I don’t want that nasty rash sitting there when you drop by.
Here’s a better picture 🙂
Category Archives: Boston
Barbecue Party Fun
In spite of the annoying trek into Boston and the difficulty getting into the event, the Phantom Gourmet’s Barbecue Party was a lot of fun. The entrance fee at the door was only $10.00 This did not include food or drink. That would have been too much to ask.
The crowds were manageable and I didn’t see anyone intoxicated. The Beer Garden was a great place to grab a seat and watch the crowds. A DJ had the music rockin’ and the weather was perfect.
What seemed to be a high point was a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. The winner gets to move on to the big contest at Coney island. Why would anyone want to do that to themselves? I couldn’t watch!
In fact, I found that my 4 ribs from the Chicago Barbecue had me filled up completely. I wanted to try the Tennessee Barbecue.
I’d really liked it when I was in Tennessee and I’d promised a taste of Barbecue from down under, The Aussie tent. Didn’t make that either.
But sitting in the shade in the beer garden, listening to the music and watching the crowds was a great afternoon.
The Not So Easy Trip to Boston
I bet you want to know what I did on Saturday that left me practically crippled on Sunday.
I went to a barbecue but not just any barbecue . I went to the Phantom Gourmet’s Barbecue Beach Party at City Hall Plaza in Boston.
To get there I drove to John Quincy Adam station in Quincy to park and take the Red Line. When we got to North Quincy everyone had to get off the train and walk what seemed like a mile to the shuttle buses. They took us to JFK station where another 100 stairs or a long curving handicap ramp awaited until we could make it back to the train. Once back on the Red line I rode to Park St Station in downtown Boston.
I was going to change to the Green line here to go one stop to Government Center. But that was not to be. The Government Center station is closed for repairs and the escalator to ground level in Park street was torn apart. Another steep set of stairs stood between me and the the exit. Ugh! It really makes one sympathetic to the plight of the truly handicapped.
Once on the street I had to take a picture of the Spire on the Park St Church.
I love spires and blue sky. If you follow along with me for long you’ll probably see many of them.
There were a lot of people in Boston today. Tourists were out in droves. I stopped at the Old Granary Burial Ground but there was a waiting line to get in! Gives new meaning to the phrase “They were just dying to get in”. I’ll have to tell you some facts about this cemetery which was founded in 1660. Maybe that would make a good post one day.
Anyway just a little past the cemetery is 3 Center Plaza, a rounded building that lies across from City Hall Plaza. ( I worked there in a previous day and time) As I crossed the street I snapped a picture of the Old State House, now a museum. It’s so tiny surrounded by modern skyscrapers.
From there I skirted the construction fences. I figured there must be someplace to get through but nope. I walked past the coffee shop formerly known as the Steaming Kettle. The large kettle was still there but no longer steaming and the coffee shop is now a Starbucks.
I followed the fence and the arrows as it took me up another set of stairs and back down the other side. Urban mountain climbing. I had a nice view of Faneuil Hall, the birthplace of American Freedom.
Then I was at the first check point.
To Be continued……..
A Big Day for Massachusetts
Yesterday was a big day for Massachusetts. It was Patriots’ Day. It’s not named for the New England Patriots football team, but the other way around. It’s named for those men who fathered our nation, the minute men, the rag-tag revolutionaries that won the nation’s freedom. Patriot’s Day in Massachusetts commemorated the “shot heard ’round the world”. The Battles of Lexington and Concord which marked the start of the revolution.
A trip to the Concord Green at dawn is a trip back in history as the battle is reenacted with muskets and Red Coats. It doesn’t last long but as the smoke from the muskets roll over the watching visitors it’s easy to be transported back to that day in 1775.
Two more modern events also take place on Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts.
Since 1959 the Boston Red Sox have been scheduled to play at Fenway Park on Patriots’ Day.
But the other big event is the Boston Marathon. This is so big that some people call the day Marathon Monday. Yesterday was especially meaningful because it was the first anniversary of the Marathon Bombings. For many people it was a matter of pride to make sure this year’s running was successful, safe , special.
I was going to meet my friends and co-workers at Mile 13 in Wellesley to cheer on the runners. One of my co workers was running. What makes her run so amazing is that she has been struggling back from an injury that only a couple of months ago had her bed-ridden. I can’t quite wrap my head around what an accomplishment this is!
I ended up missing it. I had to get my business cell phone fixed so I was stuck at the T-Mobile store all afternoon. 🙁 Sadly I had to pull the plug on my phone. It had been struggling on life support for several months and it was just time. It was so far gone that it took forever to get the contents moved from my old phone to the new phone but finally I was back in action. Unfortunately by then most of the runners had crossed the finish line.
The news reports state that The Marathon was a success and the Red Sox lost against the Orioles.
Life in the Hub goes on, the sun was shining and life is good!
Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall is part of the area of Boston known as Quincy Market. Since it’s origins in 1742 Faneuil hall has served as a market place and meeting hall.
The gilded grasshopper weather vane on top of the building was created by Deacon Shem Drowne in 1742. Gilded with a gold leaf, the copper weather vane weighs eighty pounds and is four feet long. The weather vane is believed to be modeled after the grasshopper weather vane on the London Royal Exchange.
The Grasshopper is a well known symbol of Boston. During the Revolution suspected spies were asked to identify the object at the top of Faneuil Hall. If they couldn’t identify the Grasshopper they were detained as spies.
The bell was repaired in 2007 by spraying the frozen clapper with WD 40 over the course of a week and attaching a rope. Prior to this repair, the last known ringing of the bell with its clapper was at the end of World War II, in 1945, though it had since been rung several times by striking with a mallet
On Oct 9, 1960 Faneuil Hall was designated a National Historic Landmark.
On November 6, 1979, Faneuil Hall was the site of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s speech declaring his candidacy for president.
Faneuil Hall is now part of a larger festival marketplace, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which includes three long granite buildings called North Market, Quincy Market, and South Market, and which now operates as an indoor/outdoor mall and food eatery. Its success in the late 1970s led to the emergence of similar marketplaces in other U.S. cities.
If you visit Boston, this area is a top tourist attraction. Fanueil Hall is a stop on Boston’s Freedom Trail and the market place is always busy with street entertainers, push carts, and lots of food vendors. A personal favorite of mine is the “Boston Chip Yard” where old fashion home made chocolate chip cookies come warm from the ovens! Yummmm!
Sometimes Betsy Ross or Ben Franklin even make an appearance!
Some say it’s become an expensive tourist trap but it’s still not to be missed and even I, after living here more than 30 years, still enjoy a trek there now and then. 🙂