Comm Ave Mall #3

Samuel Eliot Morison is a noted historian, a "sailor and a scholar", who was born and raised in Boston. He graduated from Harvard and spent time studying in France before returning to Harvard to complete his PhD. He went on to teach at a number of universities, and also acted as the official historian of the US Navy during World War II.

Happy sunny day?

We've had some nice weather this weekend. The sun stays out for 4-5 hours, and then the grey skies come in and rain comes pouring down for the rest of the day. Just goes to show that what they say about New England weather is true: if you don't like it, wait 15 minutes and it will change!

Doorways #2

Charles Street, Beacon Hill.

Comm Ave mall #2

Another shot of the Vendome Hotel Memorial.

Comm Ave Mall #1

In the mall that runs down the center of Commonwealth Ave are a number of statues and memorials. This is the Vendome Hotel Memorial - in front of the site of the worst tragedy in the history of the Boston Fire Department.

Doorways #1

Newbury Street - guess this one doesn't get much use!

Alert!

High St, in the Financial District.

Shes got everything delightful, shes got everything I need

The magnolias on Comm Ave are blossoming!

Blue skies, smiling on me....

Boston Sailing Center's open house was this weekend - free sailing if you're willing to wait about ninety minutes for your turn. You do get to cruise around the harbor for about thirty minutes, and it's finally feeling like spring around here. Blue skies, sunshine, and seventy degree weather - that and free sailing makes for a good day!

Red Sox Fever

I went to Fenway Park last night and watched an amazing game between the Red Sox and the Yankees (Sox won!). The Red Sox/Yankees rivalry is renowned in this part of the world and watching the passionate fans is almost as entertaining as watching the actual game...almost. If the Sox keep this up, they might even win the World Series...and then Jordan's furniture will have to follow through on their crazy promotion. Now that would be entertaining!

Readaholics Rejoice!

For all the avid readers out there, you'll understand the joy that only a bookstore can provide. Brookline Booksmith is one of the few remaining independent bookstores in the Boston area and is well worth a visit if you've never been. It's a magical place where hours escape you and your bank balance diminishes...or is that just me?!

Rain Rain Go Away...

No matter what you call the good old rain boots (wellington boots, wellies, gumboots or rubber boots), anyone who owns a pair has been putting them to good use this past week. Everywhere I go I see people wearing them and not once have I seen the same color or pattern. Amazing! This window display is in Coolidge Corner at a little shop called Downtown Shooz. The shop is owned by the nicest man in the world who's brought a smile to my face on the most miserable of days.

Boston Marathon

London Harness Company, Downtown Crossing.

I know the marathon was two days ago, but how can I not share this? This store always has great window displays.

Hokie, hokie, hokie, hy!

Boston had a new free daily in town. In my eyes it just means more discarded newspapers on the floor of the T not getting recycled, but I'm both a treehugger and a cynic.

I can't post without commenting on the cover stories. From the minute Leyre told me about the shootings at VA Tech yesterday I haven't stopped thinking about them. A good family friend is a senior there and lost two friends, with another in the hospital in stable condition. I've had Hokies cheers running through my head all day, and keep thinking back to the first time my brother-in-law and sister took me there for a football game - Blacksburg is tiny little college town, tucked into the mountains. Quiet, relaxing, and beautiful. It's a place I've always thought of as a relaxing retreat, and I still struggle to get my head around what happened yesterday. I can't put into words all of the thoughts and emotions that have been running through my mind, but my thoughts are with Brandon and every other student on campus, as well as all of their family and friends. I wish there was never occassion to use the phrase "most deadly massacre in modern American history".

Combined Jewish Philanthropies building on High Street, in the Financial District. I was a little surprised the first time I was walking through the Financial District and I came across a building with Hebrew and this quote about the Torah on the side of it! It makes more sense once you've checked around the corner to see whose building it is!

Tell us how you really feel

I was meeting a realtor to check out an apartment in this building and noticed this sign in one of the third floor windows. The sentiment is shared with some of our other JP neighbors - there are quite a few Impeach Bush signs around our neighborhood.

