Tag Archives: Boston Public Gardens

Boston, City of My Heart

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Do you have one favorite city that trumps all the others you enjoy?

I admit, I haven’t been to most of the cities that would come to minds. I haven’t been to Paris or Rome, or even to London, in spite of having been to the United Kingdom a number of times.

I love Dublin. I adore New York and like San Franciso, from what I’ve seen. Montreal and Ottawa have their distinct and undeniable charms.

But the city that has my heart is Boston.

If you’ve been here, hanging out with me for a long time, you knew that, because almost every time I go I seem to feel the need to write about it.

I love the history of Boston, as one of the cities where American liberty was born.

And my own family history is connected to Boston. My many-times-great grandfather lived on this exact site, at the corner of Washington and Essex. He owned this land 125 years before the Liberty Tree was the gathering spot for the Sons of Liberty. Might he have planted the Liberty Tree?!

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I love that Boston is surrounded by water. For the first time, we had a view of the water from our hotel and also took advantage of the location and went on a harbor cruise.

I love the sights and sounds of Boston. Like all big cities, there’s always a festival, a gathering, lots of unusual and quirky details.

And I love the museums. We go back to the same museums every single time and visit our favorite pieces and find new treasures, like this glimpse of infinity. Each side of this work had only about 10 glass vessels in a space about one foot deep. The artist,
Josiah McElheny (American, born in 1966), created a brilliant vision—I could look all day.

I know that, when I have an opportunity to travel, I should go new places. I know I would love those other great cities and find them thrilling and intoxicating, too. I know I would expand my horizons and knowledge by visiting more, different cities.

And I know I’ll go back to Boston. In fact, I can hardly wait!

So, how about you? What city inspires your affection? Should I go there soon?

A Tale of Two Bostons

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Spring 2015. It was a tale of two Bostons, and both were the best of times for us.

The country mice returned to the big city last weekend, for a taste of all it has to offer. We experienced the serene and beautiful Boston, in the museums and the parks.

And we experienced the transcendent Boston, full of inspiration and joy, in watching the running of the Boston Marathon.

Two years ago, the Boston and its marathon experienced the worst of times. The city was devastated by a bombing and its aftermath that killed four and injured hundreds, many gravely.

Now, and probably always, the Boston Marathon is much more than a race of 26.2 miles. It’s a statement—by the runners, the spectators, the merchants, the city—that Boston is stronger than hate and fear and violence.

In addition to being inspired by the thousands of runners of all ages and abilities, we had the special fun of watching a friend run her first Boston marathon to fulfill a longtime dream. She achieved a personal best time in the race, as did her training partner!

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A busy weekend, a full weekend, an inspirational weekend, and, above all, a joyous weekend. The best of times . . .