Arnold Arboretum

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA

Despite the cloudy weather, my walk through the Arboretum on Saturday afternoon was a great experience. Although the peak foliage season has passed, there was still plenty of color on many trees, especially on the maples. Not surprisingly, the fruits of many of these trees lingered on the branches, such as these tiny purple berries.

Boston Public Garden

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Boston Public Garden

This view looks towards the old Art Deco-inspired Hancock Tower in the center (home of the famous weather beacon), the newer Hancock Tower to the right, and the steeple of the Civil War-era Arlington Street Church at the corner of Arlington and Boylston Streets.

It was a dreary day, but plenty of people were out due to the somewhat mild temps.

Mission Hill, Boston

Sunday, October 26, 2008

View of Mission Hill and New England Baptist Hospital, Boston.

What I like about this picture is that it appears to capture a typical New England village setting, complete with colored leaves, quaint housing, and an old, brick institution on the crest of a hill. This turns out to be Mission Hill, which is a neighborhood behind Harvard Medical School that is almost in the center of Boston.

Mission Hill has been gentrified over the past few years (even since I moved into town, 5 years ago) and has become an appealing neighborhood for those who work in the mammoth Harvard/Longwood Medical Area. The New England Baptist Hospital graces the top of the hill...while not one of the main teaching hospitals affiliated with Harvard (those being along Longwood Avenue and Francis Street at the base of the hill), it is one of the leading hospitals specializing in orthopedic care in this country. For instance, Jack Nicklaus had a hip replacement performed there a few years ago.

Paraglider...Franconia Notch, NH

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Cannon Mountain, Franconia Notch, NH

Here I go at trying to reincarnate this blog...this time with a picture about once a week, not necessarily of the same day as the date of post. I found that it was too difficult to lug my camera around every day to keep up with the pic-a-day blog. I never wanted to give it up, though.

Anyway, I was in New Hampshire for a graduate program retreat last weekend, and a few of us decided to drive up to Cannon Mountain (home of the late Old Man of the Mountain formation, which collapsed back in 2003...look for a depiction on the New Hampshire state quarter) for a ride up the 80-person "aerial tram", or gondola. I must acknowledge Matt and Mel for handing us 4 tickets to the tram, since they didn't have the time to make it up there on their leaf-peeping tour a week prior. At least they were able to enjoy the other nearby attraction in Franconia Notch, the Flume.

A note about the paragliding. First of all, we were at an elevation of 4,200 feet. It was cold (24 degrees) and very windy. We watched a paraglider fall from sky sky and plummet towards the forest below using a reserve parachute. We think he was fine...scary, still. As fun as paragliding looked that afternoon, I wouldn't want to do it from this mountaintop, especially on a day as windy as this one.

Queen Mary

June 2, 2008

Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA

I stayed on this ship overnight on my last leg of my trip to Southern California. The RMS Queen Mary, launched in 1936, served during WWII as a troop ship and afterward as a luxury liner for Cunard, transporting passengers between the UK and the United States. It ended its service in 1967 (when the Queen Elizabeth 2, also recently retired and to become a floating hotel, was launched to replace the Queen Mary's service), at which point it made its permanent home at Long Beach, California, as a museum and hotel. The ship, over 1000 feet long, still remains as one of the largest passenger ships in the world. It once held the Blue Riband for speed crossing the Atlantic (from 1938-1952, both eastbound and westbound, before being outrun by the SS United States).

I stayed in a first class cabin (turned into a hotel room) on portside, M deck (uppermost for cabins) facing the bay. It was quite an experience. Walking around the upper decks at night was a special treat.

Manhattan Beach

June 1, 2008

Manhattan Beach Pier, California

This was taken from the end of the pier at Manhattan Beach, just south of Los Angeles, CA. This is where the wealth of the LA area is concentrated. The Roundhouse Aquarium houses a decent menagerie of sea animals in small tanks, each sponsored by a company or group. It is run on donations and volunteer help...given their tight budget, it was impressive (especially since it was free to the public).

Santa Monica Beach

May 31, 2008

Santa Monica Beach, California

The evening sun sets over the Santa Monica Mountains as beachgoers take in the last few minutes of daylight on the Pacific Ocean.