{"id":6622,"date":"2018-04-25T18:05:14","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T23:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=6622"},"modified":"2018-05-27T20:24:50","modified_gmt":"2018-05-28T01:24:50","slug":"boston-youre-my-home-a-two-day-boston-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/?p=6622","title":{"rendered":"Boston, you&#8217;re my home!  (A two day Boston Adventure)"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_6629\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6629\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gillisphotos.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6629\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Skyline-from-Harvard-Bridge.jpg\" alt=\"Boston from the Harvard Bridge \/ Massachusetts Avenue\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Skyline-from-Harvard-Bridge.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Skyline-from-Harvard-Bridge-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Skyline-from-Harvard-Bridge-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Skyline-from-Harvard-Bridge-730x486.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6629\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Boston from the Harvard Bridge \/ Massachusetts Avenue<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><i>by Robert Gillis<br \/>\nPublished in the Foxboro Reporter and Boston City Paper 5\/2018<\/i><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ontraymagazine.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Also published in OnTray Magazine, June 2018!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;The City of Boston is one of my favorite photographic subjects. This past week with a few welcome vacation days and the forecast of (finally!) blue skies and 60 degree temps, I made my plans to spend two days taking my walking tour of Boston, photographing what found me along the way. These are \u201cBobby\u201d days, I go alone, I leave the smart phone in the car, I walk at a brisk clip, and it\u2019s my time to decompress, unplug from the computer and World Wide Web, connect with humanity without a screen, and recharge my batteries. It\u2019s good for my soul.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, having grown up in Dorchester, having sold papers in front of Woolworths for three years a teen and having worked as a professional computer guy in Boston over seven years (not to mention countless visits and trips with high school\/college friends and dates), well, Boston and I love each other a lot.<\/p>\n<p>My two days were awesome, and I thought it would be fun to share some thoughts and observations of Boston in no particular order.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6635\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6635\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gillisphotos.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6635\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/36-Boston-Public-Garden-and-Artist-9760.jpg\" alt=\" Boston Public Garden and Artist 9760\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/36-Boston-Public-Garden-and-Artist-9760.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/36-Boston-Public-Garden-and-Artist-9760-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/36-Boston-Public-Garden-and-Artist-9760-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/36-Boston-Public-Garden-and-Artist-9760-730x486.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6635\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Boston Public Garden and Artist 9760<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Day One<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I start at Park Street. The Boston State House on Beacon Street is magnificent and the golden dome shines so beautifully in the crystal blue daylight. Got a lot of pictures there. Walking around, I recall that Boston Common is the oldest city park in the United States and is so very lovely. On this day, like every day, it is filled with vendors, street preachers, loud teen-agers, businessmen and women, food stands, kids playing ball, workers having lunch, couples having lunch or dinner, and tourists \u2013 LOTS of tourists. I love tourists.<\/li>\n<li>Tourism is Boston\u2019s biggest sources of income and it ALWAYS makes me happy to see so many people with cameras and so many tour groups. And I don\u2019t know why but EVERY time I go into Boston someone asked me to take a picture or ask directions.<\/li>\n<li>I head to the end of the Common and entrance to the Public Garden, another treasure. I love seeing the swan boats, the weeping willows, the swans, and squirrels and geese. I look for the bench where Robin Williams and Matt Damon shot that famous scene in \u201cGood Will Hunting\u201d but cannot locate it. Turns out today was not the day I was supposed to go there \u2013 serendipity was at work. More on that in a moment.<\/li>\n<li>The cherry blossoms on Beacon Hill are stunning and provide evidence that spring MIGHT come this year. Nice to see people getting pictures and selfies there. Actually, there are people everywhere, enjoying this pristine parcel of tranquility in the city, including an artist painting the swan boats on canvas.<\/li>\n<li>I make my way to Copley. A week after the Boston Marathon, the painted finish line in front of the BPL is already faded \u2013 I guess that\u2019s what happens when 30,000 runners cross it on a rainy day! Kudos to everyone who ran! And to all those joggers and bikers I saw, I really respect your dedication to physical fitness! Looking great, guys and gals!<\/li>\n<li>To me, it seems everyone where you look in this section of Boston, there is a reminder of SPORTS. Several T stations feature pictures of famous sports athletes. Many advertisements celebrate the champions that come from our city. Along the Marathon route from Copley to Kenmore are plenty of reminders of our sports greats.<\/li>\n<li>Continuining in reverse of the Marathon route, I walk to Kenmore Square and another destination &#8212; the corner of Commonwealth and Charlesgate I see the \u2018Boston Strong\u2019 words on both sides of the bridge \u2013 this is about one mile from the Finish Line and inspires the runners &#8211;and me! More camerawork here. Boston Strong. We certainly are; then and now.