Most spectacular setting for a five-mile run

Without question, the Charles River loop -- with the Longfellow Bridge at one end and the BU Bridge at the other -- is the best running route in the city. The fact that it's generally packed with other runners (as well as Rollerbladers, bicyclists, and walkers) only adds to its charm. On the Boston side, the footpath paralleling Storrow Drive offers an attractive, breezy riverside run, and, in warm weather, buff sunbathers of both sexes by the Esplanade lagoon. On the Cambridge side, the sidewalk along Memorial Drive has a striking view of the Boston skyline and, just before the BU Bridge, an aggressive and highly entertaining gaggle of geese. Note: the route is actually only 4.75 miles long, so if you want to do a full five miles, you'll need to figure in an extra quarter-mile. Or just stop at 4.75 and call it a Mike Barnicle-Patricia Smith five-miler.