Finally Got to Downtown Boston with the Camera

Yesterday I took one of the men who prefers to avoid driving at night to a dinner engagement.  While invited to tag along (I knew several of the guests) I had no desire to attend.  The dinner was at the new hotel added to the old Charles Street Jail adjacent to Massachusetts General Hospital.  The forecast was warm but clear.  We agreed I would drive in, get him to the restaurant, and then return when dinner was over (which was 2 1/2 hours later).  It was great having my parking paid and an ample amount of time to wander along the river down to the Public Garden and then back along Charles Street.  And there was still time for a cup of coffee.

During fellowship at Mass General I took running clothes to work four or five days a week.  Warren Building was fifty yards from a pedestrian bridge from Charles Street to the Charles River Park which led to the Esplanade.  The runs of up to eight miles were great ones, even when the weather wasn't.  Because of some neuromuscular problems I can no longer run despite successful cardiac surgery.  This was a chance to revisit one of my favorite places.

The first is a view of downtown from a different pedestrian bridge leading to the Esplanade.   The tall building is the Hancock.  When it was first built panes of glass were falling out all over the place.  So much for modern engineering.  Years later a tile fell out of the roof of a tunnel from the big dig.  A woman died when the tile crashed into her car.  So much for modern engineering.

This is one of several shots of Community Boating where one can rent small sail boats.  The view of the boats gliding across the water is one of the finest views one can get while walking (or running) across the Longfellow Bridge, aka the "Salt and Pepper Bridge."  The tall building is the Prudential Building or "The Pru" that marks the end of the marathon. It looks as if four metal watchbands were welded together.

This is a shot of the marina near the Longfellow Bridge.  The buildings across the river are in Cambridge.

The same basic view as above with a more wide-angle approach. 

These are some of the upturned boats at Community Boating.  

A runner along the Esplanade.  Twenty years ago when I began fellowship (it will be twenty years on Sunday 1 July) that runner could have been me.  

The iconic swan boats at rest in the pond at the Public Garden.  I spent as much time as I could walking through there over the years.  Boston Common is OK but the Public Garden is one of the most beautiful pieces of public real estate in the U.S.   Very well maintained.

The Hatch Shell is along the Esplanade.  It is being readied for the Boston Pops performance on 4 July.  Don't think about getting a seat on the ground close to the shell unless you are willing to arrive at 7 AM when the barricades are let down.  And you must be prepared to remain in your spot, on a blanket, all day long.  Bring lots and lots of sunscreen.   By the time the fireworks go off approximately 500,000 bodies will be crammed in the area.  Do not take a car.  Walk or use the T.

Church spires from Charles Street at sunset. 

I enjoy taking photos of shop windows.  Antique stores are particularly fertile sources.   This is the window in one of the several antique stores that punctuate Charles Street.  

After walking for 2 1/2 hours my legs were a bit tired and my shutter finger was tender but it was a great evening.  One of these Sundays will drive into the city very early and wander around with the camera. 

+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD