50 Self-Indulgent Selfies at 50

Happy Birthday to me.
Some highlights from my first 50 years.

 

Bean(town) There, Done That: Recapping a Fantastic Four Days in Boston - Travelogue and Photo Gallery

Old State House

Travel Recap

Boston, MA
Aug. 2-5, 2018

Why did I recently go to Boston, for a 4-day weekend?

Is it a city I'd never been to? Do I have friends, relatives or business there? Was there a concert by Bruce Springsteen or other cherished musical favorites? Is its famed baseball stadium one I haven't attended? Was there a particularly compelling theater production in town?

No, no, no, no and not one that was the impetus.

I consider Boston one of the truly great American cities, along with New York, Washington, San Francisco, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and my hometown of Chicago. (There are many other cities I really enjoy, including Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Denver, Seattle, St. Louis, Atlanta, Cleveland and San Antonio, but I consider the above a cut above in terms of tourism, with Las Vegas and Miami Beach being separate cases.)

And though I'd been to Boston twice before, and seen many of its top attractions, I had really only spent a total of 4 previous days there, and none since 2000. (I've been to ALL of the aforementioned cities, even the second batch, more recently.)

Boston Public Library, McKim Building

So although my big vacation of 2018--to Peru--ended just 5-1/2 weeks prior, it seemed prudent to visit Boston for a full 4 days in early August...and the weather cooperated well. 

Having never set foot in Maine, I considered taking a bus to Portland one of the days, but ruled that out fairly early in my planning given all I wanted to do in Boston. 

And I ended up wishing I had devoted one more day, allowing me to visit the historic nearby hamlets of Lexington, Concord and Walden, but I'm happy with everything I did in Boston (and adjoining Cambridge).

So I won't make this too fancy, but rather a straightforward recap of what I saw, did and ate across the four days.

Thursday

Interior of Trinity Church

● Arrival via Logan Airport from Chicago O'Hare on American Airlines

● "T" (Boston subway) from Airport to Prudential (purchased 7-day T pass)

Boston Public Garden

● Copley House (non-traditional hotel) - Booked via Booking.com - Costing roughly one-third of any other accommodations I could find in downtown Boston, I had a private room in a row house at 240 W. Newton, close to the Prudential Center. This wasn't an AirBNB, and there was a reception office across the street. I found it quite acceptable.  
● Prudential Center - A shopping center I walked through on my way elsewhere.

● NewsFeed Cafe - In the newer building of the Boston Public Library; I had an apricot croissant.

Massachusetts State House

● Boston Public Library - After entering through the newer building designed by Philip Johnson, I realized the older building next door was the one I was really supposed to check out. It was gorgeous, with many grand murals, including by John Singer Sargent, Edwin Austin Abbey and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. A reading room called Bates Hall is also astonishing.

● Trinity Church - I took a self-guided audio tour of this spectacular church at Copley Square, and was even treated to a local choir singing live from the altar.

● Newbury Street - Walked down this posh street for a stretch toward the Boston Public Garden, ducking into the Taj Boston hotel for a look, but the lobby wasn't anything particularly special.

Chowda!

● Boston Public Garden - A gorgeous open space on a beautiful day.

● Cheers - Formerly the Bull & Finch Pub, the exterior served as that of NBC's hit sitcom. Now there's a barroom matching that of the TV show, as well as another in original form. I've been here twice before and didn't eat or drink this time, but wanted to stop by. Nobody knew my name.

● Massachusetts State House - I couldn't help but snicker sophomorically at signs directing me to access the capitol through the General Hooker entrance (Joseph Hooker was a Union Army General), but enjoyed a nice tour of the building, including two

Red Sox vs. Yankees at Fenway, under a blood red sky.

statues by Daniel Chester French.

● Freedom Trail - Time constraints didn't allow me to arduously follow the red line on the sidewalk, as I have previously, but I got to most of the sights on either Thursday or Sunday.

● Holocaust Memorial - Six glass towers represent the 6 million Jews who were murdered.

● Union Oyster House - Open since 1826 and claiming to be the oldest operating restaurant in the United States, it's rather touristy and I've been here before. But it seemed like the place to get a Lobster Roll and a cup of "chowda." Loved the cornbread and my waitress was wonderful.

