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| Pics of my hometown | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 5 2007, 08:12 PM (517 Views) | |
| Red Rice | Aug 5 2007, 08:12 PM Post #1 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Beantown! I was raised in Boston, and I go back regularly. I know I'm biased, but I think it's a great city, and am always discovering something new when I return. I wanted to share some of it with all of you. ![]() I usually start off in Boston Common. Used back in the 1600's as common grazing land for cattle, it is now the heart of Boston, and it's also the starting point of the Freedom Trail, the walking path which takes visitors to all of Boston's major historical sites. ![]() Across the street from the Common is the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It was made famous in the movie "Glory", but it's always been a favorite of Bostonians. I think Robert Hughes called it the finest memorial sculpture in the United States, and it is stunning. Despite the three-dimensionality, the bas-relief has a depth of only 14 inches. Behind Shaw march the black soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts, each face a unique study of fortitude and quiet courage. ![]() The Museum of Fine Arts is one of my favorite museums in the whole world. Full of unique treasures, it's well laid-out and never feels crowded or overwhelming. There are many quiet places to sit and lose yourself in contemplation. One of the best pieces is this Broadwood grand piano from 1796. It is the earliest known 6 octave piano, and also the only documented piano created by Sheraton. The medallions are Wedgwood jasperware. And it's still playable; every day, around 4 pm, it's put through its paces with some Beethoven. It sounds wonderful. ![]() This was a new discovery for me, or at least the first time I appreciated it: an Etruscan sarcophagus for a married couple. I love the carved marble man and wife embracing each other for all eternity. ![]() From the outside, the King's Chapel, the first Anglican church in Boston (1754) is squat, dark, boxy and unpromising. But the inside is such a wonderful contrast; light, airy, restrained Georgian beauty, and still used for Unitarian services. ![]() Of course in Boston it's impossible to avoid Revolutionary history. And it's very easy to get swept up in the wake of a tour guide in period costume and accent telling you what historical ground you're walking on. This wet group is standing on the cobblestone circle that marks the site of the Boston Massacre. ![]() And if you turn around, there's the Old State House. The balcony on the left is where the Declaration of Independence was read to a cheering crowd, recreated every July 4th. ![]() Everyone's favorite brewer/Founding Father in the Old Granary Burying Ground. ![]() This guy is buried close by. Revere was a renowned coppersmith and made his fortune in copper manufacture after the War, so it's customary to leave a penny on top of the gravestone. ![]() Revere's copper plating covered the hull of the USS Constitution, the most famous ship in American naval history and the oldest floating commissioned ship in the world (HMS Victory is older, but in permanent drydock). She's sailed every year in order to turn her around at her dock so she'll weather evenly. Seeing her in person, I'm always surprised at how huge she is. In this picture her topmasts have been taken down, otherwise she'd be taller yet (full height 220 ft!) ![]() I snapped this pic of the original oil painting at the Museum of Fine Arts. It shows Old Ironsides giving the HMS Guerriere what for, Yankee style, during the War of 1812. ![]() I usually take a short trip to Cambridge to visit friends and see some of the small Harvard museums. This is Harvard Yard (though I didn't pahk the cah. I took the subway.) ![]() In Harvard Square one can find the offices of that most venerable law firm. ![]() If you're a seafood fan, the best place to have lunch in Boston is Ye Olde Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the US, in operation since 1826 and housed in a building even older than that, whose wonky floors and ceilings always seem on the verge of collapse. The crescent mahogany bar is the same one Daniel Webster sat at when downing his oysters and brandy. You can watch the shuckers in action as they serve the best East Coast oysters and cherrystone clams (you can see a plate in front of me, with some yummy cornbread) anywhere, while gently insulting the tourists. The clam chowder is awesome too. I'm sitting in the same seat that John Kerry always sits at when he's in town... haven't met him yet. ![]() ![]() The Canadians here might know about this: in 1917, two ships collided in Halifax harbor. One was carrying munitions, and the resulting explosion killed 1900 people and injured 9000. Within 24 hours, Boston sent doctors, nurses, and 20 boxcars of supplies. The doctors and nurses stayed until the last of the injured had been treated. Since then, Nova Scotia has sent Boston a Christmas tree every year as a thank-you gift. This one, a 40 foot balsam fir, had just been delivered to Boston Common. It was raised and lit later in a televised ceremony, with representatives from Halifax and Nova Scotia in attendence. |
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| CTPianotech | Aug 5 2007, 08:22 PM Post #2 |
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Fulla-Carp
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Thanks for posting the pics+story to go along with! I hadn't heard of that shipping accident before
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| Riley | Aug 5 2007, 08:28 PM Post #3 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Yep, and I did a research project on it just last year, in fact. Great pics, RR. |
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| apple | Aug 5 2007, 08:34 PM Post #4 |
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one of the angels
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Wow... such a unique set of pictures.. such contrast and variety. great contribution bravo |
| it behooves me to behold | |
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| musicasacra | Aug 5 2007, 09:08 PM Post #5 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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cool. i've never been to boston. someday. |
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| ivorythumper | Aug 5 2007, 09:10 PM Post #6 |
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I am so adjective that I verb nouns!
