Boston Travel Log – Final Installment

It’s back to Birmingham tomorrow after a wonderful week of sight seeing in history and culture-rich Boston. What a great city!

This morning we started out at the Public Garden, which is just west of the Boston Common. It is a pastoral setting in the middle of the city’s hustle and bustle. Here is a statue of George Washington…

I purposefully started at the Garden because we had not had time to visit it on Sunday and I wanted to take a leisurely stroll through the Back Bay section. It is a gorgeous and very wealthy residential area with spectacular town homes in a wonderful urban setting. It is where the protagonist in my unfinished novel will reside.

It also allowed me to take in the Public Library. Those of you who know me that the library is another of my favorite places. The Boston Public Library is spectacular. Here is one scene from the wonderful building. The lion stands atop a memorial to a Massachusetts Civil War regiment. If you look closely, you can see some of the battles where they served, including Antietam, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. (Three more of my happy places…)

Here are some men on Copley Square playing what I believe to be bocce.

Adjacent to Copley Square it the I.M. Pei designed John Hancock Tower. The sixty story building swayed so badly in the wind when constructed that occupants on the top floors got motion sickness. Engineers corrected that with a huge damper system.

The old John Hancock Building is just a few blocks away, shown in this picture.

I show this because it is topped by a weather beacon that flashes red or blue depending on the weather forecast. It is deciphered using an easy rhyme…

Steady blue, clear view.
Flashing blue, clouds due.
Steady red, rain ahead.
Flashing red, snow instead

In summer, when it flashes red, it means the Sox have been rained out!

Then we hopped the T back to Park Street to connect with a red line train to Harvard. What a wonderful center of learning. Of course, we show up Graduation Day and walked right into Commencement Exercises!

I have heard so much about Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers on Massachusetts Avenue just off Harvard Square. I actually got to have my picture taken with Mr. Bartley! The burgers are outstanding, and named for famous people. I had a Ted Kennedy. Described as “plump, and covered in cheese.” I also had their trademark beverage, a raspberry lime rickey. It was delicious!

We toured the outstanding Harvard Art Museums, including the Fogg and Sackler. The Fogg has a wonderful collection of masters, including paintings by Degas, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Picasso, Pissarro, Bierstadt, Seurat and Whistler.

Then a quick pit stop at another campus institution just off Harvard Square, Grendel’s Den. Bought a Harvard sweatshirt at the co-op (sorry couldn’t resist.) Back on the T to Park and a short walk up Beacon Hill to a wonderful Persian restaurant, called Lala Rokh. Walked back to our hotel and prepared for the flight home.

Thanks for sharing in my vacation adventure. And thanks for your nice comments!

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