More Boston Beauty

fall color

more fall color

Bunker Hill Monument

Bunker Hill  Bridge

Boston Garden

Bunker Hill Bridge..love this bridge,it is magnificent!

Boston Garden through the bridge

heading home through the "Big Dig"

Boston at twilight

Over the Charles River ,closer to home

Boston at night

"My" Trip To Bountiful

I discovered about 2 years ago that my landed settler,Thomas Eames, lived and pretty much owned Framingham at one time in history.Framingham is just outside of Boston. So you can imagine what ecstacy I felt when 6 months ago, my daughter's family relocated from Hawaii to Boston..I could just see myself getting my picture beside the Thomas Eames memorial and upon arriving in Framingham ,seeing a sea of family likenesses as I walked down the street.My daughter's last words as we walked out the door"Hope this won't be a trip to Bountiful,a movie where this elderly lady dreams of going back to her home and when she does nothing is as she imagined.
I had also found on the internet that many Ames's were buried in Sudbury..so since I was out that way I prevailed upon my husband to take me first to Sudbury... I found the History Society pretty easily and unfortunately it was closed..so I asked the ladies in the town clerk's office if they had heard of the Eames family name and they were very helpful. In fact we shared some great stories of our geneological jouneys. They kindly directed me to the cemetary,but as I began perusing the various tombstones from every era of our history and every family except Eames or Ames, I've finally come to the conclusion that I am not really a geneologist. I think I need to hire someone for this boring job.
At any rate ,I encouraged my husband to take me on to the promised  land,Framingham. Surely I would find something there...Meanwhile ,we were driving through georgeous fall leaved forests,bejeweled with manicured typically New England homes..which I couldn't fully enjoy becuse I'm looking for road signs and route numbers.
After asking a couple of Framinghamites directions,we found the History Society. It was closed and desolate. there was not a soul in site...Time for a coffeebreak..so we pulled into a minimall bearing a Starbucks sign. Imagine our dismay when we reached the door bearing the message",temporarily closed due to power outages"..Ah.. It's elementary, that's why we will not find much info . I didn't think power outages would effect areas so close to Boston.
Next stop..a barber,surely someone there has heard of our Gandfather Thomas. The man I talked to  kept looking at me quizically..had I really come all the way from Los Angeles for a historical placque...is this woman for real. I tried to ignore the look and asked if he knew any Eames's, he said yes but he didn't elaborate. Funny, this the second time this happened to me. Either they really didn't know them personally or they didn't really care for them.
I will definitely come back to Boston and yes I will make that trip to Framingham again.  The next time I will call ahead and make appointments with the History Society, and pray that there will be no power outages.

Ames Hotel






Ames Hotel, Boston,Mass

  We decided  to take advantage of a relatively pleasant afternoon and visit the Ames Hotel. It was built for offices of the famed Ames Tool company ,who made their initial fortune by coming up with a top notch shovel,just at the beginning of industialization and the expansion west of the United States and right around the Civil War..Only the outside bears any resemblance to it's origins,as it is now a ultra modern boutique hotel inside. I did get an Ames hat,though maybe $20.00 was a bit much for it.



detail of the Ames Building

For those of you who don't know, my maiden name was Ames. These Ames however were another Ames branch,although there is some speculation they may be cousins.My ancestors originated in Framingham and I hope to visit there tomorrow.

One of the period dressed tour guides that you see around the city

We decided to take a stroll down state street and I am including some more beautiful Boston pictures.



the Customs House...until this was built ,the Ames house,built in 1898, was considered the tallest skyscraper in Boston



A park was created in the spot where an elevated road way went through Boston. This roadway was replaced by The Big Dig, a tunnel and a source of great pride and accomplishment for Bostonians. The pillars light up in multi changing colors similar to the columns in LAX

another view of the park

Beautiful Boston From A Bus



walking to the bus tour,a lot of walking in this city,..reminds me of my early years in New York City

 One of the most picturesque and beautiful cities I've seen is Boston. I'm straying a bit from thrift store finds but there certainly is nothing more Victoriana than Boston.The weather is clear but the temp is mega cold,at least for us Angelinos and Hawaiians(daughter and son-in-law just settled here from beautiful Hawaii)... so we opted to take the hop on hop off Trolley Tours, only we hopped on and didn't hop off.
WE really saw more than my pictures indicate but these are my best photos.
 ps, my son inlaw and grandson

Mast of USS Constitution..would like to visit it sometime

 
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Beautiful new bridge Bunker Hill Bridge  The towers are designed to represent the tower of Bunker Hill




another view of Bunker Hill Bridge

 





remember Cheers?