Romantic Evening

Euno Ristorante, North End

The beer necessities, the simple beer necessities

On Salem Street, in the North End.



(Sorry for the backposting - we've been out of town/entertaining family in town/had a broken computer! We're back on track now!)

Coming and Going

I intended to take a really cool rainy day photo of some old Bostonian building, but I didn't realize just HOW rainy it actually was and I feared my sad little digital camera might drown. I figured this would create a little 'commuting' theme for my posts this week, so here is a picture of the Commuter Rail train I board at the end of every work day. The Commuter Rail is a fantastic way of getting into and out of the city, MUCH faster than driving. Unfortunately the prices for monthly passes keep growing and growing, without any noticeable improvements to service or equipment....wonder how long people will put up with that!!

A totally non-commute related photo to end the week tomorrow, I promise!

-Leyre

Morning madness

Every morning I join the human rat race of commuters from the suburbs. The train pulls into South Station and I tear myself away from a good book or stir myself from a drooling sleep to stumble into the light of day. This is my view as I head down the platform towards the station itself, which houses many delights such as Cosi, home of the most delicious TBM sandwich in town - and Barbara's Bestsellers , the best little book kiosk in town.

-Leyre

Home Opener!

Jillian's is not unique to Boston, but Fenway Park and the Red Sox certainly are! Today's the home opener, with Beckett on the mound. If you can't get tickets to the game, you can watch it next door on the wall of TVs in Jillian's, and take pool, video game, bowling, or dancing breaks as needed. I'll be listening to the game on the radio at work (awww....poor Sarah! ;) I admit that I'm not a real fan. My attention span usually lasts 1/3 of the way through the season...if that, but I love going to Fenway to people watch!).

FYI - Some folks might tell you that you can't eat lunch in Boston if you're under 21. Really, it's that you can't eat lunch near Fenway on a game day if you're under 21! At least not easily. But that, dear friends, is what the Sausage Guy is for!


[Whit's photo, I'm just posting!]

Axiom Gallery

Adjoining the Green Street T Stop in Jamaica Plain is the Axiom Gallery - formerly the Green Street Gallery. The hours are limited, and there is a good amount of down time in between exhibits, but there have been some great exhibits in the past and I'm looking forward to the next one when it opens. They've started to hang it, and I've been wanted to get a picture of these displays since I first saw them. It had to be a night shot to really have them stand out, and I wasn't sure I'd ever be down to the T when it was dark enough...but lucky me, I was at work much later than I expected to be today. I walked out the door of the station, stopped dead in my tracks and thought "Hey! There is the shot I wanted!"

Happy Easter!

Friday morning Whit called me and said "there's this crazy religious man who is literally in the middle of the intersection in Coolidge Corner!!!" Yesterday, we met up and spent a good 15 minutes sitting on a bench watching this guy sing, dance, and shove his cross at cars and pedestrians passing by. The thing to note is that Brookline is known for it's large Jewish population. Want to buy a Red Sox gear in Hebrew? Coolidge Corner is your place! Whit and I did some browsing, and then hit up Trader Joe's, where we found our crazy religious man, carrying his "Jesus the Messiah. Why not?" sign around while he picked up groceries.

Waiting, watching, hoping for you baby

I spent some time in Coolidge Corner today (okay, not technically Boston) and I couldn't help but love these guys. Such sweethearts!!! Someday I'll have one (or a rottie, or a some kind of lab), and I won't leave it sitting in a car for long enough to make it look this sad!

Dark and Athletic Seeks Auto Body Professional

On a side street near my house. I walked by the car one day and thought "that person should be careful - they'll start ticketing for not having a bumper on the car!". The next day I walked by and noticed that he did HAVE the bumper...just not quite where it was meant to be!

Gobble gobble!

I'm trying not to think about how Spring left us again and I was wearing my winter jacket again today, so no weather related photos! Instead, I'm posting on behalf of Whit, who found this wild turkey in her back yard last week. Awesome! Apparently it's a bit of an invasion, as there's been a number of news stories about wild turkeys lately - one that broke the windshield of a car on I-95 in Rhode Island last weekend, and one that led police on a "wild turkey chase" in Ohio last week. A coworker that drove up for the RI office last week told me that she was actually stopped in rush hour traffic because there was a group of wild turkeys crossing I-95!

