bostonzest

Category: History

  • What’s Open on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2018 in Boston Plus Trash, Parking & MBTA Links & More

    Here's a rundown of what's open in Boston, plus Boston trash collection, parking, and MBTA schedules for Martin Luther King Jr. Day – January 15, 2018. We are updating these resource pages rather than creating a new one each year. 

    Updated January 3, 2018

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    Free at Last sculpture, by Sergio Castillo is located on Marsh Plaza, Boston University (Photo by Peter H. Dreyer from the Boston City Archives )

    • Restaurants, Bars: Open
    • Convenience Stores: Open  
    • Supermarkets: Open 
    • Retail Stores: Are allowed to open, if the owners choose
    • Liquor Stores: Open 
    • City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries, and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.
    • Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both Banks and the Stock Markets in the United States closed. International markets are open. 
    • Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.
    • Boston Public Libraries closed.
    • BCYF Community Centers are closed.

    Free Open House at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston 

    If you're looking for something to do on this holiday, the MFA has a full schedule of special events and invites the community to visit for free that day.

    Screen Shot 2018-01-03 at Wednesday January 3 20187.17.17 AM

    Boston Trash and Recycling:

    The city has changed the way it publishes the schedule for holidays so that you now have to go to the city site and look up your specific address in order to get information. 

    Street Cleaning: 

    The city says, "On City holidays, we suspend street sweeping during the day, but we still sweep streets at night. On the weekends, we sweep some streets at night. Please always check posted street sweeping signs for information. If you still have questions, please contact 311."

    Parking:

    "Monday, January 15 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
    City offices closed. Sunday parking rules in effect."

    You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.

    MBTA Schedule for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 15, 2018: 

    The MBTA no longer publishes holiday schedule in an easy to use format. You must now go to their website and click around to find the information.

    For more information about MBTA services, routes, schedules, and fares, please call the T’s Customer Communications Department at 617-222-3200, (TTY 617-222-5146) or go to www.mbta.com

     

    Keeping warm is on the top of everyone's agenda. Amazon has excellent underlayers to keep you toasty.

     

    Details:
    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: (Photo by Peter H. Dreyer from the Boston City Archives )used under creative commons license AttributionNoncommercialNo Derivative Works Some rights reserved 

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  • It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas …

    "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
    Ev'rywhere you go …"

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    But especially at 131 Commonwealth Avenue! (map)

    And, as a special holiday gift for those who love to know more about the history of buildings like this, here's a link to this building on the award-winning site, BackBayHouses.org.

    About Today in Boston: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Today in Boston is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.
    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

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  • Save These “Shadow Hearings Dates,” Boston’s Historic Parks Need Your Voice

    There are two hearings scheduled in the busy weeks ahead on the City's attempt to allow a developer to construct buildings that will cast additional shadows on the Boston Common, the Boston Public Garden, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

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    Plan to speak up for our precious, historic parks at one of the two scheduled meetings.

    6:30 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH:
     Suffolk Law School, Moot Court Room, 4th Floor, 120 Tremont Street (map)
     
    6:30 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 19TH
    290 Congress Street (near South Station) in the Fort Point Room (map)
     
     
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    The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay has taken a strong stand on this issue, saying: "It is critical that citizens attend these meetings and voice their concerns about the project and the importance of protecting our open spaces. Even if you can't attend the meeting, please express your concerns in writing (by letter or email) so that they are received by the BPDA (formerly the BRA) by January 2nd, the new deadline the BPDA has established for public comments. Your comments should stress the importance of protecting the parks by retaining the existing shadow laws, and should be sent to:
     
    Christopher Tracy, Senior Project Manager
    Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA)
    One City Hall Square
    Boston, MA 02201
    christopher.tracy@boston.gov"
     
     
    IMG_4903 copy
     
    Here at BostonZest, we'll continue to show you photos of sunlight in the parks to remind you of what's at stake.
     
     
    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • Save These “Shadow Hearings Dates,” Boston’s Historic Parks Need Your Voice

    There are two hearings scheduled in the busy weeks ahead on the City's attempt to allow a developer to construct buildings that will cast additional shadows on the Boston Common, the Boston Public Garden, and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

    IMG_4723 copy

    Plan to speak up for our precious, historic parks at one of the two scheduled meetings.

