Waltz evenings and polka nights

The Newbury Street side of The Newbury Boston, a landmark building across from the Public Garden. The hotel used to be called the Ritz-Carlton, which was opened in 1927 and, along with the Parker House, has long been considered one of New England’s most prestigious hotels.

“Gaining access to the inner sanctum of Yankee society was a vital aspiration for Joseph and Rose Kennedy, but by the 1970s these old longings had become anachronistic. To outsiders, the exclusive Brahmin waltz evenings at the Ritz {Hotel} in Boston became equivalent to the polka nights at the Polish clubs.’’

— Richard D. Brown, in Massachusetts: A History

The Public Garden, created in 1837, was the first public botanical garden in America.