Sox Fan with a Death Wish

This photo obviously wasn't taken in Boston but I thought the Boston folk would appreciate it. Pictured above is my fiancé Ed sporting a Red Sox World Series Champions shirt while standing in front of a Yankees merchandise store in New York City. He's brave but not stupid, hence the coat over the top of the shirt. ;-)

Just Pretty

This is the window at Winston Flowers on Federal Street. They always have beautiful windows, but I especially love the current one.

Wang Theater

We went to see Irving Berlin's White Christmas at the Wang Center tonight. This is the ceiling in the theater.

The Wang Center was built in 1925 as The Metropolitan Theater by the same architect that designed the Colonial and Wilbur Theaters in Boston, and the Copley Plaza hotel. The Met was renamed in 1962, becoming The Music Hall and became the home of the Boston Ballet. As time went by, the theater became outdated, and in 1980 it was converted to a non-profit organization. Two years later, thanks to a donation from Dr. An Wang, the Music Hall became The Wang Center and restoration began. You can see from the photo above that the restoration was successful - the theater is beautiful!

Boston's Finest

I saw these guys hanging out in downtown crossing last day on my lunch break. Just a block down the street, there were piles of horse poop in the middle of the street and about a million teenagers walking by pointing it and yelling "Ewwww, disgusting!".

101 Federal

I love the details on 101 Federal, and now that I've moved offices I've got an even better view of it. And I can peek in their windows and make sure that guy down there is hard at work! ;) Look in the second window from the left - see those streaks across it? That's SNOW from our first snow last week!

I have no idea what's in 101 Federal, but there is a nice entryway (shared with 75 Federal) with a Starbucks, a cobbler, Bush's (environmentally friendly) Dry Cleaners, and a convenience store.

Back Bay Station

I've always wondered why the Back Bay T Stop is covered in purple tile - I can't think of another station that has such a random color scheme.

On a side note - I want to send a huge thanks out to Willy from Bromfield Camera in Downtown Crossing. He was very patient with me while I drooled over the Nikon D40x they had in the store, and then super helpful later in the day when I went back to actually buy one. I love it, and hopefully soon I'll figure out exactly how to use it on more than just the auto settings! If you're ever in Boston and in need of help with camera gear, the guys at Bromfield are very knowledgeable and super nice!

Peabody Square Tree Lighting

Today was the Peabody Square Tree Lighting. The decorations on the tree were made by the children at Dot Art, and Santa arrived by trolley. There was hot cocoa and hot cider, and a ladder for the kids to hang ornaments on the tree.

(I've got loads more photos, so if you're from the area and would like to see them, email bostondailyphoto@gmail.com and I can send you all of them.)

Quiet Day

We took the T to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, and it way quieter than usual!

Happy Thanksgiving!

All Strung Up!

Yesterday I walked down the middle of Commonwealth Ave. and watched the trees being strung with lights. The lights signal the beginning of the holiday season...as does Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Kung Fu Monks

The boyfriend and I saw the Shaolin Warriors perform at the Orpheum Theater this past Saturday. Very random, but totally cool. The show was a little more theatrical than I had hoped for, but I didn't really expect to be seeing challenge matches and actual fighting. Seriously though, what better way to spend a Saturday night thatn watching a bunch of Buddhist Monks doing kick-ass kung fu? I can't think of one!

The inspiration behind us going was the book American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch, by Matthew Polly. We both tore through the book when we read it, and I'm pretty certain that just about anyone will enjoy reading it!

A Fall Celebration

Someone celebrates fall with an arrangement displayed on their front stoop on Marlborough Street.

A Striking Sunset

I actually took this picture two weeks ago, but wasn't able to download it to my computer until now. This is a view out of the bus window at the Mass Pike toll, at the beginning of our trip to New York City.

Chillingly Colorful

As the leaves on the trees diminish in numbers, the temperature continues to drop. There's definitely a chill in the air and predictions of snow in the coming week. Brrrrrr!

Christmas is here...

...even though Thanksgiving hasn't even come yet! Here's the Boylston St entrance to the Prudential Center all dressed up.

The Lenox

When The Lenox was built in 1900 by the owner of New York's Waldorf-Astoria, it was the tallest building in the city of Boston. Now it sits in the shadows of the Prudential Center,
and has been named by Boston magazine the best place to spot a celebrity for the second year in a row.

Dueling Pianos

On Monday night I went to the Museum of Fine Arts to attend a piano concert performed by BdB duo, a pair of women from Spain. It was extra interesting because there were two pianists performing together at separate pianos. I went not knowing anything about the music, but I actually liked it quite a bit. I'd also never really been to a professional piano concert, and it was interesting to see the very stark set up on stage, and to note the fact that the performers wore ball gowns (they each changed during intermission) throughout. I highly recommend catching them if they happen to come through your city (your local Spanish Consulate could provide that kind of information).

Boston Public Market

Even setting back the clocks won't stop the farmers market on Dewey square.

Congratulations are in order!

If you take a look at Whit's finger, you'll see why we're congratulating her! That's Whit and her fiancé Ed, who have actually been engaged for about three weeks, but apparently are cut out for the CIA as they kept that under wraps until this past weekend - despite people flat out asking "so when are you guys going to get engaged?".

Whit, Ed...I've been sitting here for five minutes trying to figure out how to say what I want to and can't, so here it is: You're both so awesome individually that when you first started dating it was like "does it get any awesomer than Whit and Ed as a couple?!" Well, I think it just did! Congratulations again, I love you guys!!!

International Daily Photo

Leyre here again, totally usurping our little blog for my own celebratory purposes! Today is my first wedding anniversary. The picture above was taken by our own Sarah, immediately after the ceremony. It was only the beginning of one of the longest and definitely best nights of my life.

The wedding was in Madrid, Spain (which is where I'm originally from) and we were fortunate to have a lot of family and friends fly over from the States. I'm going to go ahead and take this opportunity to recommend that you visit Madrid if you ever get the chance, it's a trip you won't regret. Want to check it out before you get there? There's a Madrid Daily Photo blog right here, and you can also check out dsole's old Madrid Daily Photo blog which isn't currently active, but has some great pictures in the archives.

Happy Anniversary P, I love you!

Newport Art

My husband (Mike) and I are in Newport, RI for the weekend, and as we strolled along the quiet street tonight we passed a little art gallery with this beautiful glass sculpture hanging in a window. I also took pictures of the church where JFK was married, but I figured you could see pictures of that church anywhere, post something unique instead! So here you are. I'll try to get artist details in the morning when the gallery is actually open!

PS - We're staying at the Hotel Viking this weekend and I couldn't possibly recommend it more if you're in town - our room is truly spectacular!

A Day at Deluca's

Just a regular day at Deluca's Market on Charles Street in Beacon Hill. According to its web site Deluca's has been in the same location for over 100 years. It's a great place to go for fruit and veggies and various gourmet items if you're in the area.

Ablaze with Color

Having grown-up in Western Australia--where autumn lasts about a day and there are very few deciduous trees--I'd never experienced a New England-style fall with leaves every color of the rainbow. I love seeing all the shades of colors and how they vary from leaf to leaf and tree to tree, and the beauty of it all helps me forget that winter is just around the corner.

Love that dirty water....

So you see the clock tower there in the middle? That's the Custom House Tower, located in the Financial District of Boston, not far at all from Faneuil Hall. A lot of people think of the famous Citgo sign, or the John Hancock tower when they think of Boston - but this clock tower holds its own as a pretty significant piece of the Boston skyline. Today it's used as residential space, but originally it was built to house the custom offices - it's where boats had to check in and declare all the goods they were bringing into Boston.

Doesn't sound very interesting, unless you consider the fact that what is today a completely landlocked building was once a building at the end of a city dock. Boats could pull right up to the building to do all their customs business. Over the years the water around the building was filled and it now looks like any other city block with cars driving around it and lots of pedestrian areas.

Something to keep in mind next time you visit Boston is the fact that a very large portion of the city was once just seawater. A lot of Boston was built on dirt, rock, and wood pilings that were added to the water to create land!

*this is Whit's photo, for the record.

Dramatic Skyline

An eerie view of the Prudential tower taken last week.

Fall of the Leaves...

...in Boston Common.

