Endicott Statue

The John Endicott statue is located on Forsyth Way between the Fens gardens and the Museum of Fine Art.

Six Interesting things about the Statue

• Unveiled on June 15, 1937
• Funded by George Augustus Peabody, a descendant of John Endicott
• John Endicott Statue is Eight-feet tall and the backside is 10 feet wide and 17 feet wide. The entire statue is made in granite.
• The original granite block weighed 12 tons, and after the statue was created it weighed 10 tons.
• Ralph Wed Gray was the Architect
• Carl Paul Jennewein was the sculptor - who's other worked include the Two Panels inside the White House and 50+ separate sculptures in the Justice Department Building

Quotes on the Statue

Strong valiant John wilt thou march on, and take up the station first, Christ cal'd hath thee his soldier be, and faile not of thy trust. Edward Johnson 1654

Bequest of George Augustus Peabody, Esquire of Danvers, Massachusetts.

On a separate plaque:
"Ralph Weld Gray, architect/Carl Paul Jennewein, sculptor/1936."

Eight Interesting things I learned about John Endicott

• John Endecott is regarded as one of the Fathers of New England. He was the longest serving Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Born on March 15, 1588, in Devon, England. He came to the New World (Salem Massachusetts) in 1628 to help bring some order to the New World
• There isn't much known about John Endicott life in England.
• John Endecott and John Winthrop, were the first two governors of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Between xx and xx they alternated governorship responsibilities.
• In 1636, John Endecott lead a group of colonial volunteers against the Pequots on Block Island - Part of Rhode Island. This military action started the Pequot War. The resulting war killed 700 Pequots - virtually extinguished the tribe.
• He gave the final orders to have Mary Dyer executed because she didn't listen to the court. The court had asked her multiple times to stay away from Boston.
• Died March 15, 1665 (Age 77) and is buried in tomb 189 in Boston's historic Granary Burying Grounds.
• For many years people thought he was buried at the nearby Kings Burying Grounds. It wasn't until xxx that the records were set.

Finding the Statue

The statue is located on Forsyth Way near the Museum of Fine Arts. If you take the Green Line and get off at the Northeastern University stop.

Salada Tea Doors

In the Back Bay there is a unique set of decorated brown doors. These doors are a reminder of how the building once played an important part of the growth of the Commercial Industry in Boston.

The building was once the United States Headquarters for the Salada Tea Company. They not only had executive offices in the building but the building also had a warehouse where tea bags were manufactured.

Ten Things I Learned About the Tea Doors and the Building

• Building was constructed in sections, first was done in 1917 and the second in 1927.
• The building was once known as the largest in the world devoted exclusively to the merchandising of tea.
• Peter Larkin, the founder of the Salada Tea Company, was found of the Boston office and decorated the building with beautiful works of art that some people thought that it "resembled a museum more than a business office."
• The bronze doors were installed in 1928 - where executives would enter the building.
• The bronze doors show 10 scenes from the tea trade. Each panel tells the historic story of the tea "as it was planted and exported years ago and of the culture associated with this product on the faraway island of Ceylon."
• The doors were designed by English sculptor Henry Wilson. His only other United States work was the Brozen doors at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York. Most of his architectural works were around London.
• Peter Larkin, died on February 3, 1930 in London.
• The Salada Tea Company merged into Salada-Shirriff-Horsey Inc. in June 1957.
• In 1958, the newly formed company acquired the "Junket" dessert product company in Little Falls, NY. The company headquarters was moved to New York.
• The building is currently now known as "Berkeley Place."
• The Tea doors are not registered as Boston Landmark. (Should it be?)

Tea Doors Sign

A sign next to the door reads...

Finding the Tea Doors

The Tea Doors is located at 300 Stuart Street, Boston Ma. It's located between the Berkeley Street intersection and the Stuart St Pedestrian overpath. Next to the Grill 23 & Bar.

Boston Sign

As you walk through the city of Boston looking for landmarks for selfie pictures, one place you should visit is the Boston City Hall Plaza. You’ll see the largest ‘Boston’ sign in the city of Boston.

This sign is sponsored by BerkshireBank and has been on the City Hall Plaza since 2016. (Actually not too difficult to miss the sponsor)

The sign is part of the “Boston Seasons” event and showcases seasonal events including an ice skating rink in the early winter and concerts in the summer.

The sign is available all year round. At night the sign is lit up to Red and Green in the Winter Months, and white in the summer months.

Getting There

The best way to see the sign is to take the Green line to Government Center. Head upstairs and look for the big City Hall Building, and you'll see the Boston sign right under it.

The sign is in the middle of the plaza, so it doesn't matter what time of the day you take pictures. I found that noontime is the best chance to have fewer shadows.

Finding Out More

You can find out more about the events going on as part of the Boston Season on their official website. There's also a Twitter account to follow and a Facebook page to like to keep up with events.

Boston Spring 2018

Spring is just around the corner, it’s time to look at when various venues are opening up because of the warm weather.

Here’s an updated calendar on when things are opening in Boston:

Click on image for a larger version.

Duck Boats	March 21
Boston Green Way	March 24
Red Sox Opening Day	April 5
Swan Boats	April 13
Boston Marathon	April 16
City Of Boston’s Outdoor Pools And Family-Friendly Beach	June 17

Boston Marathon Memorial

The Boston Marathon is oldest and one of the most known marathon. Many runners set goals to one day run the Boston Marathon.

In Copley Square, there is a monument to all those that run the Boston Marathon.

Nine Things I learned about the Boston Marathon Monument

1. Ground breaking was on November 2, 1995
2. The monument was revealed in time for the 100th Anniversary of the Boston Marathon. There is an inscription that mentions the 100th Running of the Boston Marathon - April 15, 1996.
3. John Handcock Mutual Life was a major financial contributor to the monument
4. The monument was revealed when the finish line was moved from the Prudential building to the Boston Public Library.
5. 15-foot circular granite medallion was designed by Mark Flannery and sculptured by Robert Shure and Robert Lamb.
6. 21-foot high arch was originally proposed, but drew strong opposition from Back Bay residences. They felt the arch would block the view of Copley Square.
7. Around the Medallion is 8 posts with the seal of the communities on the race course. Each post highlights some of the challenges of running the marathon.
8. The name of all the champion runners, as well as the finish times, are on the outer ring. New names are added each year. Since the Monument has been put up, six circular rows have been added to the winner's circle. There are four new entries each year - Which means that 88 names have been added to the memorial since 1996.
9. If you look carefully at the medallion, you can see the top part shows the course elevation changes, and the bottom shows all the city and towns that the route takes you through.

2013 Boston Marathon Bombing Memorial

At one of the sites where a bomb exploded, people have left special messages to commemorate those that lost their lives at the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombings.

Occasionally the city will remove the memorabilia so the street doesn't get cluttered with flowers and makeshift monuments.

This year marks the 5th Anniversary of the Bombing. Next Month, the City of Boston will be putting two monuments marking the location of the acts of terror on Boylston Street.

Training for the Boston Marathon?

Check out sport-fitness-advisor.com for some great advice in Marathon Training.

The site is packed with expert tips on getting ready to have a great marathon day. The articles are useful even if you're just starting out a coach to 5k program.

Finding the Boston Marathon Memorial

The Boston Marathon Memorial is located in Copley Square near the intersection of Boylston Street and Dartmouth Street. It's located near the John Singleton Copley Statue.

Declaration of Independence Tablet

As you walk around the Boston Public Garden's you may encounter a large bronze tablet on granite - its a replicate of the Declaration of Independence.

Seven Things that I learned about the Tablet on the Boston Commons

• Created by John Francis Paramino (Died on October 5, 1956)
• The tablet design mimics the painting done be John Trumbull's which is hung in the Rotunda of the Capitol building.
• The Board of Park Commissioners allocated funds for this commemorative tablet.
• Dedicated on July 4, 1925 in a large ceremony near the site.
• The tablet was created to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence.
• The tablet was unveiled by Miss Evelyn Cumming, a descendant of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independance - Robert Trat Paine.
• The tablet was actually placed on the Lafayette Mall path sometime later.

Artist Signature

You can see John Paramino "signature" on the bottom right of the tablet. It also looks like a number appears after his name. Can't really read it well, looks like it says - 1915.

Finding the Tablet

The tablet is located in the Boston Public Commons along Tremont Street. H&R Block is directly across the street.

Check it out what you think the number after John Paramino says. This would make a great scavenger hunt item:

If you found out, please comment below!

Boston in the Winter

There's plenty of reasons for visiting Boston during the summer - Red Sox Baseball, Dinner Cruise on the Harbor, Duck Boat tours and so much more.

Did you know that there's still plenty of things to do around the city in the winter?

It's a quiet time of the year for the City of Boston. Some of the Boston Best Hotels offer incredible discounts. Check out The Westin Copley Place, Boston , Fairmont Copley Plaza , Inn at St. Botolph , Omni Parker House and others. This is your chance to stay at some historical places without paying a premium price.

