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.

Make Way for Ducklings!

When the children were younger, one of their favourite books was Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, published in 1941.  A mother duck takes her brood from the Charles River to the Boston Public Gardens.  Little did we know this book is the official children's book of Massachusetts or that there was a statue of the ducklings in the park.  I loved the duckling's names of Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.

It was a misty morning on Sunday, a great day for ducks, when we began our walk to Boston Common and the nearby Public Gardens.  Boston Common, created in 1634, is the oldest city park in the United States.  The British camped there before marching to Lexington (see Paul Revere's Ride in the previous post) and until 1830 was often a cow pasture.

We headed north on Summer Street making a detour at the South Station.  This Amtrak depot had an ornate exterior (opened in 1898) which promised an equally antique look inside.  No such luck.  The building suffered several demolitions over the decades as train travel decreased.  It wasn't until the 1970s that it was finally named an historic site.  In 1984 (the year Samuel Adams beer was created--see previous post) renovations began.  It now houses Amtrak, subway, and bus stations.

As we left the station, it began to rain.  We continued on our way, passing along the edge of Chinatown and into an area called Downtown Crossing.  Just before the Common, Summer Street became Winter Street for some unknown reason other than whimsey.  Despite the wet weather, the Common was a popular spot for Bostonians on a Sunday.  We basically cut through the park on the way to the Public Gardens, pausing for a moment at the Central Burying Ground where William Billings is buried.  Billings is considered to be America's first choral composer although he wasn't inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame until 1970.

The Public Gardens, created in 1837, were the first botanical public gardens in the United States.   Once a salt marsh, it now has many stately trees and flower gardens.  And of course, lots of ducks and swans.  The famous Swan Boats (see photo) have been plying the pond since 1877.  Inspired by the opera, Lohengrin by Wagner, they are flat-bottomed boats that appear to be powered by elegant swans.

We'd walked for about an hour in the rain so decided not to linger in the gardens.  We retraced our steps, crossing Tremont Street at Edgar Allan Poe square which was really just an intersection.  Poe, best known for his macabre stories and the poem The Raven, was born in Boston in 1809.

We had spotted a pub on Chauncy Street but as it was only 11:30 on a Sunday, it was closed.  We continued down Summer Street to check out what was available in the train station.  Here, we had our cheapest meal at Tavern in the Square.  We drank pints of Yeungling bee and enjoyed a hearty lunch: a Cuban sandwich (Glen) and Chicken Quesadillas (me).  The restaurant is a local success story that began as an attempt to create a sports bar that appealed to those who wanted a place with good food and friendly staff.  Despite being in the centre of the railway station, we enjoyed a quiet meal where we could watch golf if we wanted.  Twice the manager asked if we were enjoying ourselves.

Back at the hotel, we registered for the meeting and attended the first lecture, an interesting study in how E. coli  O157:H7 was discovered in lettuce in Britain.  Surprising to no one, mostly older women (probably dieting) showed signs of infection.  Afterwards we had a lovely buffet dinner of clams, mussels (from Prince Edward Island), chicken and biscuits, chowder, corn bread, and salads.  To drink was a beer from the local Harpoon Brewery called Octoberfest.  Founded a couple of years after the Samuel Adams brewery opened, three friends wanted to create beer such as they had had in Europe.  It was the beginning of the craft beer trend when they opened their Boston brewery in 1986. I could see the brewery from the window of our hotel room, that's how local it was.

"One if by land, Two if by Sea"

Most Americans reading the above title will know this blog is about Boston.  We visited this city to present a bid for VTEC 2018 at the VTEC 2015 meeting.  I say 'we' because I helped Glen with some ideas he proposed to the international committee.  Unfortunately, we lost the bid to Florence, Italy so enjoying the city helped deal with our disappointment.

Boston was never on my 'bucket list' of must-see places.  I figured it was another large American city with little interest to me except that it was the site of the Boston Marathon.  I was glad to be proven wrong.  In our wanderings, I learned a little history but mostly I soaked in the city's vibes and its friendly people.

Boston is the capital of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a name harkening back to its being a colony of Britain.  Originally called Three Hills, Boston was renamed in 1630 by Puritan settlers after a town in Lincolnshire, England.   Fresh water drew them to the Charles River which runs through the city.  As the town grew, the hills were used to fill in the marshy areas so only their names exist today, like Beacon Hill.  

We arrived on Friday evening after an uneventful flight with a stopover in Toronto.  The Westin Boston Harbourfront was twenty minutes from the airport via a tunnel under the harbour.  There was an Irish pub (Irish immigrated to Boston during the Potato Famine) in the hotel that had good reviews so we tried it.  MJ O'Connors was quiet and the food was excellent.  We enjoyed grilled cod ( 2 inches/ 5cm thick) cooked to perfection and served with potatoes, spinach and lobster.  Glen declared the banana bread pudding 'to die for'.  The local beer was Samuel Adams Brewery, of course, so I indulged in their Brick Red Ale which came in a what I called a 'girlie' glass.  Glen had Smithwicks, his favourite Irish beer (they've been brewing beer since 1710), but switched to Brick Red after tasting mine.  

