Enjoying the Park - Boston Common and Public Gardens

Sitting in the shadows of Park St. Church, the Massachusetts State Capital, Cheers and a number of other well-known buildings lies the Boston Common and the Public Garden - two historical areas that are home to (among other things) the Frog Pond, the Swan Boats and the Make Way For Ducklings statues.    Too frequently I find myself walking swiftly passed them as I hurry to my final destination - well maybe not my FINAL destination, but at least to the T.  This weekend I decided to spend some time in the parks and actually enjoy the area.  I have done this a few other times and have always been greeted with some pretty interesting sights.    

The Boston Common, originally used to provide entertainment in the form of hangings and maybe some cow tipping (since it was used as a community pasture in the 1800s), is a great place to relax and take in the sites.  While I was there on Saturday I saw people cutting hair as a fundraiser, two individuals performing as living statues, a tour group and Fulan Gong practicioners (who were practically statues themselves).  On other visits to the Common I have seen people running in togas and what appeared to be a mini circus performances - turned out they were Alice and Wonderland enthusiasts (it was around the same time the movie was released).

The Public Garden is also a great place to take a stroll through or relax on a bench - of which there seem to be more in the Garden than the Common (but I wasn't actually counting).  One of the many attractions in the Garden is the Make Way For Duckling statue.  I was not read the book growing up (I recently yelled at my parents for that oversight), so the few other times I walked passed the statues I just thought - "oh how cute" - and moved on.  This time I decided to spend some time by the statues and enjoyed watching people interact with them.  Yes, I said interact - the kids sat on the ducks and people of all ages were fixing the ducklings' spring hats (even the adults were doing this).  It was nice seeing everyone take pride in and caring for the statues.  

I must say that if you haven't wondered through these areas recently, go do so.  And as you are wondering around make sure to look behind you - sometimes it is a better view than what is in front.  It is a great way to spend an afternoon and I gained a better appreciation for these two areas - and really enjoyed the unusual sites (really the guys were in togas!)  And if you have been to the Boston Common or the Public Garden recently, I would love to hear what you saw - I just know that togas and circuses are just the tip of the iceberg.

Take Me Out To Fenway Stadium

I admit I am not a big sports fan, but this past weekend was a holiday for two reasons - Easter and the Red Sox game opener.  For those tried and true Sox fans, if you weren't inside Fenway cheering on your  team and bashing the Yankees whenever possible, you were probably somewhere on Lansdowne St., at a local bar or watching the game on TV.  I must admit I am not one of those fans - but before you curse my name and leave my blog let me be clear - I wasn't cheering on the Yankees either. (I was however hoping to hear the fly over, but I guess I don't live close enough - boo.)

I pass the stadium on almost a daily basis, but it took a visit from my parents to get me to check out Fenway.  I must say that if you have only seen the stadium from the outside or on TV, you should definitely check it out.  While the tour does not give visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the stadium (it would be really cool if it did) you do learn a lot of fun facts and walk around the stadium without the game day crowds.  For you diehard fans, you probably already know these, but here are some fun tidbits of information I learned from my tour.  

- The initials TAY (Tom Yawkey) and JRY (Jean Yawkey) appear in Morse code on the scoreboard.
- Fenway Stadium has one of the last hand-operated scoreboard.
- In 2012 the stadium will be able to apply to be a historical landmark - no more renovations after this happens.
- The tour also mentioned a ton of ways one can win tickets to a game.  However I must apologize because I can't remember them....but I do recall counting up the number of email addresses I had access to in order to enter a lottery.
(If you have any other fun facts please share - you never know when random facts will be useful.

Touring Fenway gave me a greater appreciation for the stadium.  Besides learning about the stadium's history and of course some Red Sox history, it was neat being inside.   I have always been amazed that such a famous ballpark is located smack dab in the middle of a busy city, but once inside I felt like I was in a different world.  The noise of the city drifts away and I could only imagine what it is like seeing a game. (That is now on my list of things I must do in Boston - it was there before, now it is now higher on that list).

If you plan to go on a tour, make sure to visit the stadium's website to get all the details.  Two key things - get there early since the tickets are first come first serve AND tour tickets are sold from Yawkey Way Story right across from Fenway.  (I had problems with this last one - difficulty finding where the tour started - hopefully you will have an easier time.)