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WEBVTT THIS IS "CHRONICLE," ON WCVB CHANNEL 5. WHY DO WE LIKE JAMAICA PLAIN? LET US COUNT THE WAYS. NUMBER ONE. DIVERSITY ETHNICITY, LIFESTYLES AND CULTURES. AND? JAMAICA PLAIN'S FAN LUS PARKS. STROLL THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM. RENT A ROW BOAT, BROWSE THE BARGAINS. YOU'LL FIND A SOFA AND IT WILL BE $100. STATE OF THE ART SANDWICHES. J.P. KNOWS FOOD. NIGHT LIFE, HOT. ART SCENE, WHEREVER YOU CAN IMAGINE. AND ONE PLACE YOU CAN'T. BOSTON'S FUNKIEST NEIGHBOR JUST MAY BE JAMAICA PLAIN, NEXT ON "CHRONICLE." GOOD EVENING. JAMAICA PLAIN MAY NOT HAVE THE CHARM OF BEACON HILL OR THE VIEWS FROM CHARLESTOWN. EVEN SO, J.P. IS PLAIN IN NAME ONLY. SHAYNA SEYMOUR TELLS US THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS PACKED WITH PERSONALITY. IT'S A FOUR AND A HALF SQUARE MILE PIECE OF BOSTON, WHICH IN COLONIAL DAYS WAS A PASTOR AL OASIS FOR THE WEALTHY. TODAY, JAMAICA PLAIN MAINTAINS ITS PATINA OF PRIVILEGE, BUT OVER THE CENTURIES J.P. HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST INCLUSIVE URBAN COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY. WALKING DOWN CENTER STREET IN J.P., CAN YOU SEE THE NUMBER ONE APPEAL OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. DIVERSITY. OF ETHNICITY, LIFESTYLES AND CULTURES. THIS URBAN OASIS IS DEFINITELY A FAR CRY FROM THE SUBURBS OF BOSTON. BUT SURPRISINGLY, JAMAICA PLAIN OFFERS AS MUCH GREENERY AS YOU COULD POSSIBLY WANT. WHEN FREDERICK LAW OLMSTEAD DESIGNED BOSTON'S FAMED EMERALD NECKLACE HE LOCATED THREE OF ITS FINEST JEWELS IN JAMAICA PLAIN. FACT LYNN PARK, THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM AND JAMAICA POND. ON THIS DAY, MORE THAN THREE DOZEN FIFTH GRADERS FROM ROW ROSLINDALE ARE LAUNCHING THEIR ROW BOATS THEY'VE BEEN BUILDING FOR WEEKS. THESE ARE THE NEWEST VESSELS COMING OUT OF A PROGRAM CREATED BY FORMER TEACHER, JOHN ROUSE. IT'S CALLED COMMUNITY BOAT BILLION, WE'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR SEVEN YEARS. THE IDEA IS TO CREATE EXPERIENCES FOR THE KIDS TO SEE REAL WORLD APPLICATIONS FOR THE WORK THEY'RE DOING IN THE CLASSROOM. RALPH SAYS THE KIDS COME IN SMALL TEAMS OVER THE COURSE OF TWO WEEKS AND PUT THE BOATS TOGETHER WITH PARTS MILLED BY ADULT VOLUNTEERS. WE IT WAS FUN AT THE TIME. LAUNCH DAY FOR MANY OF THE STUDENTS IS THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE EVER BEEN IN A ROW BOAT. OTHERS HAVE BEEN PRACTICING FOR THE BIG EVENT. THEIR GOAL TODAY, TO SUCCESSFULLY ROW OUT TO AND AROUND A MARKER A GOOD DISTANCE FROM SHORE. I'VE BEEN PRACTICING, BECAUSE I KNEW I WAS GOING TO WIN THE RACE, SO I JUST KEPT ON PRACTICING UNTIL I FINALLY GOT THE HANG OF IT. A LOT OF KIDS WHO CAN LEARN OUT A BOOK OR LOVE TO LEARN THAT WAY, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF OTHERS WHO REALLY NEED TO BE DOING SOMETHING TO SEE THAT IT'S REAL. WE DO AN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT, WE TEACH THEM TO SWIM, TO ROW. THE BOATS WILL BE FOR RENT FOR $SO AN HOUR ALL -- $10 AN HOUR ALL SEASON. THE PROCEEDS GO BACK TO THE SCHOOL FOR MATERIALS FOR NEXT YEAR'S PROJECT. ELSEWHERE IN JAMAICA PLAIN, ANOTHER STUDENT FINISHES HER OWN COURSE OF STUDY. GRADUATE STUDENT JOYCE CHERRY HAS BEEN A CURE FORRIAL FELLOW AT THE AROUND ODD ARBORETUM FOR THE PAST YEAR. SHE'S BEEN ABLE TO INDULGE HER PASSION FOR VINES. I DO LOVE THE VINES. IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN ABOUT THE DIFFERENT GROWTH HABIT AND CLIMBING HABITS THAT VINES TAKE ON AS WELL AS BIO DIVERSITY OF THE COLLECTION HERE. DIFFERENT TYPES OF FLOWERS AND LEAVES. WITH 15,000 PLANTS IN THE GARDEN, CHERRY KNOWS THE SCIENTIFIC NAMES OF HUNDREDS . THIS PLANT IS RELATED TO THE COMMON SEA WEED THAT WE GET IN THE SUPERMARKET. IT'S NATIVE TO EASTERN ASIA. IT'S REALLY INTERESTING HORTICULTURALLY BECAUSE IT HAS PINK AND WHITE BLOTCHES ON THE LEAVES AND ALSO HAS SOME DEVELOPING FRUIT RIGHT NOW. SHE ADMITS SHE'S HAD A PLUM ASSIGNMENT AT THE ARBORETUM, ALL THE WHILE BEING ABLE TO LIVE IN A NEIGHBOR SHE'S COME TO LOVE. THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE PART OF MY EXPERIENCE OF LIVING IN JAMAICA PLAIN, AS WELL AS DIVERSITY THAT I SEE EVERY DAY THE VARIETY OF PLACES TO EAT, THINGS TO SEE, MUSIC. IT'S A GREAT APPRECIATION FOR THE ARTS HERE, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE LIVING HERE BECAUSE OF THAT. THE ARNOLD ARBORETUM REALLY IS A GEM, SOMETIMES OVERLOOKED. IT'S 281 ACRES OWNED BY THE CITY OF BOSTON BUT MAINTAINED AND MANAGED BEAUTIFULLY BY HARVARD UNIVERSITY. A GREAT PEACEFUL PLACE TO GO. YOU CAN STILL GET OUT AND ENJOY JAMAICA POND. YOU CAN DO BOAT RENTALS THROUGH OCTOBER. SHAYNA TAKES US NEXT CLUBBING IN J.P. HOLD ON A SECOND. IS HE A SHE?

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