● Fenway Park - Red Sox vs. Yankees - I felt fortunate to get a reasonably-priced ticket on RedSox.com, found that it was behind a pole that blocked my view of home plate, was switched to one that did but went back to my original when it started to rain. The rain stopped and the Red Sox won 15-7. As a Chicagoan and Cubs fan, I find Wrigley Field much more endearing, but it was cool to see a game at Fenway, actually my second (after a 22-1 Yankees win in 2000).

Dance at Bougival, Pierre-August Renoir
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Friday
One of the primary reasons for wanting to revisit Boston was to go to art museums, 2 of 3 I'd never been to. So in saying that--due to rain or the threat of it--pretty much all of Friday until the evening was spent inside museums only reflects day-to-day scheduling adjustments, not a compromise or change of plans.

From my hotel, I basically just walked southwest on Huntington Ave. Without any prior awareness, I stopped for a bite at:

● Temptations Cafe - I had a Sweet Temptation brioche sandwich with banana and Nutella.

Then, because it opened at 10am, I began at the: 

● Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - I initially jumped on a highlights tour, but a fire alarm interrupted it as the building was evacuated. I would return afterward, and pretty thoroughly explore the MFA's wonderful multidisciplinary holdings.

But during the forced exit, I went over to the: 

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum courtyard

● Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - The private collection of its namesake, still organized to her exacting specifications nearly a century years after her death. Despite missing some masterpieces due to a 1990 theft, it is a very impressive collection housed in a mansion designed to resemble a Venetian palazzo. Highlights include a couple of paintings by Raphael, a Botticelli (and another by his followers), a terrific Rembrandt and many beautiful tapestries.

Before an evening concert, I stopped at:

● Legal Harborside - A waterside outpost of Legal Sea Foods. Having had a lobster roll the night before, I opted for a Swordfish Gyros Sandwich, which was good. The restaurant is right next to the big white tent of the...

● Blue Hills Bank Pavilion at which I saw Ann Wilson / Jeff Beck / Paul Rodgers on their Stars Align Tour - Two great rock and roll singers--Wilson of Heart and Rodgers of both Free & Bad Company--along with one of the best guitarists ever. Although it may have been cool to see them play together, they each performed their own set with a backing band. Rather than run through Heart's greatest hits--playing only "Barracuda"--Wilson sang a selection of choice cover songs, some representing rock's recently-passed legends. Beck mixed instrumentals with some sung by Jimmy Hall. Rodgers stuck to his best-known songs from Free and Bad Company and remains a terrific vocalist. Overall I give the show @@@@ (out of 5), with Rodgers being the most enjoyable.

Saturday

John Harvard by Daniel Chester French, Harvard Yard, Cambridge

The forecast again called for a full day of rain, even thunderstorms, but they hadn't quite started when I got to:

● Harvard Square (in Cambridge) - I arrived right at 10am and knew there were free student-led tours of Harvard Yard on the hour, so I jumped on the first one I saw, which I subsequently learned to be a...

● "Hahvahd" Tour - ...which should have cost me $12. So I apologize and give them a plug here. The guy giving the tour did a nice job, but as the rain started to get harder, I repeatedly wandered off and eventually ditched my bootleg tour to enter the...

● Harvard Art Museums - The Fogg, Sackler and Busch-Reisinger Museums are now housed in the same building, with nicely diverse collections but still considerably more compact than the MFA. They have a wondrous Blue Period Picasso, a great Van Gogh portrait and some terrific works by Max Beckmann.

On the advice of a friend who is a Harvard Alum, I sought out:

● Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage - A Harvard/Cambridge institution since 1960, they have a bunch of big burgers (with various toppings) named for Tom Brady, Liz Warren, Kim Jong-Un, Melania Trump and more. I devised by own, with Muenster cheese, grilled red peppers and grilled onions, accompanied by sweet pepper fries and a fresh Raspberry Lime Rickey.

With hopes that my doctor isn't reading this, I followed that up with a visit to the Cambridge location--I'm told the more famous original is in the North End--of:

● Mike's Pastries - They're famed for their cannoli, and I can report for good reason.