Ten Things to do in Boston in the Winter Months

• Boston Beanpot - The first two Monday nights in February are reserved for the famous Beanpot, an annual hockey tournament that featues Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern. It's the official battle for the best hockey team in Boston.
• Northend Restaurants - Avoid the long wait times and enjoy some great Italian food. Try La Summa Cucina Italiana, Bacco Ristorante and Bar, North Square Oyster and Strega Ristorante just to name a few popular restaurants.
• Broadway Shows - Lover Never Dies, Disney on Ice: Dare to Dream, Anderson Cooper & Andy Cohen are just some of the shows coming to Boston this February.
• World-Class Museums - Museum of Fine Arts , Museum of Science , The Institute of Contemporary Art and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are all world-famous museums that are easily accessible via public transportation.
• Do it Yourself Tours - Take tours of some historical places such as the Boston Athenaeum, The State House, The Gibson House, The Nichols House Museum and Vose Galleries.
• Phantom Win and Food Phest - Try some great Wine and Food brought to you by the folks at Phantom Gourmet - they know a thing or two about food in the Boston Area.
• Amazing Photo Opportunities - During a snow storm places around Commonweath Avenue and the Boston Public Garden are great spots to take pictures.
• Ski Train to Wachusett Mountain - For $11.50 one-way commuters can catch the train to Wachusetts Mountain. It's a chance to get some real New England skiing without having to rent a car for the day.
• Wrentham Outlet Village - A Boston Common Luxury Coach takes you to Wrentham Village Premium Outlets where everyday discounts on designer and name brands let you save 25%-65%, and sometimes even more. (Cost $45 per person Round Trip - Includes a VIP coupon book)
• Weston Ski Track - Catch the Green Line to Riverside some of the best Cross Country Skiing in the Boston Area. Don't worry about carrying your skis. For about $18 you can rent some good skis to have a great time. Never Cross County ski before? You can take lessons from their Ski School.

Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial

There are two memorials to law enforcement in Boston; the Boston Police Memorial and the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial.

The Boston Police Memorial is located at the Boston Police Headquarters (1 Schroeder Plaza, Roxbury Crossing, MA.). The Boston Police Memorial commemorates the founding of the police department in 1834, the professional successor to the Boston Watch which protected Boston since the Colonial Days. An eternal-flame illuminated by a blue light reminds visitors that the police department is on duty at all hours of the day or night.

The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial is located at the Massachusetts State House. The 400-square-foot memorial to all those that lost their lives protecting the citizens of Massachusetts. Next to the Massachusetts State House, on the east side, is the Mass. Law Enforcement Memorial, which is in the shape of a badge and has names carved around it and a blue light.

Eight Things I Learned about the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial

• Ground breaking was on Monday, May 20th, 2002.
• Officially opened on May 21, 2004, with 282 names. 88 officers names have been added in the past 14 years.
• Chief Paul Doherty and David B. Balfour Sr. did a lot of work to make the memorial happen.
• Project was funded by the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation. They raised $1 million for the project, some money came from art grants.
• Memorial was designed by Michael Kenney, a US Postal Service architect. There was a bit of controversy over the design selection process as the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation rushed to get a design so they could qualify for $150,000 grant from the Ingersoll Browne Fund.
• Opening ceremony featured bicyclists who travel from the National Fallen Officer Memorial in Washington DC.
• New names are added to the third week of September. When new names are added, they place a red rose over the name on the memorial.
• Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial Day is celebrated on May 27th. It started on May 27, 1985.

Notable Names

• Ezekiel W. Hodsdon - First Boston Police officer to be killed in the line of duty ( October 18, 1857)
• Jonathan Houghton - First Boston Watch Police officer to be killed in the line of duty (December 12, 1825)
• David Estes - Last Boston Watch officer to be killed in the line of duty (April 27, 1848)

Finding the Memorial

The Massachusetts Law Enforcement Memorial is located at the Massachusetts State House grounds. Walk down Bowdoin Street at the corner of Ashburton Pl and Bowdoin St you'll see the entrance to the memorial.

House of Blues

This year our company annual Holiday party was at the House of Blues, which is directly across Fenway Park.

Quick Facts about the House of Blues

• First House of Blues Opened in Harvard Square on November 23, 1992
• Maximum Capacity was 150 people
• Closed in September 2003 as the popular chain was looking for a new location to handle larger audiences.
• The current location opened on February 20, 2009 (First Act: Gipsy Kings).
• The Maximum capacity of the current Boston's House of Blues is 2,500 people

Nine things I learned at the House of Blues

We had a company party last night, we reserved the entire venue. Here are some notes about the event specific to it being hosted at the House of Blues:

