Watertown's Pleasant Street Stop and Shop

Directions to

Watertown's Pleasant Street Stop and Shop (700 Pleasant Street)

Thanks to the Department of Conservation and Recreation (the DCR, still thought of as the MDC by old timers) and to far-thinking cities and towns inside Route 128/95 through which the Charles River flows, it's now possible to follow the River's course on foot or by bike almost continuously off-road from Newton's Norumbega Park (Route 128) to the Science Museum, a distance of roughly fifteen miles. Most of the paths are paved and most are squeezed into a narrow greenway; this makes for a fascinating juxtaposition of the wild River on one hand and urban landscapes on the other, often within a few tens of meters of each other. Exploring all of this in one gulp is a serious undertaking.  Even without stopping to admire the River's natural beauty, absorbing the many reminders of its cultural and industrial past is a time consuming venture; for this reason we've settled on the Waltham-Watertown border as a convenient spot from which to launch upstream studies of the Charles. Fortunately, Watertown's Stop and Shop (located at 700 Pleasant Street if you're doing the sensible thing and asking MapQuest for directions) features an expansive riverside parking lot situated in just about the right spot. To get there:

From Route 128/95

Take Exit 27A from 128/95 toward Totten Pond Road and Wyman Street. At the top of the exit ramp merge onto Winter Street, drive back over 128 if coming from the north, and continue about 1.3 miles to the lights at Lexington Street. Turn right here and quickly maneuver into the left hand lane in preparation for a left turn 0.2 miles later at Beaver Street (first set of lights). Drive 0.4 miles down Beaver Street to a small rotary (those acquainted with the Lyman Estate will find everything to this point very familiar) and, at the rotary, make an immediate right onto Lyman Street. Continue another 0.4 miles to Main Street (Route 20) and turn left and then, almost immediately, right on Newton Street. Shortly thereafter (0.2 miles), turn left onto River Street (fall asleep at the switch here and you'll quickly be in, or over, the River). Once on River Street continue 0.7 miles to the lights at Farwell Street (where River Street becomes Pleasant Street) and drive straight through them into Watertown. Get ready! About 0.1 miles down Pleasant Street the Stop and Shop lot will show up on the right. Enter it, drive all the way to the back, and park unobtrusively near the river bank.

Alternatives

Driving in-bound on Route 20 from Exit 26 is a viable option, particularly for those northbound on Route 128/95 on a heavily congested day. If you opt for this route, stay on Main Street/Route 20 through downtown to Newton Street, and proceed from there as above. In our experience, those traveling Route 20 should plan on delays imposed by a frequent traffic lights and considerable traffic.

Good Luck !!!

For those navigating to the start with MapQuest or a GPS system:

700 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA 02472 or N42 22.036, W71 12.800

To contact us call 978-808-0900