Best place to jog or Rollerblade

Without question, the Charles River attracts more than disheveled seagulls and empty cans of Spam: it also lures droves of people, especially fun-seekers, outdoorsy types, and -- you guessed it -- obsessive runners and Rollerblading aficionados. Along the Memorial Drive footpath in Cambridge, the pristine view of old Boston is a true prize: striding eastward, you can nearly veer into the water admiring the elegant brownstones of Back Bay, the skyline towering above, and the buildings that hunch together beneath the glistening dome of the State House on Beacon Hill. Water, open space, and a jaw-dropping panorama are all elements that make this trail a popular stomping (and rolling) ground for even the clumsiest Bostonians. And on Sundays a good portion of Memorial Drive is entirely closed to cars for foot, wheel, and roller traffic. Get down, get down. . . .

The breezy paths that wind along the lush riparian banks next to Storrow Drive, especially those in the vicinity of the Esplanade, are a big winner with joggers gasping their way one step closer to health on the opposite side of the Charles. Unfortunately for them, slower-moving pedestrians clog the trails on warm weekends like giant clumps of cholesterol, making that pleasant afternoon or evening run a bit of an obstacle course. But that doesn't seem to stop anyone from coming. Least of all the Rollerbladers.