    6:30 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 5TH:
     Suffolk Law School, Moot Court Room, 4th Floor, 120 Tremont Street (map)
     
    6:30 PM ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 19TH
    290 Congress Street (near South Station) in the Fort Point Room (map)
     
     
    IMG_1080 copy
     
    The Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay has taken a strong stand on this issue, saying: "It is critical that citizens attend these meetings and voice their concerns about the project and the importance of protecting our open spaces. Even if you can't attend the meeting, please express your concerns in writing (by letter or email) so that they are received by the BPDA (formerly the BRA) by January 2nd, the new deadline the BPDA has established for public comments. Your comments should stress the importance of protecting the parks by retaining the existing shadow laws, and should be sent to:
     
    Christopher Tracy, Senior Project Manager
    Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA)
    One City Hall Square
    Boston, MA 02201
    christopher.tracy@boston.gov"
     
     
    IMG_4903 copy
     
    Here at BostonZest, we'll continue to show you photos of sunlight in the parks to remind you of what's at stake.
     
     
    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino  

  • A Tree for All Seasons, This Birch Shines in the Sun

    The Boston Public Garden's White-barked Himalayan Birch shines in the sunlight. It is said to have the whitest and most beautiful bark of all the birches. This variety was discovered by Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker during a mid-1800s trip to Tibet.

    IMG_4866 copy

    "Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still." Dorothea Lange

    About Today in Boston: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Today in Boston is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

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  • A Tree for All Seasons, This Birch Shines in the Sun

    The Boston Public Garden's White-barked Himalayan Birch shines in the sunlight. It is said to have the whitest and most beautiful bark of all the birches. This variety was discovered by Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker during a mid-1800s trip to Tibet.

    IMG_4866 copy

    "Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still." Dorothea Lange

    About Today in Boston: We keep hearing that people miss our cover photos that ran for years in the Back Bay Sun. That assignment was to provide a photo that showed what the week was like in the neighborhood. Often the photos illustrated favorite quotations. Today in Boston is an occasional offering to our BostonZest readers featuring photos along the same theme but taken wherever we happen to be.

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino  

    Related articles
    A Delicious Autumn Day: Today In Boston! – BostonZest
    A New Day in the Public Garden – BostonZest
    Growing Fond of the Boston Public Garden Fence

  • Time for the Public Garden Tropicals to Travel to Their Winter Quarters

    After last weekend's tropical rain and the first warning of frost in our area, gardeners began moving the Public Garden tropical plants to their greenhouse winter quarters in Franklin Park. 

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    Standing guard over the plants is gardener Josh Altidor. You can read more about him and his love for his job in this Boston Globe article. He told the Globe, “I want the design to be eye-catching.” He certainly caught our eyes this year. (And, from the number of photos in our files of his flower bed designs, he caught our camera lenses too!)

    IMG_0713 copy

    Bed-by-bed the plants were lifted and set in neat rows on the back of Parks Department trucks for the ride across town. 

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    Once upon a time, the Victorian tropical plants would have been walked to the greenhouse that was once located on the Beacon Street side of the Public Garden. The 1862 Public Garden photo above is from the Boston Public Library's collection.

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    Here's a photo (circa 1924) of the palm greenhouse at Franklin Park also from the Boston Public Library's collection.

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    Be ready for a change of scene on your next visit to Boston's gem of a park. It's time for the fall foliage and mums to take over the spotlight. And, before you know it the caretakers will tuck in the flower beds for winter.

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino with historic photos courtesy of the Boston Public Library as credited above. 

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  • Time for the Public Garden Tropicals to Travel to Their Winter Quarters

    After last weekend's tropical rain and the first warning of frost in our area, gardeners began moving the Public Garden tropical plants to their greenhouse winter quarters in Franklin Park. 

    IMG_0705 copy

    Standing guard over the plants is gardener Josh Altidor. You can read more about him and his love for his job in this Boston Globe article. He told the Globe, “I want the design to be eye-catching.” He certainly caught our eyes this year. (And, from the number of photos in our files of his flower bed designs, he caught our camera lenses too!)

    IMG_0713 copy

    Bed-by-bed the plants were lifted and set in neat rows on the back of Parks Department trucks for the ride across town. 

    5554337048_e39e6ed72b_z

    Once upon a time, the Victorian tropical plants would have been walked to the greenhouse that was once located on the Beacon Street side of the Public Garden. The 1862 Public Garden photo above is from the Boston Public Library's collection.

    5554353128_d303baab9c_z

    Here's a photo (circa 1924) of the palm greenhouse at Franklin Park also from the Boston Public Library's collection.