Before getting back to Boston proper, I rode to the Kendall/MIT T stop in Cambridge and took a stroll to and into the:

● Stata Center, a collection of adjoining buildings designed by Frank Gehry, in his typical unique fashion.

I had been advised that MIT has a great collection of outdoor sculpture, but it was continuing to rain and I was ready for a respite, so I made my way back to my hotel for a brief nap, before heading to the:

● Emerson Colonial Theatre to see Moulin Rouge!: The Musical - The newly refurbished theater--the oldest continuously operating in Boston--is absolutely gorgeous. And in a pre-Broadway World Premiere run, I thought Moulin Rouge! was phenomenal. See my review here.

Tail of a whale

Sunday

● Long Wharf

● Whale Watching Cruise - On Thursday morning I had bought a ticket for a 9:00am Sunday Whale Watch tour, operated by Boston Harbor Cruises in conjunction with the New England Aquarium. Fortunately, the weather cooperated beautifully.

The cruise cost $53 and across nearly 4 hours into the Atlantic Ocean and back to Long Wharf, we saw only 2 whales, who for the most part were sleeping.

Boston Light

Still, even just the boat ride was worth it, just a glimpse of the whales was a thrill and I was able to take some great photos, including of Boston Light, the first lighthouse to be built in the United States (before it was the United States). 

● Paul Revere Statue - in the North End, on the Paul Revere Mall

● St. Stephen's Catholic Church (exterior) - built in 1804 

● Old North Church - I took a brief tour, which didn't take me up to the famous "one if by land, two if by sea" lanterns in the steeple (they don't remain), but taught me about the belfry and showed me some graves in the crypt underneath.

Old North Church

● Paul Revere House - I went on a self-guided tour. It was just OK, with some exhibits in the

adjoining visitors center pointing out that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famed poem, "Paul Revere's Ride" probably wasn't factual.

● Hard Rock Cafe Boston - just for a quick peek

● Faneuil Hall (exterior)

● Faneuil Hall Marketplace / Quincy Market

● Durgin-Park Restaurant - Within Quincy Market, it dates back to 1742, and since 1827 under the same name. I had a Crab Cake BLT, which was tasty.

● Kilvert & Forbes Bakeshop - Also in the market; I secured a fine macaroon.

● Old State House (pictured at top of blog post) - I took a self-guided tour and listened to a couple on lectures, on about the Boston Massacre and another about the 1713 building itself.

● T to the hotel, a Lyft to the airport and a flight to Chicago

And a few more photos...

All photos by Seth Arkin, copyright 2018. Please do not republish without permission and attribution.

MegaBytes of the Big Apple: Photos -- and a Recap -- from My Most Recent New York City Excursion

My taking a weekend trip to New York City isn't in itself very noteworthy.

I've been to the Big Apple often--18 times since 1993--and have seen dozens of Broadway shows, visited numerous museums & attractions, eaten at many restaurants and strolled through several neighborhoods, though mostly in Manhattan.

This three-day jaunt was fundamentally similar, yet special nonetheless.

The impetus for this trip was being able to get a face value ticket for Springsteen on Broadway, as The Boss has long been my favorite musical performer.

Even this wasn't all that new as I've seen Bruce Springsteen (& the E Street Band) nine previous times in New York or nearby New Jersey, providing the primary motivation for five prior trips to Manhattan.

But this time, he--without the band--was playing on Broadway. Though different from his typical concerts, it was fantastic, as you can read in my review here.

I think this was the latest in any given year that I'd visited New York, and though it was a tad cold and I'm Jewish, I enjoyed the wintry and Christmas aspects.

My arrival date was December 8, one of the saddest days in music and NYC history, as it was that date in 1980 when John Lennon was murdered.

But that anniversary made for some rather moving moments in a memorable trip.