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I love Etruscan art -- wonderful sarcophagi! |
| The dogma lives loudly within me. | |
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| Horace | Aug 5 2007, 09:50 PM Post #7 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Thanks RR. I judge cities entirely by the politness of their toll booth operators, and Boston wins that comparison hands down against other cities. I'm lucky to get a grunt of acknowledgement from the guys at the bay bridge. But Boston guys volunteer directions and seem eager to chat. |
| As a good person, I implore you to do as I, a good person, do. Be good. Do NOT be bad. If you see bad, end bad. End it in yourself, and end it in others. By any means necessary, the good must conquer the bad. Good people know this. Do you know this? Are you good? | |
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| Riley | Aug 5 2007, 09:52 PM Post #8 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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In Toronto & Area, the toll booth operators are cameras that take a picture of your license plate, and send you a bill. What does that say about us? |
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| RosemaryTwo | Aug 6 2007, 01:57 AM Post #9 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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You're a wonderful ambassador to your hometown. I've been to Boston a handful of times, and love it, too. What a fun city, in addition to its history. Great pics. R2 |
| "Perhaps the thing to do is just to let stupid run its course." Aqua | |
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| jon-nyc | Aug 6 2007, 02:06 AM Post #10 |
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Cheers
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Great pics and great city! |
| In my defense, I was left unsupervised. | |
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| Mikhailoh | Aug 6 2007, 02:54 AM Post #11 |
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
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Great pics.. I've been to Boston a couple times, but never had much time to poke around. I believe we will spend a day or two there next sumer, so now I know what to see! |
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Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball | |
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| Dewey | Aug 6 2007, 03:27 AM Post #12 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Those are great pics, RR. Makes me want to go and really experience the city. The only time I was there, I was maybe 12 or so, visiting relatives who lived nearby. |
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"By nature, i prefer brevity." - John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, p. 685. "Never waste your time trying to explain yourself to people who are committed to misunderstanding you." - Anonymous "Oh sure, every once in a while a turd floated by, but other than that it was just fine." - Joe A., 2011 I'll answer your other comments later, but my primary priority for the rest of the evening is to get drunk." - Klaus, 12/31/14 | |
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| katie | Aug 6 2007, 03:57 AM Post #13 |
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Fulla-Carp
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How cool. Brings back memories. I lived in Halifax for a while; hubby lived in Boston. We commuted. I learned something of this Christmas tree. Never knew this. Interesting. It's quite eerie looking down, walking the hills alongside the harbor in Halifax, toward Bedford, looking toward Halifax from Dartmouth too ... and imagining how horrific that explosion was. This was an important event in Canadian history. Thanks for posting these RR. ![]() [You don't have any of Jamaica Plain or Pond, Radcliff, the Arnold Arboretum, or Feneuil Market do you?] |
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| Frank_W | Aug 6 2007, 04:57 AM Post #14 |
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Resident Misanthrope
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Great pictures!! I love Boston... Beautiful city...
