Revisit Boston in June 2015

Last fall, I accompanied my sister's family to take my younger niece to her dorm at MIT. After settling her down, we all went to visit a few notable places in Boston, such as Boston Common, and Beacon Hill's Acorn Street. As time went swiftly by, my initial recollection of Boston was vague at best. However, my second visit enabled me to have an entirely new and in-depth experience.

June 4th to 6th, 2015, Paul and I were invited back to attend the niece's commencement. After nearly 2,700 graduates' names were read at the ceremony, we were longing for a break from Cambridge. Going to Boston by crossing the Charles River was definitely a welcome idea. Like reading any classics, my two nieces prepared for us a tour of visiting nothing but the best in Boston. 

We started by revisiting the Common, then famously cobble-stoned Acorn Street with the flag still flying, plus a golden retriever snoozing in the sun on the sidewalk, and finally Newbury Street, a new shopping street (as a result of urban renewal?). To Paul's great disappointment at losing his perfect late afternoon light shooting time, we had to cut short our sauntering on Newbury, so as to meet our dinner reservation at the Gaslight Restaurant on Harrison Street. After dinner, we walked in the neighborhood, and saw again urban renewal efforts. Many red brick buildings and factories are converted into numerous art galleries, restaurants, or beauty and fitness centers. On our way back, we took Berkeley Street, and saw the incredible Berkeley Community Garden with more than 150 plots.   

After seeing so many red brick buildings, both residential and commercial, private and public, we could not help but wonder why Boston would prefer red brick ever since 1803, when the General Court passed a law to minimize the danger of fire hazard to buildings. I Googled our query and located a comprehensive study by Mary Nastasi. Apparently, red brick symbolizes at once familiarity and a safety blanket. As one of the oldest cities in America, Boston is longing for its glories past. Red brick, rather than modern concrete and steel, is perfect to convey such a sentiment for historic styles and materials of decades past (Shand-Tucci, Douglass. Built in Boston: City and Suburb, 1800-2000).

What a progressive and traditional city Boston is!