Life on the 'Nation's Most Photographed Street'

Steve Aneear reports from the nation's most photographed street: Acorn Street in Boston.

OK, there's no official data backing up that claim, but "some say" that it's the most photographed street in the United States, and we'll go with that as long as we can bring a big bag of salt along with us.

Regardless of the veracity of the claim, there are plenty of lessons to appreciate in the conduct of humanity enabled by technology along this narrow thoroughfare in Boston, lined by million dollar homes, a stone road, kissing couples, and Instagram influencers.

"Acorn Street, which was laid out in 1823, has long been a must-see spot for tourists from as far away as China and as close by as Cambridge," writes Aneear. "It’s featured on JetBlue’s website, and a picture of it greets travelers arriving at Logan Airport. Tour companies promote it to customers as a place to check out while in town."

"A quick scan through Instagram shows couples kissing in the road, barefoot dancers hanging from the lamp posts, and strangers sprawled out on doorsteps and smiling between decorative gourds."

Now a neighborhood organization called the Acorn Street Association, originally formed to prevent the city from paving over the cobblestone street, is pushing back on the hordes of tourists visiting the street. As a private way, residents along the street have a lot more power to block access than they would on publicly owned and maintained thoroughfares.