Sophistications of the Bean Town

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Without any doubt, Boston is a young-feeling and sophisticated city, judging by its nature of being the home of world’s many prestigious colleges and universities: Harvard, MIT and Boston College to name a few. I’m back in Boston again to continue on with our landscape studio’s project site observation of the Parcel 18 Big Dig.

Arrived in Boston Chinatown with a four-hour bus ride from NYC Chinatown, I weaved my way through familiar streetscape of Boston to meet up with Adam at the Central Fraternity Office in Lewis Wharf. After depositing my bags at the CFO, I took off for a couple of hours to do the site observation.

Part of our studio group’s interest lies within the Boston historical landmark of Custom House, which sits next to the distinctive Grain Exchange Building, used to mark the edge of Boston Harbor. Custom House is now occupied by the Marriott Hotel group, who regulates that only guests can access the building and proceed to the observation deck on 22nd floor. I managed to sneak through the posh lobby, entered the elevator, and figured out how to trick the access key to go to the observation deck without getting arrested for trespassing. The bird view of our parcel is the key element to design the project, and after taking all the pictures we need, I headed back to Lewis Wharf to meet up with Adam, then we headed to his place in Somerville where I spent the night.

I opted to be indoor and spent the next day at the CFO at Lewis Wharf, exploring beyond my wildest imagination on what it stores within. It was a very exciting yet relaxing day, having spent by reading and helping myself with heaps of historical books and surreptitious achieves documents of our beloved fraternity.

As Adam headed out to UMass Dartmouth (Iota Triton) to fulfill his duty as a Fraternity Charge Consultant, Beau and Heather joined me in Boston from New York City the next day, following the same route through Chinatown bus ride.

Our mission the next day is to visit Beau’s side of family who resides in Revere, Massachusetts. Beau’s uncle is an excellent chef in Des Moines, Iowa, and I have tasted his excellent flavorful Thai soup during my stay over Beau’s place in Jesup, Iowa, last Christmas. The town of Revere is significant for two things: the first established public beach in the States, and the high crime rate due to Italian Mafia operating system (a thought that inhabited our mind as we walked through quiet downtown Revere to Beau’s family house from the ‘T’ Revere stop).

Beau has met his Bostonian family once during his uncle wedding, and it was a contrast to see blond, blue eyed Norwegian boy Beau was embracing his tan, dark complexion Italian family. They are very hospitable; we had an excellent lunch over their Italian home.

After the visit, we were dropped off at the Charlestown Navy Yard where the Freedom Trail begins. We followed the three mile trail which ends up in Boston Common, passing many Boston historical places that are significant in the nation’s history. I brought Beau and Heather to my favorite seafood restaurant Barking Crab, and dinner was exceptional as expected.

Beau and I attended the Sunday’s service is at the Trinity Church, while Heather opted to stay in Somerville and caught up with some extra sleep. The intricate Trinity Church was the birthplace of Christmas song’s “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, architecturally and historically significant in many ways. Directly next to it was the tall John Hancock building, which was designed specifically to tunnel out the direction of blowing wind so that it won’t damage the Trinity Church (thus you can see the awkward niche along one side of the glass metal architecture). We walked back to the Boston Common through the Beacon Hill neighborhood where the church is located, and strolled past the pizzazz Newbury Street where the higher economy strata class does their shopping.

A highlight at our Harvard University visit was the hip Fire+Ice Mongolian BBQ restaurant in Cambridge, where we enjoyed our marché cooking process of selecting raw materials and sauces and had them cooked before our eyes in a big communal cooking pan. The place was packed with yuppies, and we had a blast hanging out with them.

The next day, right before we were heading out from Boston from Logan International Airport back to Des Moines, we visited Long Wharf where the New England aquarium is located.

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Photos

Trinity Church
Where the "O Little Town of Bethlehem" was composed.

Parcel 18 Big Dig
Parcel 18 in front of the Rowles Wharf.

Custom House
Custom House in the background, now converted into Marriott hotel.

Beau's family in Revere
I always though that Beau is Norwegian. But I guess he has an Italian family that lives in Revere.

Charlestown Navy Yard
The beginning of the Freedom Trail. Or is it the Bunker Hill?

Haymarket
I didn't know that US still has traditional market.

Boston Common
The duck and its ducklings.

Fire + Ice
The Mongolian BBQ style restaurant in the Harvard U neighborhood.