Copley Square Fountain

Great area to sit for lunch when its nice out. Quite pleasant when you can enjoy the weather and listen to the laughter of strangers enjoying the day as well. During the summer the farmer’s market is right there and also stands of Italian ice and hot dogs.

Living in a city condo down block, Copley Square
is like my backyard. This is where I take my dog
to do his business, and meet all his little
neighborhood doggie friends. This is where I do
my grocery shopping at the farmers market
every Tuesday and Friday.
This is not where I let my dog or
my friends children bath in the fountain.
This water is not clean enough for your dog to drink,
Nor is it clean enough to be swimming in either. Homeless people bathe in it. need i say more?
The fountain is pretty. Sit there and eat your lunch.
Don’t want your hands and afterwards,
and then wipe your kids face with them, okay?
The deal: fountains are for taking photographs
in front of, not for swimming, bathing, or drinking.

I loved it, and this goes quadruply for my son. It was the highlight of last week’s trip to Boston. For some reason it had never registered with me during the time I lived in Boston some years ago — I never hung out in Copley Square much, guess I wasn’t in a wading mood or it was winter or something last time I passed through. This time, though, it was July, pretty hot, and I had a 6-​year-​old child with me who’s crazy about water in all forms (and not overly picky about cleanliness… neither am I, this is a luxury I gave up long ago, living and working with small children and pets and not a whole lot of time or money). We live in DC, and I have never, ever seen anyone jump in any of the public fountains there, I think we’d be likely to be shot (or at least beaten a bit) by the local gendarmerie should we make the attempt. We were pretty amazed to see people wading in this one and not a cop in sight! We spent a good part of 2 days hanging around the fountain, making the acquaintance of several swimming dogs, and my son was photographed by a number of Japanese tourists.
Anyway, I look at public fountains in somewhat the same way I look at hot dogs… what you don’t know (or don’t think about) won’t hurt you. Or perhaps, that which does not kill you, makes you stronger? (Good thing, too, as we ended up our trip with a little sojourn in the Port Authority bus terminal at 3 AM, and that’s a million times yuckier than swimming in other people’s feet soakings.)

Nice to look at for tourists, but I agree, the water is gross.
One hot summer day, I saw a mother and a child wading in the water and there was dirty foam floating around in it!
Another day, I saw foam and bubbles rolling onto Boylston Street from the fountain… I suspect some skateboarders are filling it with soap so it can be drained out and they can skateboard in it.

This is the most revolting place in Boston to stick your feet. YES, it’s nice to sit and eat your lunch by the fountain on a nice day. But BE WARNED! I have seen some disgusting stuff go down here. Yesterday I saw two (I assume homeless) women using some sort of foot scraper device, scraping each other’s feet, letting the foot scrapings fall into the water. So many people sitting around me had to leave, they were so grossed out. I also saw a girl shaving her legs in the middle of the fountain once. Yup, shaving her legs.
And you want to put your feet in here???
Just look at the brown ring of muck that collects over the drains and you will change your mind. Tourists, please don’t let your kids go in this fountain! it is NOT CLEAN. Take the T one stop on the E line to the Prudential and let them frolic in the splash fountain at christian science plaza. It’s clean and it is meant for kids.

Why can’t you swim in here? It was fall, and I walked past one night seeing what I thought was snow bubbling out of it. A genius had put soap in here, causing beautiful bubbles… Awesome.

I give it three stars because I support public spaces even though this particular space is unremarkable in every way. It’s hardly a destination but if you work in the neighborhood, it’s a reason to leave your desk and eat outside on a summer afternoon.
I’d give it four stars if the water were chlorinated but I suspect it isn’t. What kind of parents let their kids wade in a city fountain, anyway?
I’d give it five stars if the saggy-​panted skateboard punks who litter Copley Square broke their necks on the fountain’s many granite projections.

Really beautiful (I am partial to our Buckingham Fountain though — you know, the fountain made popular by Married with Children — here in Chicago)
but this was a nice landmark and adds more character to the city of Boston. Also, by the side are statues of a tortoise and hare — how fun.

After a night of one (or four) too many cocktails at Bomboa a few blocks away, I decided to swim in this fountain with all my clothes on last June. I’m sure some security guard in the Hancock Tower got a few laughs at my expense that night.
Moral of the story, think twice about dipping into this fountain during the summer. You never know what drunk asshole might have been splashing around in it the night before.
P. S. That water is friggin cold.

Pretty, fun, and refreshing. A nice spot to dip your feet or throw in some pennies and perfect for a short break while walking around Boston or doing some shopping.
I really enjoy watching the little kids run around all crazy like splashing each other like insane small people. I often wonder where their parents are, however, when they start scaling the little water falls, hanging over concrete. Oh well, not my kids.

this is also the sight of many a free concert in the summer. also check out «the tortoise and the hare» that were commissioned for the 100^th running of the boston marathon (my father’s bronze foundry cast them!)

This fountain is just a perfect summer hangout spot. They have food stands all around it and a couple times a week free concerts in the square. Kids can swim in the fountain (though i wouldn’t cause its kind of dirty) and everyone else just chills on the lawn. Its a great place to hangout and maybe enjoy an ice cold lemonade.