Talking Pictures

The Paramount Theater was opened in 1932 and was the only move theater in Boston (at the time, obviously) devoted exclusively to talking pictures. It was closed in 1976 and still sits abandoned today. But not for long! In 2002 the facade was fancied up and the sign cleaned and repaired by Millennium Partners, in exchange for permission to complete their Ritz-Carlton Towers project next door. Now the Paramount is being renovated by Emerson College! They'll be tearing up the interior of the theater (with the exception of the lobby which they have promised to restore to its original glory) to create some live performance space, so no more movies but at least it'll be put to good use.

This is an area of the city that has come a long way in recent years and this type of project (which includes renovations to an adjoining building and the parking lot across the street) is exactly the type of thing that will continue to push it in a good direction.

Stinky Saturday

We got the remnants of Hurricane Noel today, which meant a lot of rain and high winds. After seeing this view out the skylight this morning, I decided I didn't need to leave the house today!

Blue: Part Two

A few mornings this week I walked out of the T station and was greeted with this view - the early morning light bouncing off a building on Summer St and the moon still hanging out.

Monthly Theme Day: Blue

A different view of one of Boston's best known landmarks - the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the United States, since 1826!

There are 121 City Daily Photo blogs participating in this month's theme day - how many stops can you make in one day?!

Boston (MA), USA - Cleveland (OH), USA - Philadelphia (PA), USA - Arlington (VA), USA - Cape Town, South Africa - Portland (OR), USA - Sequim (WA), USA - Selma (AL), USA - Arradon, France - Petaling Jaya (Selangor), Malaysia - Stockholm, Sweden - Singapore, Singapore - Wassenaar (ZH), Netherlands - Phoenix (AZ), USA - Seattle (WA), USA - Toulouse, France - The Hague, Netherlands - Moscow, Russia - Fort Lauderdale (FL), USA - Kyoto, Japan - Tokyo, Japan - Saint Paul (MN), USA - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Stayton (OR), USA - Maple Ridge (BC), Canada - Detroit (MI), USA - Crystal Lake (IL), USA - Port Angeles (WA), USA - Cottage Grove (MN), USA - Nelson, New Zealand - Bandung (West Java), Indonesia - Greenville (SC), USA - Hyde, UK - Radonvilliers, France - Albuquerque (NM), USA - Nashville (TN), USA - Manila, Philippines - Port Vila, Vanuatu - Saarbrücken, Germany - New Orleans (LA), USA - Bellefonte (PA), USA - Melbourne, Australia - Hobart (Tasmania), Australia - Forks (WA), USA - Wichita (Ks), USA - Barton (VT), USA - St. Louis (MO), USA - Joplin (MO), USA - Chandler (AZ), USA - Quincy (MA), USA - Setúbal, Portugal - Inverness (IL), USA - Christchurch, New Zealand - Toruń, Poland - North Bay (ON), Canada - Le Guilvinec, France - Chateaubriant, France - London, England - Minneapolis (MN), USA - Naples (FL), USA - Norwich (Norfolk), UK - Sydney, Australia - Austin (TX), USA - Mumbai, India - Boston (MA), USA - Santa Fe (NM), USA - Menton, France - Monte Carlo, Monaco - Paderborn, Germany - Montréal (QC), Canada - Jackson (MS), USA - Stavanger, Norway - Orlando (FL), USA - Grenoble, France - Cheltenham, UK - Forks (WA), USA - Mexico City, Mexico - West Sacramento (CA), USA - Silver Spring (MD), USA - Weston (FL), USA - London, UK - Jefferson City (MO), USA - Ocean Township (NJ), USA - Belgrade, Serbia - Paris, France - Shanghai, China - Montego Bay, Jamaica - Montpellier, France - Saint Louis (MO), USA - Wailea (HI), USA - Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - Auckland, New Zealand - Evry, France - New York City (NY), USA - Nottingham, UK - Las Vegas (NV), USA - Oslo, Norway - Minneapolis (MN), USA - American Fork (UT), USA - Cypress (TX), USA - Haninge, Sweden - Trujillo, Peru - Trujillo, Peru - Melbourne (VIC), Australia - Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation - Durban, South Africa - Brussels, Belgium - Anderson (SC), USA - Budapest, Hungary - Wellington, New Zealand - Prague, Czech Republic - Saigon, Vietnam - Ystad, Sweden - Miami (FL), USA - Seoul, South Korea - Hong Kong, China - Melbourne, Australia - Baziège, France - Greensboro (NC), USA - Sharon (CT), USA - Kajang (Selangor), Malaysia