If you’re tired of Revolutionary War history, you’ll be glad to know that this post is about the Boston of today.
From Logan International Airport you can either ride a taxi to town or catch a free shuttle bus that will take you to a dock where you can take a water taxi for a ten-minute cruise to downtown. Apropos of Boston, it’s like “One if by land, two if by sea!”
The AirBnB where we stayed was only three blocks from Fenway Park. When we walked over there I was surprised to see the streets and sidewalks as close to the edge of the ballpark as they are to any other downtown business. Most professional sports fields today are surrounded by acres and acres of parking lots. When I went to a Brewers game at Miller Park in Milwaukee, we were more — much more — than three blocks from the ballpark
after we parked in the lot! So, where do Red Sox fans park? With Fenway Park in the city, many people can ignore that question by walking, riding bikes or taking mass transit. If not, every business in the neighborhood that has available room rents out parking spaces.
On game nights some of the streets are closed and food carts are rolled out for fans who just want to wander down and enjoy the atmosphere. I bought a tasty Italian sausage smothered in onions and peppers from a guy who looked like he could have been one of my Italian uncles! Die-hard fans can even purchase authentic ballpark seats that were removed during the last renovation of the park. I hope the Red Sox never succumb to an urge to build a big new park somewhere in the suburbs.
Regarding baseball, Ted Williams, considered by many to be the greatest hitter of all time, said “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.” Something to think about.
We didn’t take any official tours; instead we’d have an Uber take us to a specific location and just walk around. The Downtown Crossing district was a great place for that. A long section of Washington Street is a pedestrian mall where you can shop (we didn’t), eat (we did), and enjoy music (we did).
Another place to hang out is Quincy Market. Some years ago this was threatened with demolition until the city decided to have it repaired. Today it houses dozens of small food vendors inside and t-shirt and other shops outside. The area around the market is the venue for street performers like musicians, knife-juggling blind-folded unicycle riders, and acrobats who can turn a somersault while leaping over five people. There’s even a big statue of Samuel Adams. I suspect it’s there to remind people that he’s not just a beer, but he was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Woops, sorry for the history note!
Finally, we also walked around the North End, which is the city’s oldest residential community, where people have lived continuously since it was settled in the 1630s. More importantly, it’s Boston’s “Little Italy” with a large Italian population and great Italian restaurants. One of the well-known establishments is Mike’s Pastries, where we stopped for some cannoli. Places like this always make me think of my mother and the Italian side of the family. (The three signs and the inside of Mike’s Pastries are Kathy’s pictures.)
All in all we had a great time in Boston, but I will admit that I missed hearing the letter “R”!