Here's a rundown of what I did in New York on this trip, before getting to a large gallery of photos:

Friday, December 8, 2017
- Awoke at 4:15am and flew from Chicago's O'Hare airport into New York's LaGuardia
- For the first time, took the Q70-SBS bus from LaGuardia to the Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Ave. subway station in Queens, then the E train to my hotel
- Stayed at the Pod 51 hotel, on 51st St. near 2nd Ave. in Manhattan. The room was quite small and I had a bathroom down the hall, but for considerably less than rates elsewhere, it sufficed.
- Ate lunch on Friday at Cosme, a Mexican restaurant on 21st St. that is ranked at the 40th best in the world. It was opened by chef Enrique Olvera, noted for Pujol in Mexico City. (Ranked #20; I ate there in January 2015.) From Cosme's rather reasonable lunch menu, I had Cobia tacos with a pineapple puree, and their husk meringue dessert. It was all quite good. (Duck carnitas are supposedly the specialty, but I'm allergic to poultry.
- Walked along 23rd. St., past the Flatiron Building, with views of the Empire State and others.
- Went to the Chelsea Hotel, which is still closed for renovations, but took pictures in the El Quijote restaurant where Andy Warhol once held court, and grabbed a donut at the Doughnut Plant, my favorite such purveyor anywhere. Both are in or near the Chelsea Hotel building.
- Strolled to the Agora Gallery (on 25th W of 10th), where I was supposed to meet a contact who wasn't there. But on the way there I enjoyed noting the nifty little Saint Eleftherios Greek Orthodox Church. I did wind up touring the gallery, and also the nearby Pace Gallery.
- Walked along the High Line elevated trail. Enjoyed noting the Zaha Hadid Building, a condominium complex designed by the architect, who died in 2016.
- Not sure how I'd get from 30th & 10th to 72nd & Central Park West, I jumped on a passing bus -- M11 -- which got me to 72nd & Amsterdam, an easy walk to...
- The Dakota, where John Lennon lived, and was shot (in the vestibule).
- At the Imagine mural nearby in Central Park, observed and partook in a group singalong honoring John Lennon.
- Walked to 62nd & Columbus, where there's a Lincoln Center TKTS booth that allows for buying next-day tickets. 
- Took a cab to my hotel, where I had been too early to check in on arrival. Laid down for 30 minutes.
- Subway to Port Authority (tragically bombed just 3 days later), then walked to the Majestic Theatre.
- Saw The Phantom of the Opera. Have seen it several times, but this was the first in NYC, where in January its continuous run hits 30 years. It was great, but reiterated that it is decidedly not as good a show as Les Miserables. I'm not writing a formal review, but would bestow @@@@1/2.
- Subway back to the hotel.
- Got a brisket sandwich at the Morning Star Cafe on 2nd Ave.
- Went to sleep. 

Saturday, December 9

- Was going to grab a bagel at Ess-a-Bagel (3rd & 51st) near my hotel but the line was crazy.
- Walked west on 51st, stopped into St. Patrick's Cathedral, then saw the Atlas Statue and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
- Got in line (per the ticket I'd bought the day before at TKTS) for the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall.
- Got inside, having never before been in Radio City. Heading to the rest room, noted a great mural by Stuart Davis.
- Enjoyed the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular from the 4th row (despite a check TKTS ticket) and was allowed to take pictures throughout
- It was snowing pretty heavily, so I took a cab to the Frick Collection. Toured its great art, including two Vermeers.
- Walked through snowy Central Park, past the Bethesda Fountain, to Imagine and the Dakota again.
- Via subway and strolling, reached Barbetta, an Italian restaurant dating to 1906. From their Pre-Theater menu, got Roasted Peppers, Braised Beef and Creme Brulee.
- Walked through Times Square
- Saw Springsteen on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre
- I had wanted to see Jimmy Heath's Big Band at the Blue Note, but Bruce went too late. Decided to skip other late night options, such as Marie's Crisis, and just went back to Pod 51 and to sleep.

Sunday, December 10
- Again daunted by the long line at Ess-a-Bagel, was able to skip it by buying one dry "bulk" everything bagel. It was awesome.
- Took the subway down to Wall St. and went into Trinity Church, found Alexander Hamilton's tomb in the graveyard and saw the NYSE and Federal Hall.
- Walked through Zuccotti Park, stopped at the 9/11 Memorial pools
- Went into the new Oculus transportation hub & shopping center designed by Santiago Calatrava
- Subway up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an all-too-brief 2-hour visit
- Saw The Band's Visit musical on Broadway. My review here.
- Subway to the hotel to grab my bag, then to 74/Roosevelt and Q70 to LGA