Photo Credit: CelebrateBoston.com

Q: What do you love about raising a family in Boston?

A: I’m a Boston area lifer and one of the amazing benefits of living in this city and its surrounds is access. Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been taking buses and trains in, out and through the city. Public transit can pretty much get you anywhere you want to go in the city and impressively, beyond too, via the commuter rail. If you travel by car it’s also easy to convene with nature, which is very important to us. Depending on your starting point, it can take only 10-20 minutes to access green space, whether it’s in the form of large park areas within the city, nature conservatories or area farms.

Q: What are some of your family’s favorite activities for the fall/winter?

A: Fall is truly beautiful in the Boston area and we try to spend as much time outside as possible. My daughter is crazy about Halloween and one of her favorite activities these days is the (free) haunted hay rides at Wilson Farms in Lexington. As the farm has obviously figured out, this is a great draw; you come for the hayride, visit the farm animals, then pick up some groceries before you leave.

Similarly, other free, nature-oriented options include leaf peeping outbound along Route 2 or visiting historic towns with interesting town centers, such as Concord. We also enjoy taking nature walks through places like Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain or the various other Massachusetts Department of Conservation sites where my daughter and her friends love to collect nature treasures (e.g., fallen leaves, unusual rocks). Another great place is the DeCordova Sculpture Park in Lincoln which I love because I can expose my daughter to art in the outdoors.

Pumpkin and apple picking are obviously fun seasonal picks as well (which offer great photo opportunities!), but we haven’t actually taken Laurel to the orchards west of the city yet as we have been deterred by reports that some of the orchards have become ultra commercialized, expensive and crowded. We might revisit this idea on a weekday though.

For winter, I’m still all about trying to get outside, assuming the temperature is reasonable. Last winter we built lots of snow forts and did tons of shoveling - Laurel really loved helping out with her mini shovel. This winter I’m really looking forward to taking her ice skating for the first time. Three outdoor locations where you can rent skates include the Charles Hotel and the Kendall Square rinks in Cambridge and Frog Pond Skating Rink on Boston Common. Fees generally run around $3-5 for admission and $5 for rentals, if you need skates.

Q: What have you found to be some of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of raising children in Boston?

A: Given our commitment to eco-friendly practices, one of the most rewarding aspects of city living is being able to be a one car family. (Ultimately I’d love to give up the car entirely but we’re not quite there yet.) We’re able to show our daughter that our feet, her stroller and other modes of public transportation get us around quite effectively. It’s also important to me to live in a diverse community, both in general and because our daughter is bi-racial. And as I mentioned earlier, the easy access to both city and “county” experiences is a truly wonderful gift.

On the flip side, one of the challenges of living in a community where we have so much is that we don’t often see the many people who are struggling and who are in need. Last year Laurel was at an age where she could understand about those who are less fortunate than us by participating in holiday gift drives and other philanthropic initiatives. She’s a very empathetic kid and it was touching to see her thinking so hard about what gifts to choose for other families and about wrapping them up. I would like to incorporate more of this mindfulness and awareness into our lives beyond just the holidays, because I’m truly grateful for what we have. I think the world could really benefit if everyone shared a bit more the way we as parents are always telling our kids to share.

Q: With everyone’s busy schedules, how do you stay connected with friends?

A: We are extremely fortunate to have many wonderful friends who also are parents, so our connections often happen around family get-togethers and play dates. We’ve also had some lovely vacations including multiple families. And as the kids are largely at an age where they can play together, it actually allows the adults time to chat; in 5-10 minute intervals at least!

That said, I also think it’s important to connect with friends in non-parenting situations, not to mention with friends who are not yet parents, and I make a point of scheduling dinners or lunches with my girlfriends as regularly as I am able.

Q: If we were visiting Boston, what would you recommend as must-dos with our families?

A: Some of the traditional things to do in Boston are traditional for a reason! Visiting Boston Common really is a must, the Make Way for Ducklings statues offer a really cute photo op, and you can really get a flavor of historic Boston by walking down Charles Street and around the Beacon Hill area. Another reason why I love the Common is that, since the city is surprisingly so small, it’s a great starting point for a visit. It is very easy to cross the park to get to Newbury Street for shopping, Chinatown for food, the Theatre District for a show or the Charles River for an historic view.

Bostonians are notoriously crazy about the Red Sox. And while it’s generally difficult to get tickets, this summer we found the perfect family solution: the Red Sox’s minor league teams. If you have a car, the Lowell Spinners are relatively close by and are much less expensive, smaller in scope and very family friendly. You don’t feel bad if you have to leave after the 2nd inning!

On any given weekend there are also festivals, fairs, shows, etc. I don’t feature an exhaustive calendar on Boston Mamas because there’s no need to reinvent the wheel (other sites already do this) but I usually recommend top picks in advance of the weekend.