Said in the way a New Englander would, I had to get up wicked early to make my airport connector shuttle to the Amtrak station in Providence. The driver was a really cool guy originally from South America and we chatted about Rhode Island, Florida and their many differences. I gotta say, I don't know if it was 'cause I was looking like a vacationer or what but people seemed a lot more friendly in Rhode Island. More so than I remember and a lot more so than in Florida.
The train ride was cool and it seems like the train cars are exactly like they were since the eighties. Newer upholstery on the seats of course, but same cars, I'm sure. The MBTA commuter train on the other track looked a lot newer and were double-decked like the one's I took a few years ago for my Washington trip. Funny 'cause the "T" train was the crap ride compared to the nicer Amtrak cars back in the eighties!
South Station, once in Boston, seemed the same. Of course the big change was the overhead highway which used to pass right through downtown back in the day. After the much-publicized "Big Dig", the whole area was converted into a stretch of park space. Here's what it looks like now. It was a pleasure to walk through here up to the Quincy Market area.
Here's Faneuil Hall and flags at nearby Government Center featuring a Pride Flag being flown in commemoration of Boston Pride.
The Pride activities for today, sadly, were just a small gaggle of gays and lesbians who set up a small bandstand and just two or three tents featuring bad music, lackluster decorations and virtually no attendance. This obviously had been a poorly planned event. The majority of people around seemed much more concerned with regular touristy things, shopping and eating. Not a lot of "family" turn out. I didn't stay long. I would check back as I toured around through the day only to find the rainbow balloons deflating and popped, the volunteers looking dejected and the music eventually given over to recorded folk songs. I felt embarrassed for my people. Out of courtesy, I decided to not take any pictures. The funny thing is, back at home in Orlando, Gay Days at Disney was underway with, I'm sure, tens of thousands of happily screaming red-shirted queens.
I walked to the wharf area and shot this pic of the skyline.
Then it was Codzilla time. It was great! We sped through the harbor, making sharp turns while the pilot scurried across the wakes of other boats to give us the most splash he could. See this video I shot:
Here's a pic of the boat:
Walking the new park, and a lot of downtown including Chinatown, what used to be the Combat Zone and Boston Commons, I was pooped so I scaled down to just one museum selection and chose, my good-ole-favorite, the Museum of Science.
Here is the original T-Rex statue they had indoors back in the '70s when I'd taken one of my first photos (with my even-then ancient Brownie Box camera) which I may still have in some box somewhere. The picture, not the camera. LOL! Are you kidding? I'd put that sucker on EBAY as fast as I could.
Here's the new more scientifically accurate depiction of T-Rex inside today. I like the original better.
On the subway platform from Science Park I shot this pic of the cool new suspension bridge they built as part of the "Big Dig" redevelopment.
Once I got off the "T" at Park St., I continued to walk around, exploring downtown Boston in the mid-afternoon heat. I walked the parkway from Faneuil Hall (where I checked on my peeps sad little show one last time) back to South Station and rather than wait the extra two hours, opted to catch the next train back to Providence. I'd seen enough. I was sore, sun-burned and just plain tuckered out. But I felt like I got quite a workout and saw mostly everything I'd wanted to see, so I wrapped up the day as a success.
Back in Providence as I walked (yet more walking) to Kennedy Plaza (where I'd breakdown and catch a cab) I snapped this evening shot of Waterplace. EDIT: Correction - This pic was actually taken the next morning as I walked from Kennedy Plaza to the train station.
The train ride was cool and it seems like the train cars are exactly like they were since the eighties. Newer upholstery on the seats of course, but same cars, I'm sure. The MBTA commuter train on the other track looked a lot newer and were double-decked like the one's I took a few years ago for my Washington trip. Funny 'cause the "T" train was the crap ride compared to the nicer Amtrak cars back in the eighties!
South Station, once in Boston, seemed the same. Of course the big change was the overhead highway which used to pass right through downtown back in the day. After the much-publicized "Big Dig", the whole area was converted into a stretch of park space. Here's what it looks like now. It was a pleasure to walk through here up to the Quincy Market area.
Here's Faneuil Hall and flags at nearby Government Center featuring a Pride Flag being flown in commemoration of Boston Pride.
I walked to the wharf area and shot this pic of the skyline.
Then it was Codzilla time. It was great! We sped through the harbor, making sharp turns while the pilot scurried across the wakes of other boats to give us the most splash he could. See this video I shot:
Here's a pic of the boat:
Walking the new park, and a lot of downtown including Chinatown, what used to be the Combat Zone and Boston Commons, I was pooped so I scaled down to just one museum selection and chose, my good-ole-favorite, the Museum of Science.
Here is the original T-Rex statue they had indoors back in the '70s when I'd taken one of my first photos (with my even-then ancient Brownie Box camera) which I may still have in some box somewhere. The picture, not the camera. LOL! Are you kidding? I'd put that sucker on EBAY as fast as I could.
Here's the new more scientifically accurate depiction of T-Rex inside today. I like the original better.
On the subway platform from Science Park I shot this pic of the cool new suspension bridge they built as part of the "Big Dig" redevelopment.
Once I got off the "T" at Park St., I continued to walk around, exploring downtown Boston in the mid-afternoon heat. I walked the parkway from Faneuil Hall (where I checked on my peeps sad little show one last time) back to South Station and rather than wait the extra two hours, opted to catch the next train back to Providence. I'd seen enough. I was sore, sun-burned and just plain tuckered out. But I felt like I got quite a workout and saw mostly everything I'd wanted to see, so I wrapped up the day as a success.
Back in Providence as I walked (yet more walking) to Kennedy Plaza (where I'd breakdown and catch a cab) I snapped this evening shot of Waterplace. EDIT: Correction - This pic was actually taken the next morning as I walked from Kennedy Plaza to the train station.
