A loft, one of the common rooms at Friendly Crossways, is shown, in a picture taken in February 1997, at left. Above, Jeremy is shown in front of Friendly Crossways.
"Helping all, especially the young, understand the world and its people through hostelling."
This may be America's first subway, but it is also very neat and it is also very cheap. I travelled from South Station to my hostel at Fenway Park for $1.00!! The subway goes underground and above ground.
Skating, a wintertime activity, in the Boston Common is shown at right.
Any trip to Boston would be incomplete without a visit to the starting point of the Freedom Trail, the Boston Common, established in 1964. "...The Boston Common is known to be one of the oldest public parks in the country. The park is almost 50 acres in size. Today, Boston Common is the anchor for the Emerald Necklace, a system of connected parks that winds through many of
At left, Jeremy at the play area in the Boston Common in 1997.
Boston's neighborhoods. The "Common" has been used for many different purposes throughout its long history. Until 1830, cattle grazed the Common, and until 1817, public hangings took place here. British troops camped on Boston Common prior to the Revolution and left from here to face colonial resistance at Lexington and Concord in April, 1775."
The Boston Common comprises many stops on the following Web site's walking tour of Boston:
On July 4, 2003, I made two childhood dreams come true. I attended the Boston Pops 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular and I attended a live performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
At right, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir performs with the Boston Pops at the Boston's Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular.
On your way to the Fireworks Spectacular from your hostel at Fenway Park and Kenmore Square, you will walk along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Turn left at Berkeley and the Esplanade is at the end of the street.
This Web site is the official headquarters for America's biggest Independence day party. It is highly reliable. I knew much more about the event than the staff at the hostel. This year, I could only find one error on the site, the event organizers forgot to pass out garbage bags.
At left, Jeremy plays his organ on the Esplanade in front of Berkeley Bridge, minus 1/2 a million July 4th revellers.
The gates did open at 9 a.m.; however, I was about a 1/4 to 1/3 of the way back from the stage and I got in the line-up at 5 a.m.. Do not forget to bring plenty of food and drinks, sunscreen, beach ball, bubbles, and some form of shelter, such as an umbrella, to help you withstand the 12+ hour, 104+ degree wait. (Thanks to friends from New York, I was able to leave the grounds and visit a grocery store near the nearby Boston Commons.) What are the beach balls and bubbles for?! For the wait, of course!
At right, Americans from across the country patiently wait for the gates to open.
The wait was as fun as the concert itself. While in line, I became acquainted with people from around the country. One man from California was attending his 9th concert. A public school administrator, he began consulting with the F.B.I. after Columbine. The couple before me in the line was from Utah. On the concert grounds, I was invited to share a tarp with a couple from New York city. The man was a 9-11 survivor and, for more than an hour, he generously showed me his pictures of that day and shared his experiences with me. That hour was the highlight of my day. An hour before the concert, the tents and the umbrellas came down and the beach balls and the bubbles came out. Later that night, at the beginning of the concert, fighter pilots of the 102nd Fighter Wing, headquartered at Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod did the fly over Fighter jets from the wing were the first to respond to the terrorists attacks on New York City. My first Independence Day on American soil was an absolutley perfect 4th of July!
The Boston Mother Church is shown at left.
A highlight of my 1997 visit to Boston was our visit to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, or the "Mother Church."
I am not a Christian Scientist; however, the buildings are beautiful, even if only viewed from the outside. I visited in the Winter when there was not any water in the pools so I can only imagine how beautiful they would be in the Summer.
"The Mother Church is located on the 14-acre Christian Science Plaza in Boston's Back Bay, and is the international headquarters for the denomination. One of the largest churches in New England, The Mother Church consists of the Romanesque Original Church Edifice (1894) with the bell tower and stained glass windows, facing the reflecting pool, and the larger Church Extension (1906), of Renaissance and Byzantine architecture, which faces Massachusetts Avenue."
The Mapparium defies description, so I'll let the Christian Scientists describe it for themselves. It is hard to make me speechless, but the Mapparium left me speechless.
"The Mapparium has been a popular Boston attraction for over 60 years. The world-famous, three-story, stained-glass globe is one of the key attractions of The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity, where visitors are invited to cross its glass bridge into the illuminated spherical space and consider how ideas have expanded and shaped the world over time (see Photo Gallery)."
The Mother Church is within walking distance of Hostelling International's year-round Boston hostel.
The Prudential Center as seen from the food court is shown at right.
A highlight of any visit to Boston is a trip to the Prudential Center which includes over 75 shops and restaurants. The food court with its reasonably priced food is a peaceful oasis in the middle of Back Bay.
An older building's reflection in a new building is shown at left.
"First opened in 1965, the Prudential Center was developed as a cohesive complex of commercial office space, residences and retail shopping and dining venues. Located on a 23-acre site between Boylston Street and Huntington Avenue in the heart of Back Bay, it is adjacent to the Hynes Convention Center, major hotels, shopping and residential areas. The Prudential Center is a 2.2 million square foot office and retail complex having convenient (direct) access to the Massachusetts Turnpike and on-site rapid transit service on the Green Line of the MBTA. The Prudential Center is the largest mixed-use development in New England. The Shops at Prudential include over 75 shops and dining options for the visitor who desires to "Make a Day of It.""
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, from atop the Prudential Building.
A highlight of our trip for Jeremy was our trip to the New England Aquarium. Jeremy's favourite birds, penguins, are at the base, of a multi-storied giant ocean tank in which the ocean life swim with the artificial current. The Aquarium can only be experienced, not described.
The inner courtyard at the Boston Public Library is shown at right.
Visit the following site to plan your trip to Boston!
Send Jeremy or Rexanna an e-mail!
Last Updated June 11, 2003.
Copyright Rexanna M. Keats 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. All Rights Reserved.