Walkabout

As you know from previous posts, when Glen attends a conference, I do a walkabout.  Curiosity drives me and who wants to spend the whole day inside when there are new things to experience.  Breakfast was included in the conference fees so Glen and I enjoyed it with a grad student and post-doc from University of British Columbia.  Glen is at the point in his career where he's a magnet for young academics who want to tap his knowledge.  He is always willing to share.

We were to meet for lunch so I organized my Monday walkabout with that in mind.  My plan was to hunt for another letterbox.  It had been planted in the spring but the last few attempts at finding it had failed.  I hoped I'd be luckier.  The box was hidden in the middle of the financial district but first I stopped at a artistic display we had passed on Saturday.  Turns out it was the work of the winners of Design Biennial Boston which recognizes emerging architects and designers.  These were modern art concepts set in a small park for the city to enjoy.

The letterbox was a tribute to George Thorndike Angell who helped found the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and brought about the state's first anti-cruelty legislation.  He was also an advocate for public health and safeguarding food.  The fountain in the memorial plaza was originally designed to provide water for carriage horses.  In 1982, a dry pond created using bronze marked the 125th anniversary of the humane society.  One of Angell's quotes inscribes the base of the pond:  "Our humane societies are now sowing the seed of a harvest which will one of these days protect not only the birds of the air and beasts of the fold but also human beings as well."

I also didn't find the letterbox but did enjoy the park next door in Post Office Square.  It had a wonderful vine-laced pergola which beckoned people from the surrounding office buildings to come and enjoy a moment of peace in their hectic lives.  It was dedicated to Norman B Leventhal, a prominent Boston businessman and philanthropist (died in April 2015) who oversaw the park's creation.  Built on the top of a parking garage, the parking fees pay for the park's upkeep.  Home to 125 species of plants, it's an unique oasis in this concrete jungle.

I happen to love concrete jungles and Boston's financial district is a treat for anyone who enjoys startling architecture (see photo).  There was an exciting mix of old and new with lovely art deco highlighting the steel and glass.  I couldn't linger as I had to return to the Westin where I enjoyed a quick bag lunch with Glen.  Afterwards, I waited while he and his colleagues made their presentation to the committee.  I spent the afternoon knitting while watching the comings and goings of the harbour view from our room's window.

The supper provided by the conference were light canapés which didn't appeal to us so we returned to MJ O'Connor to enjoy fish and chips (Glen) and onion soup and ahi tuna salad (me).  Both were excellent.  It also gave Glen a break from the science and politics of the conference.

My walkabout on Tuesday was to see the working side of the harbour.  Instead of heading into town, I explored the Seaport district.  I also wanted to check out the boat where we'd be having our Harbour Cruise/Dining experience on that evening.  After having fun photographing fishing boats at the Boston Fish Pier (celebrated its 100 anniversary last year), I ended up at Harpoon Brewery (see previous post).  In between, I checked out the World Trade Center Boston and Liberty Wharf.  The latter was the dream of Jimmy Doulos, a young Greek immigrant, who opened Liberty Café in 1924 at the Boston Fish Pier selling seafood to his patrons.  Five years later, he moved to a nearby wharf and built a restaurant that catered to all, even the famous Kennedy family.  Now, it is an upscale dining experience with modern office spaces above the restaurants.  Jimmy was known as the 'Chowder King' and died a wealthy man in 1981.  Not bad for a someone who arrived in Boston with $13 in his pocket and speaking no English.

Glen and I shunned the bus provided and walked down to Commonwealth pier where the newly-renovated Spirit of Boston waited.  The cruiser had two floors of dining and an observation deck.  Since we were early, we got a window seat but because the boat didn't depart until after we had eaten, this made little difference.  We spent most of the cruise on the upper deck enjoying the harbour lights.

Dinner was buffet-style so perhaps it was just as well we didn't eat while underway.  We enjoyed salad and veggies as well as salmon, chicken and boneless ribs all washed down with Samuel Adams Boston Lager.  The cruise did a tour of Boston Inner Harbor and passed many landmarks which we knew from our walks.  When we turned around at Fort Independence, Glen and I watched the airplanes come and go.

Fort Independencce sits on Castle Island, a site that has been a key fortification in protecting the harbour since 1634.  Called Castle William by the British, it was first an earthen, then a timber fort.  They abandoned it, burning it to the ground, when George Washington's army attacked in 1776.  It was quickly rebuilt and named Fort Adams.  In 1797, it became Fort Independence and the present fort was erected in the 1830s.  It was an important military hub during the Civil War and World Wars I and II.  Edgar Allan Poe, who served there, took inspiration from a tale he heard and wrote, The Cask of Amontillado.

Due to a breakdown in communications, we thought the conference ended that evening so had booked to fly out the following morning.  Glen missed several key talks which was a shame.   The flights were good and we arrived on time.  We had supper at a local restaurant, ironically called, Boston Pizza.