Sunday, March 21

Local Walk//Charles Hansen velotrain@yahoo.com
Waltham Rose Walk
Celebrate the Vernal Equinox with us as we walk from downtown Waltham to the Rose Art Museum (free – donations appreciated) on the Brandeis University campus. We leave Waltham on the (current) westernmost section of the Charles River Reservation Greenway, and then cut through Mt. Feake Cemetery, where the older section was designed in the scenic, garden cemetery style. We have good views of the sprawling and handsome former Waltham Watch Company buildings across the Charles and then attractive river views (in the "lakes" region) as our path roughly follows the shoreline.
A short distance on the campus brings us to the museum, which gained fame (notoriety?) a year ago when Brandeis announced it was closing it and selling off the artwork to rebuild its shrinking endowment fund (thanks, Bernie). The future of the museum is still uncertain, and the current show of the strong permanent collection is only scheduled through May, so if you've never been there this could be your last opportunity. Leaving the museum, we continue through the campus and enjoy a distant view of Boston from "the castle", before returning to Waltham. About 5 miles total of walking, split by the museum visit.
I'm taking a chance and scheduling the start of this walk at an unusually late hour, with the thought of an optional dinner in Waltham afterwards. A century ago Waltham was known as `Watch City', while now it could more appropriately be termed `restaurant city', with several dozen eateries of great variety located within blocks of our start location. While not everyone doing the walk will opt for this, I suspect we will need to break into smaller groups for our après-walk activity, so those planning to come are invited to research the possibilities in advance, the better to propose destinations.
Start: 3 PM at the pedestrian bridge adjacent to the City of Waltham Embassy Parking Lot off of Pine St. If coming from Rt. 128, take US Route 20 East (exit 26), turn right on Moody St. at the town green in a mile and a half, then left on Pine St. at the first street/light after crossing the river. The well-signed lot is behind a large residential structure on the left after the theater.
Trip is show and go and will not be cancelled for weather, although we may adjust the activities. No need to contact me unless you have a question not answered here.