| This is the article from the Boston Phoenix 1992 Guide to Summer.
Copied without permission.
180 lines..... Has anybody QAR'ed decwindows notes yet?
GETTING NAKED
Slip out and slip in: the bare facts about nude bathing
by Mark Leibovich
There's a third grader in all of us that can't help but
giggle when the topic is naked human bodies. But please, for the
next few minutes, no talk of weenies or willies, or titties or or
tushies, or anything like that. This is a serious discussion of
skinnydipping, and nude recreation in general. We are all mature
here, and we assume, for the purposes of this discussion, that
birthday suits, no matter what their gender, age, or shape, are
intrinsically beautiful. So stifle yourselves. Banish all
children from the room. We speak here of a very grown-up notion
of perfection.
The total liberation that comes with baring all, lying out,
and jumping in, is a basic form of human pleasure, to rival
laughter, food, and sex. Clothes are such a standard part of
western life, it's easy to forget that they are, by nature,
strictive. When the body is left to commune unemcumbered with
natural elements like sun and water, nakedness takes on an
idyllic life of its own.
Sadly, as is the case with most sources of pure pleasure,
beauty-in-the-buff can come with a price. For example, a friend
of mine once had the hare-brained idea of skinny dipping in the
frigid, filthy waters of the Charles River. He insists that he
(and his female companion) found the experience invigorating, and
quite sublime at the time. But three days later, he was laid up
with a miserable cold, and a rash that lingered on his privates
for several weeks.
Beyond health considerations (just avoid the Charles, and
we'll leave it at that), public disrobing faces a number of
potential problems. For one thing, it's usually illegal. In
Boston, for instance, according to Boston Police detective George
Lotti, public nudity could carry a felony charge of Open and
Gross Lewdness, punishable by a jail sentence. (Lotti says,
however, that the charge is usually reduced to a Disorderly
Conduct misdemeanor.) In Edgartown, the offense is punishable by
a fine of up to, but not exceeding, $50.
The regulation vary, depending on municipality bylaws. They
can be vague, too. (Many local authorities cite "unspoken
statutes" against nudity.) Moreover, it's hard to get the naked
truth from the authorities on where and whether nudity is allowed
in their jurisdictions. For instance, when asked about
skinny-dipping possibilities in the town of Tisbury, (Martha's
Vinyard), a local police officer replied: "Shame on you. Only I
do that and never before midnight." A woman at the Martha's
Vinyard Chamber of Commerce office responded: "You won't hear a
word from me," and quickly hung up.
Regardless, nudophiles can always find safe havens, places
where getting naked is not only tolerated, but celebrated. The
following suggestions are taken from Lee Baxadall's
_WORLD_GUIDE_TO_NUDE_BEACHES_AND_RECREATION_ published by N
Editions, a division of Naturists Incorporated.
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[ world guide 3rd edition descriptions for Cape Cod,
M.V. and Nantucket elided. The entry for Gay Head,
for example no longer applies. ]
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----0----
Half the fun of public nudity, however, is the sheer
subversiveness of it. The _chance_ that you might get caught
with you pants down, or off, can add a distinct measure of
titillation. It's one thing to be amid other people reveling in
their nakedness. But it's another thing to be _naughty_.
When you act alone (or with friends, or with a significant
other) getting naked can become a brash statement of
self-emancipation. It flies in the face of conventions (not to
mention laws), but hey, to hell with that. Not that we publicly
advocate nudity where it is forbidden -- that would be
irresponsible. But, off the record, we suggest:
Walden Pond, Concord
What better way to pay tribute to Henry David (who most certainly
splashed bare in these waters) than to act defiantly on his old
turf. Walden Pond has historically been a hotbed of skinny
dipping, though it also vigilantly patrolled by the State Police.
Walden is an especially popular venue for nubile young
Boston-area college student bent on communing with nature. The
pond is big, surrounded by trees and full of closed-in spaces for
instant intimacy, especially at night. According to an officer at
the State Police Concord Barracks, skinny dipping in Walden Pond
is an "arrestable offense." So be careful, and if you happen to
get caught, there's always civil disobedience.
Lake Waban, Wellesley College campus
Lake Waban is big and beautiful, and lies in a cozy, Gothic
setting with ideas in the air. It is also well patrolled by the
Wellesley College security force. Skinny dipping here usually
requires parking somewhere off campus, sneaking onto the grounds
on foot and then getting to a secluded spot unseen. Beware of
poison ivy, too. The water is well out of view of passing cars,
and for some reason, warmer than most local lakes.
Other Sites
An informal canvass of occaisional-to-frequent practitioners of
public nakedness yielded the following:
Spy Pond, Arlington (take Mass Ave to Lynwood Street)
Totten Pond, Waltham (just off I-95 exit 27A)
Farm Pond, Sherbourne (tightly restricted to town residents
by day, so the defiance is twice as sweet by night.)
The State Resevoir just off the Hampshire College campus
in Amherst (the skinny dipping spot of choice for Amherst-area
college students).
Birch Acres, a 119-acre nudist resort in the Berkshires,
which offers rooms, cabins, 140 RV sites, and 150 tent sites;
call (413)738-5968 for info and reservations.
Vacationing neighbors' pools (or, better yet, hot tubs).
---O---
Miscellaneous Warnings and Advice
1. Hide your clothes, so no one else ca.
2. Don't skinny dip alone, especially at night, in parts
unfamiliar.
3. Don't swim drunk.
4. Never, ever skinny dip within 10 miles if the Kennedy Compound.
5. Be suspicious of the person in a group (usually male)
who loudly suggests skinny dipping. Nine times out of 10,
such people are usually out for a cheap thrill, and defeat
the purpose.
6. Note to men: erections, though common, are undignified in
such a setting. Don't stare, and if you can't control
yourself, think of, oh, the 1979 World Championship Seattle
Super Sonics (starting lineup: Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson
at guards, Johnny Johnson and lonnie Shelton at forwards,
Jack Sikna at center).
---O---
To order Lee Baxandall's World Guide to Nude Beaches and Recreation,
call (414)426-5009. Cost is $21.95, plus $3 shipping and handling.
A beginner's guide to skinny dipping is available on video for $31.95.
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