At one time, Boston was renown for its breweries but gradually they all folded.  The Boston Beer Company, founded in 1828, lasted until 1957.  But, the city saw a revival of craft brews begun in 1984 by Jim Koch who created Samuel Adams Boston Lager.  Harpoon Brewery (I'll write about this later) began a year later and now 72 breweries call Boston home.

Koch is a 6th generation brewer but he came to the business via Harvard University.  His grandfather had to give up their brewery in St. Louis, Missouri during Prohibition but kept the recipes.  Jim's father chose his favourite one for the new brewery.  Koch named the beer after one of America's founding fathers (patriots), Samuel Adams, whose business was making malt for beer (popular belief is he was a brewer, too but this isn't so). 

Saturday morning, we discovered how expensive it is to eat in Boston when we were told the breakfast buffet was $24 (not including tax) each (that's $30 CDN).  We ate at Starbucks which was across the lobby from the buffet and saved ourselves $30.

My plan for Saturday was to walk to Old North Church (see photo) to get two letterboxes hidden nearby.  My maps really didn't give me a good idea of distances so we headed out to explore as far as we could go.  Glen told me with his new orthotics, he could walk for miles which we did.  Boston has many nicknames: "The Cradle of Liberty" (because its role in the American Revolution), "Beantown" (refers to baked beans made with molasses, a favourite when the city traded with the West Indies), and "America's Walking City" (the city is compact).  We discovered that it was a great city for walking.  

The Westin is part of the Boston Convention Centre complex built in the Seaport District of South Boston.  Surrounding it are old warehouses that now house up-scale condos and lofts.  We crossed the Summer Street Bridge over Fort Point Channel and spotted The Boston Tea Party Museum in the middle of Congress Street Bridge.  We walked toward this as I had joked I would sprinkle tea into the harbour when I arrived.   We didn't go in but discovered the Harborwalk there.  Begun in 1984 (must have been an exciting year for Boston), it meanders along the waterfront using piers and access roads as its path, thus avoiding most of the car traffic.

We passed the New England Aquarium and took a detour through Columbus Park (Christopher of 1492 fame) with its Rose Kennedy rose garden.  All the wharfs had names like Rowes, India, Central, Long, Commercial, Lewis, Clark, Sargents, Union, Battery, and Constitution.  Some we explored, some we just looked at.  At Hanover Street, we headed inland to Old North Church passing a monument to Paul Revere.  That's when we realized the significance of the church.  Its steeple was where the lanterns flashed warnings to the patriots.

Built in 1723, Old North Church is still a viable congregation with the official name of Christ Church, an Episcopal (Anglican) denomination.  In 1775, Paul Revere asked the sexton, Robert Newman, and Captain John Pulling to signal, using lanterns, the patriots across the Charles River of the British Army's movements.  "One if by land, Two if by Sea" described the two different routes the enemy would take to move inland.  There were 30 riders who would deliver the message should Paul Revere be captured (he escaped Boston by rowing across the river before doing his famous ride).   His fellow patriot, William Dawes, also rode (via Boston Neck) to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock they were in danger.  The poem, Paul Revere's Ride by Henry W. Longfellow commemorates this event.

A feature of the church that appealed to Glen were the pew boxes, each sporting a brass plate informing us who had owned them.  Apparently each family decorated their own box and the closer to the altar, the wealthier the family.  Glen remarked that his mom would have loved the assigned seating as she didn't like others sitting in 'their' pew.

The letterbox we sought was close to the Copp's Hill Burying Ground.  If you've read my past blogs, you know I have an affinity for graveyards.  So I was thrilled to explore this one before finding the box.  Some of the graves were so eroded, all writing had been washed from their surface.  Founded in 1659, it was the city's second graveyard and is the final resting place of Robert Newman, the sexton.

It was noon (we'd been walking for 2 hours) when we left the church so we headed back to the harbour front where we'd spotted a restaurant we thought we'd enjoy.  We followed part of the Freedom Trail (red brick path in the sidewalk) past Paul Revere's house.  Built in 1680, it's the oldest house in the city of Boston and I almost walked passed it.  I did notice it had a hitching post which I thought unusual but it was only when a tour guide said it was Paul's house, I realized its significance.

By the time we reached Joe's American Bar and Grill, we were hot, hungry, thirsty, and tired of walking.  The wait for their huge patio on the wharf was 15 minutes but they seated us inside right away.  First up was beer, of course.  We ordered two pints of Yeugling Lager.  Established in 1829, it is the oldest, working brewery in America (see my blog entry, Golfing in Florida where I explore the history of this beer.)  Glen enjoyed an ahi tuna burger whereas I had a blackened fish sandwich.  

We returned to the hotel via Congress Street  which lead us through a highway system with no access to our hotel.  Finally, I spotted a bridge that, according to our maps, lead to the convention centre.  It had an interesting statue to Polish Partisans of World War II.  

We took it easy for the rest of the afternoon and walked no further than MJ O'Connor pub for supper.  I had a velvety clam chowder and an appetizer pizza.  Glen had meatloaf with mashed potatoes.  When my pizza came it was the size of a dinner plate--an entrée in Canada.