<\/li>\n<li>At this point, I gaze fondly at the iconic Citgo sign (I have too many pictures of that already) and I have another destination in mind &#8212; so I jump back on the Green Line to Science Park. (If you ride the Green line, you will see a student carrying a musical instrument case. In this case, I believe it was a bass or cello). At my destination I had a perfect vantage point for some images of my favorite \u2018new\u2019 Boston icon \u2013 the Zakim Bridge. I think it is an architectural wonder and just spectacular.<\/li>\n<li>I\u2019m starting to get hungry, but I\u2019m happy. It\u2019s just a good day. No computer or cell phone, no Facebook today, and while I love the job, today is a vacation day so it\u2019s unplug and enjoy warm sunshine and a needed head-clearing, soul-cleansing walk through the city \u2013 I am LOVING it.<\/li>\n<li>Back on the trolley because lunch will be at Quincy Market. I stop at Haymarket and walk back to the Faneuil Hall area. I cap this afternoon with a stop at Quincy Market, where (for my money, anyway) Prime Shoppe makes THE best fresh turkey sandwich on the planet. I enjoyed my lunch in the welcome sunshine a street musician strummed 70s tunes on his guitar.<\/li>\n<li>I head upstairs; I\u2019m curious about the improvements made to Government Center. While Boston City Hall has won \u2018Most beautiful architecture in Boston\u201d exactly *never* times, it\u2019s obvious that Government Center has undergone much renovation and revitalization over the last few years and the new train\/trolley station is gorgeous, airy, with so much sunlight streaming in. GREAT work!<\/li>\n<li>I head home through Downtown Crossing. Boston still has some pay-phones! (Kids, your parents can explain). You might want to get a picture before they become extinct.<\/li>\n<li>And while Woolworths is decades gone, and the Cogliani film has LONG since moved out their fruit stand &#8212; and even the light pole had moved a few feet \u2013 this is still \u201cMY SPOT\u201d where for three years I stood and sold the Boston Globe after school. I still smile when I see it. \u201cMy spot!\u201d So many awesome memories, meeting people, getting over my shyness, learning to actually talk to girls, and so many interesting conversations. Great memories.<\/li>\n<li>My digital camera tells me I took 199 images. Many are duplicates of the same image, trying get the right composition and light \u2013 couldn\u2019t do that with film when I was kid. Can\u2019t wait to start processing them.<\/li>\n<li>The Red Line train clacks along its tracks back to where I parked in Quincy. I am happy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6630\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6630\" style=\"width: 533px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gillisphotos.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6630\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Grafitti-Alley-01.jpg\" alt=\"Graffiti Alley Cambridge\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Grafitti-Alley-01.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Grafitti-Alley-01-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6630\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graffiti Alley Cambridge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Day Two<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tuesday had a forecast of clouds and gray but turned out to be a brilliant blue-sky day, perfect for another photographic adventure and ten mile walk. Today: Cambridge. I took the train to Central Square for my first stop &#8212; Graffiti Alley, where graffiti is ALLOWED and ENCOURAGED. So many people taking pictures there and so much impressive, ever changing art work. It was AMAZING! In a few months it will be covered in new artwork. An ever evolving canvas of street art. The colors are brilliant. I took some time to just walk the alley and study all the creativity and use of color.<\/li>\n<li>I stayed on Massachusetts Avenue and explored that part of Cambridge. The mural outside the Middle East restaurant in Central Square is so striking \u2013 showcasing music, dancing and humanity and love, that I found myself staring at its details for 15 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>As I walked Mass Ave. toward Boston, I found that the architecture of MIT provided many photo opportunities, but I was more struck by the flurry of students rushing to this or that building. For a little while I contemplated my own past, and how nice it might have been to live in a dorm in Boston during my college years, and also how every student walking past me is a gazillion times smarter than me \u2013 I could NEVER get into MIT (then or now!)<\/li>\n<li>As I walked across the Harvard \/ Mass Avenue Bridge, I was struck by the sheer awesome spectacle of the Boston skyline and enjoyed the panoramic vista from Cambridge to the Back Bay, divided by the Charles River where many sail boats leisurely cruised along the river.<\/li>\n<li>After the end of the bridge, near Boylston street, on the Pike overpass fence, people have started the tradition of placing padlocks in the bridge fence to symbolize their love \u2013 VERY cool!<\/li>\n<li>And speaking of love, as I crossed Beacon, I see many light posts wrapped with yellow and blue ribbon and a small pipe-cleaner ornament that quotes little 8 years old Martin Richard, who died in the Marathon bombings, and his words, \u201cNo more hurting people.\u201d Poignant.<\/li>\n<li>On the subject of helping people, I gave several homeless people a dollar, and bought a sandwich for another homeless woman. I miss doing that; the six or so years I worked in Boston I used to chat with homeless folks; I befriended a few of them and helped the ones I could. It always felt so good. I miss that.<\/li>\n<li>Looking a little further across the sky, I smile. I have always love the elegance and beauty of the I.M. Pei\u2019s Hancock tower. And I must add the new Millennium Tower, built on the old Filenes site, is a stunning addition to the Boston skyline. Looking great, Beantown!<\/li>\n<li>Before calling it a day, I decided to try to find the \u201cGood Will Hunting\u201d Bench\u201d again. (The night before I had precisely located its position on Google, but I need not have bothered, I\u2019d have a guide and make a new friend): In the Public Garden, I walked directly toward THE bench, and there I met and made friends with Dave Pogue, a remarkable and interesting man who began our conversation with, &#8220;This is the bench you&#8217;re looking for.