South Station

Interior view of South Station. Passengers waiting for either their MBTA commuter rail or Amtrak trains.

I would have taken more photos, but I was told that photography was not allowed, for security reasons. I didn't believe the guy, but why argue about it, I only needed one picture.

Park Street Church

Park Street Church, viewed from Tremont Street. Built in 1809, its 217 ft. steeple, once one of the tallest in the city, is now dwarfed by taller buildings in the area.

The church is known for its many firsts: On July 4, 1829, William Lloyd Garrison gave his first public anti-slavery speech here and two years later, "My Country 'Tis of Thee" was sung for the first time by the church children's choir.

The church is still a vibrant and active presence in the city; visit the church's website.

A big monstrosity

Boston City Hall is arguably one of the ugliest buildings in the entire city--a big monstrosity! Hard to believe it was an award winning design. I guess if politics were involved, and who can doubt that in Boston, we got what we deserved.

The mayor recently considered putting City Hall up for sale. His plan was to use money from the sale to purchase land and build a new city hall elsewhere. I hope if that ever happens the city picks a non-winning architectural design. It couldn't be worse than what we currently have. Could it?

Trinity Church, Copley Square

Trinity Church in Copley Square, viewed from Boylston Street. More pictures and information on the architecture of this H.H. Richardson building can be found here.

The plaza in front of the church is used for various concerts throughout the year, most in the warmer months.

Visit the church's website.

Iron Lanterns

These wrought iron lanterns are on the Dartmouth Street entrance of the McKim Building of the Boston Public Library. There is an exhibition on John Adams, second president of the US, being advertised on banners just below the lanterns.

Sure Sign of Spring

A sure sign of Spring in Boston is the return of the outdoor fruit stand in Downtown Crossing at Summer and Washington Streets.

FIRST Robotics Boston Regional Competition

The Boston Regional was held this weekend at Agganis Arena. School teams, with help and support from mentors and sponsors, built their robots in a 6 week week time span from a common kit of parts and set of rules provided by FIRST. FIRST is an acryonym for: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology.

The teams enter their robots with an eye on reaching the national championship in Atlanta this April. The competition, or as teams call it, "the game" or "sport for the mind" is different each year and is designed by Dean Kamen, Dr. Woodie Flowers, and a committee of engineers and other professionals. More information about this year's game can be found here.

Quincy Market

This is a shot of Quincy Market at Fanueil Hall. You can make out the sign for Durgin Park which is a famous Boston restaurant, noted for its surly wait staff, but you can get a good meal there. This area is a tourist destination and usually very crowded, with lots of things going on for the kids and plenty of places to drop a wad of cash in some of the trendy stores. The night life is noted for the twenty- and thirty-something crowds it attracts.

Old State House

The Old State House, built after its wooden predecessor was destroyed in the fire of 1711, may not be considered the oldest state house in the country, but only because it was used before the Revolution by both town and provincial British government. Now a museum, it houses many documents and artifacts of the nation's early history.

Make Way for Ducklings

This is the statue of the mother duck and her ducklings in the Boston Public Garden. The statue is based on the Robert McCloskey book, Make Way for Ducklings.

You'll notice that the ducks have been outfitted with green ribbons in honor of St. Patrick's Day, which is celebrated on March 17th and is a great day for the Irish in Boston.

State House Viewed from Boston Common

Here is another view of the State House, taken from the Boston Common yesterday. Winter has been mild but now that Spring is coming (today at about 8:00PM) winter doesn't seem to want to let go and has been giving us some snow to contend with the last couple of weeks.

Massachusetts State House

Picture of the State House from Beacon Street.

Designed by Charles Bulfinch, the State House sits on the south side of Beacon Hill, overlooking Boston Common and the Back Bay. The dome was coppered by Paul Revere & Sons in 1802 and was gilded for the first time in the early 1870s with 23 carat gold leaf for a cost of $2862.50; the most recent gilding, in 1997, cost $300,000.

South Station Subway

This is one section of the South Station subway (upper level) recently renovated by the MBTA. New turnstyles, tile flooring, and lighted advertising displays make it a much more pleasant place to pass through. It is rare to see it so empty.

Over to the left, out of the picture, are vendors and a command center for security and scheduling, and also an escalator to the upper concourse of South Station and the Commuter Rail and Amtrak.

Reflections II

Here is another picture with window reflections. This one shows other walkers out at lunchtime. This photo, like the previous one, was taken on Federal Street near South Station.

What caught my attention about this picture were the pink and green balloons (Easter colors) outside the shop inviting people to stop in and buy something.

Reflections

This picture is a reflection through the windows of Winston Flowers on Federal Street, near South Station. I like this picture because it is a little off register, has some nice color in the flowers, and looks like a multiple exposure photo. I probably should have tried to get the picture with a little less of me reflected in the glass.

Welcome to Boston

My hometown. I plan on posting some of my pictures of the city on this blog. I make no claims for the quality of the photos; I will try to post pictures that give an accurate depiction of the city.

I view this incentive to get out everyday and take pictures of the city and improve my skills using a camera.