Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

I have heard of celebrity endorsements. But a celebrity sport team's endorsement of a hospital specializing in the rehabilitation of patients seriously injured in accidents? Says something about the nature of football that the players of the New England Patriots may have some personal knowledge of the speciality of this particular hospital. Especially when all of Boston is downcast at the recent announcement that Tom Brady, star quarterback, may not be playing this season due to a knee injury. The "Pats" are currently defending American Football Conference champions.

Rapids Parking

I just love this retro sign which marks tandem parking in a lot on the triangular intersection of Portland, Merrimac & New Chardon Streets. Even the parking system is retro with an attendant who mans a booth, holds the keys, and moves the cars around. Hard to imagine that in downtown Boston, where the property values are astronomical, that a simple parking lot is a lucrative business. However, Boston is reputed to be one of the most expensive cities in the United States to park a car.

Central Burying Ground

The Central Burying Ground is located on the South East corner of the Boston Common next to the Boylston T-Stop. From 1755 to the mid-1800's thousands of graves were placed in what was essentially a pauper's cemetery. Here lie the bodies of British soldiers who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Most famously, in an unmarked grave, is the body of the American artist, Gilbert Stuart, who died deeply in debt. Stuart's most well-known work is The Athenaeum, an unfinished portrait of George Washington which is immortalized on the United States dollar bill. The cemetery is closed to the public but views can be easily be seen from the Boston Common or Boylston Street which is visible in the background of this image.

New Chardon Street in the Rain

A view of New Chardon Street in the pouring rain taken from the portico of the Brooks Courthouse.

Athan's European Bakery & Cafe

Some of the best pastry in Boston is to be had at Athan's Bakery and Cafe located on Washington Street in the Brighton Center area of Boston. Pastry with a European flair, loaves of bread which even the French find excellent, and a cafe with Old World charm. What more could anyone ask for?

Boston Skyline

View of the skyline of Boston from the ridge of Larz Andersen Park located on the Boston-Brookline border. After a tropical storm hit Boston, the morning after was simply glorious and I went for a walk in the park.

Coolidge Corner Clubhouse

After seeing Woody Allen's new film Vicky Christina Barcelona, dropped into Coolidge Corner Clubhouse for a drink. Spanish wine was not available. A sports bar. I have never seen so many HD screens in one place. Catering to Boston's college crowd and young professionals, loads of beer on tap.

Boston Celtics

Walking past the TD Banknorth Garden, home to the Boston Celtics, I noticed this poster advertising basketball jerseys. "WE are the Celtics. We are Boston. We are the game. Together we are one." Yep! With the Sox, the Patriots & the Celtics . . . WE are the champions!

PSG Staffing Agency

PSG Staffing Agency on Devonshire Street is always a hub of activity. In addition, the plate glass windows are used to display works of abstract expressionist art by students of the Massachusetts College of Art. Seen here is one of the larger canvases.

New England Holocaust Memorial

Here is a view of Government Center through the glass of the New England Holocaust Memorial. The memorial has six million numbers etched into glass representing the six million Jews exterminated in the concentration camps.

Pushpin at Faneuil Hall Marketplace

This summer the City of Boston has placed giant, red-map pins at selected locations of interest. Apparently there is an explanatory website http://www.visitthepin.com/ available for interested folks. This particular pin is located at Faneuil Hall--a marketplace and meeting hall since 1742.

Financial District

Office building at the corner of State & Devonshire Streets in the heart of the Financial District.

Here Lies the Body

"Here lies the body of Elizabeth Viruen Wife to John Viruen Died October the 18th, 1721 in the 47th year of her age." This grave marker is found in the burying ground of the King's Chapel. NOTE: From 8/6/08-8/27/08, I will be out-of-Beantown and, therefore, unable to publish.

Boston Stock Exchange

The Boston Stock Exchange was founded in 1834. A securities exchange that makes markets in over 2,000 of the most active U.S. stocks and 125 stocks that are exclusively traded on BSE, or jointly on another exchange.

King's Chapel

An interior view of the King's Chapel at 64 Beacon Street. King's Chapel was organized as an Anglican congregation in 1686. The present building opened in 1754. Today the church is affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Park Street Station

Park Street Station located underground at the corner of Park and Tremont Streets just at the Boston Common. Shown here is the Boston College platform of the Green Line with an outbound train entering the station. The Green Line opened in 1897 making this the second oldest subway in the United States. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is called "The T" for short. Here "T patrons" are, as is said in the vernacular, "waiting for the T." Waiting for the T is something I do on a regular basis.

Federal Street - Guy Cleaning

Every Monday through Friday, approximately 8:30 to 9:00 a.m., this guy soaps up & squeegees down this ledge of highly polished granite. Even in winter he is out there with a bucket of steaming water.

Boston City Hall

In 1962 three professors at Columbia University won a nationwide competition, among 256 submissions, to design the Boston City Hall. In 1976, the American Institute of Architects nominated Boston City Hall as the SIXTH greatest building in American history! Wow! Well, those guys certainly do not live in Boston. Bostonians do not think much of the place and long for the pre-urban renewal days of Scollay Square. On December 12, 2006, Mayor Menino proposed selling this building, and the adjacent 8 acres of City Hall Plaza, to private developers. At that point a group of preservationists and architects filed a petition with the Boston Landmarks Commission to grant the building a special landmark status. Seems to be a quid pro quo at this point: No attempt to sell, then no status as a special landmark.

The Park Street Church

The Park Street Church was founded in 1829 by a group of 26 Bostonians in opposition to the growth of Unitarianism. This church is steeped in history. During the War of 1812, gunpowder was stored in the basement. In 1829, the abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison, delivered his first anti-slavery address from the pulpit. In 1910, the Boston Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. was organized here. In 1923, the oldest radio ministry in the United States began here. In 1949, Billy Graham's evangelistic crusades were introduced into Boston from this church.

John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building

Perfect weather in Beantown today. The John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building rises above City Hall Plaza. This 26-story tower was constructed circa 1967.