora, CA.

and Winnetka, IL outside Chicago, as well as New Hope, PA, Princeton, NJ, Westport, CT, Easthampton, NY and Scarsdale, NY.