I've just been informed by my son-of-a-hunter (you totally thought I was going a different route with that, didn't you?!) boyfriend that it's spring and this is when wild turkeys mate. I guess that explains it, but I still thinks it's strange! I don't remember wild turkeys causing so much commotion in past springs!

Oompa-pa oompa-pa

I've been listening to this guy for the last few days at the Downtown Crossing T stop while I wait for my train home. He smiled when he noticed me move and start lifting my camera to take a picture, but then he studiously avoided looking at me when I was actually taking them!

Gray is in the air

Spring is in the air...which in Boston means the rainy season has begun! I leaned out of a skylight in Back Bay to snap today's picture of the Prudential building under a shroud of fog.

April Showers bring May Flowers!

Daily Photo Theme Day

Aww shucks! Someone posted this guy already - he's in a number of cities across the country, I won't be surprised if we end up with an army of 'em!

Today is a Daily Photo theme day - the theme is "public mailboxes". Heaps of people have joined in, so browse the links below!

1 (London (UK) ) -2 (Grenoble (France) ) -3 (Rotterdam (Netherlands) ) -4 (Greenville SC (USA) ) -5 (Hyde (UK) ) -6 (Villigen (Switzerland) ) -7 (Albuquerque NM (USA) ) -8 (Mazatlan (Mexico) ) -9 (Montréal (Canada) ) -10 (Stayton OR (USA) ) -11 (Shanghai (China) -Jing ) -12 (Arradon (France) ) -13 (Sequim WA (USA) ) -14 (Newcastle upon Tyne (England) ) -15 (Seattle WA (USA) -Kim ) -16 (Bastia (Corse) ) -17 (Minneapolis MN (USA) ) -18 (Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) ) -19 (Joplin MO (USA) ) -20 (Sharon, CT (USA) ) -21 (Cottage Grove MN [USA] ) -22 (Houston, TX (USA) -Candice & Megan ) -23 (Singapore - by Keropokman. ) -24 (Guelph, ON (Canada) ) -25 (Menton (France) ) -26 (Monte Carlo, Monaco ) -27 (Naples, FL (USA) ) -28 (Kyoto (Japan) ) -29 (Tokyo (Japan) ) -30 (Aliso Viejo, CA (USA) ) -31 (Cape Town (South Africa) ) -32 ( Jakarta (Indonesia) ) -33 (Kitakami (Japan) ) -34 (Tel Aviv (Israel) ) -35 (Vantaa(Finland) ) -36 (Guadalajara (Mexico) ) -37 (Auckland (New Zealand) ) -38 (Nelson (New Zealand) ) -39 (Tuzla (B&H) ) -40 (Brussels (Belgium) ) -41 (Anderson, SC (USA) ) -42 (Lubbock, TX (USA) ) -43 (John, Melbourne, (Australia) ) -44 (Stavanger (Norway) ) -45 (Tenerife (Spain) ) -46 (Stockholm (Sweden) ) -47 (Boston, MA (USA) ) -48 (Not Strictly Seattle, Susan ) -49 (New York City, (USA), Ming the Merciless ) -50 (Paris [Eric], (France) ) -51 (Ampang (Selangor) ) -52 (Sydney (Nathalie) Australia ) -53 (ailea , HI (USA) ) -54 (Manila (Philippines) ) -55 (Sydney (Sally) Australia ) -56 (Cork (Ireland) ) -57 (Saarbrücken (Germany) ) -58 (Saint Paul MN (USA) by Carol ) -59 (San Diego, CA (USA) ) -60 (Mexico [POLY], (Mexico) ) -61 (Budapest (Hungary) ) -62 (Singapore (Singapore by Zannnie) ) -63 (Madrid [Dsole] (Spain) ) -64 (Nottingham (England) ) -65 (Bandung (Indonesia) ) -66 (London - Jonemo (UK)) -