&#8221; He tells me everyone seeks out that bench and still leave flowers to Robin Williams there, or wants to get a picture of them sitting there. That\u2019s now Dave\u2019s spot. He teaches classical music history, volunteers at various places, he&#8217;s an amateur hockey player, and he also chats with people, and comes out on each day to take care of the squirrels. He knows EVERYTHING about a LOT, but especially squirrels. The squirrels jump right on his arm and will even sit on his head, they trust him so much! We talked over 45 minutes &#8212; great guy. He mentioned that some film students shot a short video of him and I found it on YouTube the next day. If you&#8217;re looking for the &#8220;Good Will Hunting&#8221; bench, Dave will likely be there, with lots of stories to tell. I fed a couple of the squirrels while we talked.<\/li>\n<li>I just wanted the a picture of a bench used in a movie; I ended up having a remarkable conversation &#8212; And the fact that I sat on that same bench and had a profound conversation (much as was had in the movie) was not lost on me!<\/li>\n<li>I headed back toward Park Street, I would later enjoy dinner at the World Renowned BK Lounge (Only Dane Cook fans will get that reference) and fed some of French fries to the pigeons while a people came and went.<\/li>\n<li>I headed downstairs for the train back to Quincy. More than 200 more pictures taken.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2026Wrapping up, some days you just need to unplug and go on a little adventure. So many of us don\u2019t take the time to explore what\u2019s right near us, or explore our own towns and cities. For me, while I never lived in Boston proper, it is my favorite city and my favorite place to go on my own, unplug, and just walk 10 miles around it and see what finds me. I encourage you to do the same. You\u2019ll be amazed at all there is to see and do!<\/p>\n<p>Boston Strong. Boston Awesome! Boston, you\u2019re my home!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6631\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6631\" style=\"width: 533px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gillisphotos.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6631\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hancock-from-Common-bandstand.jpg\" alt=\"Hancock from the Parkman Bandstand\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hancock-from-Common-bandstand.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hancock-from-Common-bandstand-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6631\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hancock from the Parkman Bandstand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6632\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6632\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gillisphotos.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6632\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Strong-Bridge.jpg\" alt=\"Boston Strong Bridge\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Strong-Bridge.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Strong-Bridge-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Strong-Bridge-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Boston-Strong-Bridge-730x486.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6632\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Boston Strong Bridge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6633\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6633\" style=\"width: 533px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gillisphotos.com\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6633\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Welcome-To-Back-Bay-With-Pru.jpg\" alt=\"Welcome To Back Bay With Prudential\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Welcome-To-Back-Bay-With-Pru.jpg 533w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Welcome-To-Back-Bay-With-Pru-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6633\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Welcome To Back Bay With Prudential<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6638\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_1_COLOR-644x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"644\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_1_COLOR-644x1024.jpg 644w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_1_COLOR-189x300.jpg 189w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_1_COLOR-768x1221.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_1_COLOR-730x1161.jpg 730w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 644px) 100vw, 644px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-6639\" src=\"http:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_5-653x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"653\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_5-653x1024.jpg 653w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_5-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_5-768x1204.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_5-730x1145.jpg 730w, https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/PAGE_5.jpg 1035w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 653px) 100vw, 653px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Robert Gillis Published in the Foxboro Reporter and Boston City Paper 5\/2018 Also published in OnTray Magazine, June 2018! &nbsp;The City of Boston is one of my favorite photographic subjects. This past week with a few welcome vacation days and the forecast of (finally!) blue skies and 60 degree temps, I made my plans [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[146],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boston"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6622","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6622"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6622\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6622"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6622"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.robertxgillis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6622"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}