Can't resist those magnificent victorian brownstone mansions!

 
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Trinity Church







covered walkway joining 2 shopping centers,a necessity given the inclement weather,nevertheles a beautiful necessity



Well we did hop off one time for a visit to the "necessary room" as the victorians would call it. Of course it was a shopping center...here we are walking across the beautiful glass covered walkway described earlier



Here it is Randy,Fenway Park,Can I make you really jealous, my son-in-law's work provides a box seat for it's employees



Fenway Park!!!!!



 



MIT Arts Building

 

The Charles River and heading home

decided to add this not so good picture of ultra modern architecture at MIT




Oh well, one more picture of a Victorian facade



Back to Thrift Stores!

Sorry, I have recently deserted my main blog theme with all this traveling...Yesterday we were traveling to Costco in Avon,Mass. and there just happened to be a Salvation Army thrift store nearby.  Wow,wished I lived in Mass. ,the prices were phenomenal.I wish I had brought my camera to validate my finds. I really couldn't buy anything as my limited luggage space needs to be reserved for very special things.
.The following listing is the evidence of the great deals available here.
 Hurry over all you Bostonians..even my daughter (usually a non thrift store fan) got inspired.
an early 20's high chair...$15.00
a beautiful intact pump organ with a gorgeous mantel...$159.00..I paid $450.00 for mine in Los Angeles
a player piano ...$199.00
4 beautiful old oak dining chairs...$4.99 each
multple collectible and antique dishes at$.99 each
In our thrift stores in L.A. there is nothing for $.99..the lowest price you can find is $1.99 but if anything looks the least bit valuable,it jumps to $7.99.
So get out there guys, the bargains still abound!!!

We Went on the Duck Tour...Quack...Quack

Ted was our beast of burden,3kids at once

and this was our duck

one of the sister ducks. They are amphibious ,Land and sea. It was great fun but I was unable to take many pictures

my one picture,Longfellow Bridge

Freedom Walk, or Better Put ,Freedom Crawl



 



 

If this man was able to ride his horse around to warn the colonists with a bell in one hand and a gun in the other, he deserves a statue !

The Commons, a fantabulous park established by the Puritans

Ducks on the Duck Pond

more ducks

Boston's architecture hasn't strayed far from the Enlish influence

Mass. state capitol,note gold leaf dome, beautiful

Though it's not readily evident,my youngest grandchild is taking a snack break

The King wanted to build an Anglican Church in Boston but the Puritans wouldn't allow it so he built this one in a cemetary

first free school open to all

oldest book store in Boston,now a Chipotle.You can see the wavy old glass still in the windows

hail,hail, the gangs all here



tea party organized here ,Old South Meeting House



Faneuil Hall

Mime in front of Sam Adam's statue

Beautiful flute music from the Andes

This is not a pigeon on Sam Adam's statue

This mime is so good,she isn't even shivering.

First Market in Boston now filled with restaurants and shops

Demonstation of yankee ingenuity, you wouldn't believe the drum sounds coming out of these plastic buckets.

Old restaurant that has always been under the same management

oldest part od Boston

more of old Boston

Old Boston

Boston has the best Little Italy I have ever seen!

famous Italian Bakery

Yummy

unusual sign nearby  Mike's Pastry

Wow! This place is packed to the brim. Hope my son-in-law comes out with all his limbs intact.

Here that brave man comes,no limbs missing and bearing luscious trasures  for all. 

didn't realize the pastry I ordered was enough for an army 

contemplating  her indulgence

down it goes!

Paul Revere"s back yard

Now can I have a cupcake.

Paul Revere's home

St. Stephan's Church

Old North Church

Old North Church

Old North Chuch

Old North Church from where message was given to patriots that the British were going to Lexington

I guess this must have been the servant's entrance to the brick front mantions. These dot the streets and are very diminuitive in size.

La Famiglia where we ate the night before. The entre' could feed a whole platoon.



view from Daughter and son-in-laws window in the Sheraton.Domed building on left is MIT



Another view from their room



Dinner at Legal Sea Food in the Prudential Mall ,meeting up with 2 of daughters classmates who are doing post doctoral studies in Boston



chopino anyone?

Son-in-law



and another



friend and husband

daughter and friends

the patriarch and matriarch

Hard to say good by

I'm very proud of my husband and myself for finishing most of the famed Freedom Walk  in spite of   inhibiting our much younger family's progress. After being highly praised for great accomplishment by our son in law,I couldn't resist exclaiming with indignation,"we're not ready for the grave yet,"even though I surely felt close to it.