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Anatomy Prof: "The human body has about 20 sq. meters of skin." Me: "Man, that's a lot of lampshades!" | |
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| dolmansaxlil | Aug 6 2007, 05:04 AM Post #15 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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I'm in the area right now, but we're awful and I haven't done the sightseeing thing. It's a very pretty city, though. Last year on St. Patrick's Day, we spent the afternoon in Boston - went to a (very crowded!) Irish pub for lunch and Guiness, and then wandered over to the aquarium. The shipping accident is very famous here, but I didn't know about the Christmas tree thing! |
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"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." ~ Henri Cartier-Bresson My Flickr Photostream | |
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| plays88keys | Aug 6 2007, 05:05 AM Post #16 |
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Pisa-Carp
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Thanks for the pictures and the narration. I've only been to Boston once, and that was really confined to Cambridge/Harvard. I really must get back there someday -- I have a lot of ancestral ties to Massachussets, and want to do some genealogical research. |
| You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy. | |
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| justme | Aug 6 2007, 06:50 AM Post #17 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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I've never been to Boston. I've always wanted to go. We've been to the surrounding areas, Concord, Salem etc.... but never downtown. I'm going to share this thread with Mark if you don't mind. Maybe it'll be inspiration for another venture north. The last time we went to MA it rained for two weeks straight (fall a couple of years ago). Thanks for sharing. |
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"Men sway more towards hussies." G-D3 | |
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| Red Rice | Aug 6 2007, 07:00 AM Post #18 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Thanks everyone for your kind comments. I hope you'll all visit Boston soon! katie, here's a pic of Faneuil Hall, where those great rabble rousers Samuel Adams and James Otis gave speeches urging independence. Behind it are the shops, bars, and restaurants of the Marketplace.
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| The 89th Key | Aug 6 2007, 07:39 AM Post #19 |
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RR, great pics and narration! You may recall that on my trip to Ireland and Scotland a couple months ago, my flight connection in Boston had troubles so I randomly stayed in Boston for the day. What a treat! My friend and I spent the day exploring this city we've never been in and I personally loved it. It's big enough to be a major city, yet small enough to get around...even by foot. There are historical treasures tucked into every corner and the pedestrian-only areas and the massive Boston Common (kinda like a Central Park/National Mall hybrid) was very nice. I wouldn't mind living in or near that city someday. Despite the liberal majority, I've always been a huge fan of New England weather/scenery. If you are interested, here is a link to my vacation photos...the first 17 of which are of our time in Boston. Note that the page might take a couple seconds to load since there are a bunch of pic. |
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| Red Rice | Aug 6 2007, 08:00 AM Post #20 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Great pics, 89th. Glad you had a chance to enjoy the city! |
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Civilisation, I vaguely realized then - and subsequent observation has confirmed the view - could not progress that way. It must have a greater guiding principle to survive. To treat it as a carcase off which each man tears as much as he can for himself, is to stand convicted a brute, fit for nothing better than a jungle existence, which is a death-struggle, leading nowhither. I did not believe that was the human destiny, for Man individually was sane and reasonable, only collectively a fool. I hope the gunner of that Hun two-seater shot him clean, bullet to heart, and that his plane, on fire, fell like a meteor through the sky he loved. Since he had to end, I hope he ended so. But, oh, the waste! The loss! - Cecil Lewis | |
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| sue | Aug 6 2007, 12:38 PM Post #21 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Wonderful pictures and notes, RR! I've never been to Boston, but it sounds like my kinda town; I think I'd like it there. |
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| big al | Aug 6 2007, 05:34 PM Post #22 |
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Bull-Carp
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I haven't been there with time to spend since I was a boy. I'm overdue for a trip now that the Big Dig is finished. good stuff, RR. Big Al |
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Location: Western PA "jesu, der simcha fun der man's farlangen." -bachophile | |
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| John D'Oh | Aug 6 2007, 05:45 PM Post #23 |
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MAMIL
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RR, those are some great pics. It really is a very nice city - if our kids ever get older, maybe we'll get to go into town again. We're only about 40 minutes away, but it's such a bloody saga getting them over there that we never go. I draw the line at visiting all of those 'and the British suffered another massive defeat here.....' memorials. Sadly, that rules out about 95% of the sites.
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| What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket? | |
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| TomK | Aug 6 2007, 05:52 PM Post #24 |
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HOLY CARP!!!
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Great pics RR. I haven't been to Boston in years. Lovely, lovely place. |
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| katie | Aug 7 2007, 08:51 AM Post #25 |
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Fulla-Carp
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Hey Thanks for that pic RR! Fanueil Market Place was special for me. Hubby & I were so "in love" back then. We didn't have much money, but the eats there were fine. Sometimes we'd get honey roasted nuts outside. Just taking the subway seemed romantic. Good memories of long ago.
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