    CHE_1197

    Be ready for a change of scene on your next visit to Boston's gem of a park. It's time for the fall foliage and mums to take over the spotlight. And, before you know it the caretakers will tuck in the flower beds for winter.

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino with historic photos courtesy of the Boston Public Library as credited above. 

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  • Sunday Is Leif Erikson Day, Discover his Boston Statue!

    October 9th has been the official Leif Erikson Day since Congress declared it so in 1964. If Hurricane Matthew allows us to have a nice day on Sunday, we suggest you take a walk along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall to the corner of Charlesgate East (map) and discover Boston's Memorial to this Viking explorer. 

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    At the moment, many details of the monument are hidden by tropical plants. 

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    In this photo from the Boston Public Library Collection, you can see that he stands above a dragon-headed boat and that boat would have been the basin for a fountain rather than a planter.

    According to an 1887 Boston Globe article, the memorial's dedication was originally located on a traffic island at Commonwealth Avenue and West Chester Park, the former name of Massachusetts Avenue. We are still trying to confirm when it was relocated.

    20101102DSC_8714 - Version 3 copy

    Here's a photo that Penny took a few seasons ago with more of the monument showing in the setting sun.

    Plan a return visit!

    Be sure to come back in winter to discover all the lovely details that sculptor Anne Whitney incorporated into this work of art. A few years ago, we interviewed Sarah Hutt, the Friends of the Public Garden Collections Care Manager. She admitted that this is her favorite statue on the Mall. “I just find that so playful,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to go up on the scaffolding [during a restoration] and look at it. There is so much interesting detail… It has all these little stories of his voyages engraved in it.”  

    IMG_0632

    How Do You Spell It? 

    Back in 1000, when this man was said to be sailing up the Charles, people were not as fussy about spelling as we are today. References to him include the following spellings: Leif, Leifur, Leiv, Erikson, Ericson, Ericsson, or Ericksson. As you can see on the information plaque attached to the statue, the city has gone with the Leif Erikson version so we are following their example for now. 

    Our research files on this monument contain many more interesting tidbits that we'll share at a later date. For now, enjoy the fall weather and take a walk to see this piece of Boston public art.

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino, historic photo by Moulton Photograph Co. courtesy of the Boston Public Library.

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  • Sunday Is Leif Erikson Day, Discover his Boston Statue!

    October 9th has been the official Leif Erikson Day since Congress declared it so in 1964. If Hurricane Matthew allows us to have a nice day on Sunday, we suggest you take a walk along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall to the corner of Charlesgate East (map) and discover Boston's Memorial to this Viking explorer. 

    IMG_0623 copy

    At the moment, many details of the monument are hidden by tropical plants. 

    5790833630_3043cb0850_z

    In this photo from the Boston Public Library Collection, you can see that he stands above a dragon-headed boat and that boat would have been the basin for a fountain rather than a planter.

    According to an 1887 Boston Globe article, the memorial's dedication was originally located on a traffic island at Commonwealth Avenue and West Chester Park, the former name of Massachusetts Avenue. We are still trying to confirm when it was relocated.

    20101102DSC_8714 - Version 3 copy

    Here's a photo that Penny took a few seasons ago with more of the monument showing in the setting sun.

    Plan a return visit!

    Be sure to come back in winter to discover all the lovely details that sculptor Anne Whitney incorporated into this work of art. A few years ago, we interviewed Sarah Hutt, the Friends of the Public Garden Collections Care Manager. She admitted that this is her favorite statue on the Mall. “I just find that so playful,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to go up on the scaffolding [during a restoration] and look at it. There is so much interesting detail… It has all these little stories of his voyages engraved in it.”  

    IMG_0632

    How Do You Spell It? 

    Back in 1000, when this man was said to be sailing up the Charles, people were not as fussy about spelling as we are today. References to him include the following spellings: Leif, Leifur, Leiv, Erikson, Ericson, Ericsson, or Ericksson. As you can see on the information plaque attached to the statue, the city has gone with the Leif Erikson version so we are following their example for now. 

    Our research files on this monument contain many more interesting tidbits that we'll share at a later date. For now, enjoy the fall weather and take a walk to see this piece of Boston public art.

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: © 2016 Penny Cherubino, historic photo by Moulton Photograph Co. courtesy of the Boston Public Library.

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    Russet May Be the Color of Autumn 2016 in Boston – BostonZest
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