Boston Uncommon

Boston view  from Harbor Island ferry

With two daughters who graduated from Boston University and one of them who still lives in the Boston area, we've seen this place and all of its usual tourist attractions.  This time we did some of the less common tourist activities, including a trip to the Berkshires in NW Massachusetts, and home of the Tanglewood Music Festival. Best of all, we enjoyed time with Skyler, RyRy (her dog), Spencer (her boyfriend) and Lucy (his dog).

Spencer, Skyler, Lucy, and RyRy

View from Spectacle Island

Fort Warren on Georges Island

We spent a day going to the Harbor Islands, which included an historic fort, nice views of Boston, and a little relief from the heat.

Team "Too Big to Fail"

Monday night pub trivia is huge in Boston among Skyler and her homies.  Our contribution was ancient history, circa pre-1987. Our team "Too Big to Fail," came in second.

Hubway  is an amazingly well-organized network of bikes throughout the greater Boston area.  We rented them and rode from Watertown into downtown Boston in the heat and humidity along the Charles River.  Skyler is quite the bicycle Samurai getting us through the convoluted downtown Boston traffic.  Now the child is teaching the parents about bicycling!

Samurai Skyler

Along the St. Charles near MIT, temperature 85, humidity 50%

Edward Kennedy Senate Institute (not my photo)

Life-size Senate Chamber

One of Boston's newest treasures is the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate, located right next to the JFK library.  We thought it would be like his brother's museum next door--all about him--but it was mostly about the US Senate, complete with a life-size replica of the US Senate Chambers with live historic Senate debates by the docents.  Very minimalist in design, but high on tech, you could learn about every single US senator.  Being provincial Oregonians, we only pulled up about 8 Oregon senators.

Our B&B

The highlight of our trip was five days in the Berkshires.  What's a Berkshire, you ask?  Yes, it's a pig breed and half of the name of a famous investment fund. It's also a region in NW Massachusetts, southern New York, and northern Connecticut with about 26 towns and what East Coast people call "mountains."  Above all, it's a huge cultural center that dates back to the 1930's.

Jacob's Pillow outdoor dance stage

We rented an Air B&B in Hinsdale, New York, about 25 minutes away from the music mecca of Tanglewood and the dance mecca of Jacob's Pillow, yes Jacob's Pillow.  While the home wreaked of mildew, and the sheets were too small for the beds, it was quiet and spacious with a well-equipped kitchen.


Skyler's boyfriend, Spencer, sings in the Boston Symphony Tanglewood Chorus. This time it was Mahler's 8th symphony.  Between the choral members and the musicians, there were 340 performers on stage.  Quite impressive!  The Boston Globe agreed.   Here's a 10 second clip of the choir warming up in the practice pavilion..  

Getting into the Tanglewood spirit

"Tailgaters"

 But just as fun was the festival/picnic atmosphere on the lawn beforehand.  It's the mother of all tailgate parties with 5,000 people, but minus pickup trucks, barbecues, generators, and team colors. We got to enjoy it again on Sunday to hear Joshua Bell.

Self portrait

Nearby was the Norman Rockwell museum.  That was probably the most accessible art museum we've ever seen.  There was no need to guess about obscure abstract meanings--every illustration or painting told a story, often with humor.  Others were very emotional or serious.  Interesting factoid:  Norman Rockwell could not paint from memory or just imagine things.  He always needed live models, real props, and/or photographs.

First Day of School

Peace Corps Commeration

Waiting for Joshua Bell's performance

The nearby grounds on the 200-acre estate are beautiful, as is the surrounding countryside.

On top of Monument "Mountain"

We swam in the Stockbridge Bowl

View from original Tanglewood mansion

Delightful dinner in the Berkshires

The Sous Vied

The finishing touch

We ate well on this trip, but our best meals were the ones we cooked together.  Skyler and Spencer are quite the foodies.  It was our first time to taste wonderful steak and seafood prepared with a sous vied, which slow cooks food in plastic bags at low temperatures in a water bath.  Then seared with a blow torch.  Amazingly tender and flavorful.

The only downer for this trip was when a 60-pound pit bull/black lab mix from next door to our B&B attacked Skyler's 50-pound pit bull mix on the deck of our B&B.  Absolutely terrifying as it dragged her by the neck!  I thought RyRy was going to die and that Kathy, the other dog's owner, or I would get bitten trying to break it up.  It took three of us to separate them.  RyRy is okay today with just a minor bite on the top of her neck, but it took me over three hours to get the adrenaline out of my system.

All in all, a good trip, filled with pleasant surprises.  As always, it will be nice to be back home Monday evening.  Our next blog will be in a week or so from the Daze of Wine and Roads Airstream caravan.  Kathy and I are co-leaders with another couople of this two week trip of 10 trailers exploring wineries and rails-to-trails bicycle paths in Washington and Idaho.  Until then, stay cool!