My wife Carolyn and I decided to take a one day trip to Boston on Thursday Oct 6th. Fortunately, it was a cool and sunny day. There is a bus service from Hartford to Boston that is offered which we took advantage of, since it would save the headache and expense of parking in Boston. It's called Megabus which cost us 8.50...for both of us...an offer we truly could not refuse!!
The bus arrived at a new terminal in South Station which was never there in the past. This terminal looked like an airport concourse with gates and eateries which was a vast improvement over what South Station looked like before which resembled Boston's version of Skid Row.
When we finally found our way to the street, I thought I was in a different city as I recognized nothing. This portion of Atlantic Ave. had been under construction for years and now I saw the finished product. New sidewalks, street lights, new buildings where there were none before.
We made our way toward the shopping and more historic areas which I thought I would be more familiar with. The only thing that looked familiar were the street signs. We arrived at what is called now, Downtown Crossing, where all of the stores are. Fortunately this part of Washington St is closed to vehicle traffic and allows only foot traffic.
Carolyn wanted to find Filene's Basement. What visit to Boston would be complete without going to this landmark. When we arrived there, none of the stores looked familiar and Filene's was boarded up, sadly. Across the street where Jordan Marsh used to be,was now Macy's , a New York store!
We stopped at some of the newer stores but the whole area looked nothing like I remembered it. On both buildings there was only bronze plaques indicating what the original stores were, Filene's and Jordans.
That was the only thing that left of stores that were operating for over 100 and more years. I was glad to see that the buildings themselves were still there with their beautiful architechure.
The Filene's building still had the clock with the name under it, truly a landmark that I hope stays. Carolyn was so cold we stopped at new Eddie Bauer store for gloves and a knit hat.
I started to recognize some things like the Old South Meeting House [1729] site of the famous Boston Tea Party meeting. It was good to see how alive the city was, with people everywhere and many, speaking foreign languages. There were now many coffee shops, cafes and other eateries all over. The building next to the old Filene's was not only gone but was the site of huge ditch, apparently getting ready for a new building.
It was the former site of Barnes and Noble Bookstore and before that I remember Raymond's being there. I wondered if they had found any historic artifacts when digging that deep.
Our main focus this day was to have lunch at the famous Parker House Hotel, now called the Omni-Parker House, the oldest continually operating hotel in the country from 1853. Many famous people had stayed here and some of the rooms are labeled as such, like Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, etc.
We had a great lunch served with linen napkins, beautiful silverware and china. This is a wonderful, old elegant hotel with a beautiful lobby, which reminds one of where the Kennedys would stay. We relaxed in very comfortable easy chairs in the lobby just soaking up the atmosphere, afterward, contemplating our next move.
We finally made our way to Quincy Market, which thankfully always stays the same, busy with people, many food booths and shops galore. Having already eaten we didn't wish anything more....which was tempting. We had a choice of the North End or the Common. If anyone remembers the expressway going thru Boston over all of the streets, it isn't there anymore, giving way to the Big Dig. Now there is clear view of the North End which is connected to the rest of the city.
We opted for the Common since we had to leg it back to South Station for the return bus at 3pm. The Common was pleasant, busy and relaxing. We saw many of the monuments all over commemorating famous people and events. We also came across the famous restaurant.. Malliove tucked away on a side street called Bosworth St, near Government Center [ the old Sculley Sq.]
With so many new, very tall buildings, the streets became wind tunnels and we had to withstand many cold breezes which made the temperature seem colder. I was glad to see so many trolley and walking tours of
the historic areas of the city. There are also walking guides all over that one can ask questions. One girl answered many of our questions about the many changes. She did mention that Filene's Basement does still
exist. It was always a separate store from Filene's which, thankfully saved it from being engulfed by Macy's. It was now located in the trendy Back Bay area near Newbury St. It was good to hear that it survived.
We made the long walk back to South Station amid much foot traffic, crossing major streets and fighting the cool winds. Overall I was glad we went to
Boston as now I will be more familiar with the many changes. I was sorry to see the old Boston I had remembered but was glad to see how alive the city was with stores, many places to eat and a strong heartbeat..
When we arrived back in Hartford at about 5pm, I was fearing heavy traffic on the ride home. I always knew Hartford is a city that folds up after 5pm but I was shocked to see hardly anyone on the streets and not much traffic. The contrast between the two cities was like night and day. I was happy to see Boston still alive with many improvements while still keeping its historic charm.