• Nothing like seeing the company name in bright lights on the stage. It was a great backdrop for photo opportunities.
• Load Music - The music was loud no matter where you were in the main room. The only place that was fairly quiet was the restrooms and the area by the coat check in.
• Coat Check - In order to check your coat, you have to enter your cell phone number. To pick up your coat you show them the text message - which has the hanger number. ( The actually take a picture of your jacket. )
• If you need to check a coat, Don’t arrive on time, either arrive early or a few minutes late. The coat checking process takes a few minutes and the line will quickly back up as people arrive.
• The food was plenty and good! There were lots of appetizers going around. Most people didn’t know that dinner was coming out shortly and some told me they were stuff from the appetizers. I liked the sliders and the ribs.
• There was only one beer that was available on tap, everything else was in cans. They had bars going on both sides of the stage. There was another bar stand in the back but it wasn’t open.
• There was a second floor, so if your company has a lot of people it’s an option. Maybe we’ll need it next year? The first floor seems plenty for about 300 people. We weren’t crowded.
• There were a lot of employees working at the House of Blues. Trash cans were available everywhere and were never full.
• The bathrooms were nice and clean. I thought it was a bit odd that the bathroom near the coat rack was much larger than the ones in the main hall.

John Endicott Resident Plaque

There are three states in the United States that don't offer residence to the sitting Governor: Arizona, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Once Set the President

When Massachusetts Bay Colony was originally founded, the forefathers thought having a Governor residence was a necessity. It was so important, that they made it the second item mentioned in the Massachusetts Bay Colony Record in 1655 (336 Years ago).

The founders did this because the locals complained that the current Governor, John Endicott, wasn't spending enough time in Boston.

Massachusetts Bay Colony Record

Here is the entry from the Record of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Vol III (May 23, 1655). (This is unedited in the original Old English spelling)

Ask and You Shall Receive

Once Massachusetts Bay Colony adopted the rules, John Endicott moved to Boston where he spent the last year of his life serving the people of Massachusetts Bay Colony. He died a year after moving to Boston.

John Endicott contributed a lot to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He had a very impressive resume:

• Governor, 1629-30, 1644-45, 1649-50, 1651-54, 1655-65
• Court of Assistants, 1630-34
• Conducted expedition against l'equot Indians, 1630
• Deputy Governor, 1641--14, 1650-51, 1654-55
• Major-general colonial troops, 1645

Residence Requirement Update: Not Important

When Massachusetts became a State, the need for a residence for the Governor was no longer an issue and was left out of the Constitution of Massachusetts.

Today, those that argue for a Governor's Mansion, have brought up the above rule of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They argue that it makes sense to have a nice secure location near the Governor office. "It makes just as much sense today than it did 336 years ago."

Plaque Commemorating House Location

In Pemberton Square, just behind the Center 3 Plaza, near Government Center is a plaque to remember where John Endicott house once stood.

The plaque was done by John Francis Paramino. It was placed in 1930 by the City of Boston.

John Francis Paramino other Artwork include:

• Declaration of Independence Tablet (1925) - Boston Commons at Tremont Street.
• Founders Memorial (1930) - Boston Commons at Beacon St and Spruce Street
• Commodore John Barry (1949) - Boston Commons at the corner of Tremont St and Temple Street.

Blazing Paddles

If your looking for a fun practical place to take your team for team building - try Blazing Paddles. It's not your ordinary Boston Sports bar.

Lots of Beer on Tap

There are a lot of choices on tap at Blazing Paddles, you don't have to settle for Bud Lite Lime (Unless that is your thing.) Budweiser, Bud Light, Miller Lite, Harpoon, Harpoon UFO, Blue Moon, Stella, Sam Adams Seasonal, and Yeungling are some popular choices.

There's lots of really good food here too! Game On! has a great selection of stationed hors-d'oeuvres.

Great Ping Pong Tables

Ping Pong is a great strategy game. There are six tables around Blazing Paddles. You can create a Ping-Pong Championship bracket and see who is the best Ping-Pong player in the company.

Even if you're not serious about playing the game, it's a fun way to break the ice and have a little fun at a company event. (Nobody likes to sit around and chat about how the last project could have gone better.

Serious Gamers should bring their own paddles. The ones at Blazing Paddles are a bit used.

One more thing...

What makes Blazing Paddles unique is that you have the opportunity to practice hitting baseballs. No, this isn't some little arcade game. This is a real batting cage, real baseball, real fast.

Paddles has an exclusive access to the visitor batting cages of Fenway Park. That's right, you have the opportunity to try to hit the same baseballs as the major league's players do.

The Batting Cages isn't always open, it's closed on game days and other functions. You should call ahead to see if it will be open when you visit.

Finding Blazing Paddles

Blazing Paddles is located on the outside of Fenway Park in the basement of Game On at 82 Lansdowne Street, Boston Massachusetts.

Great Molasses Flood

The Great Molasses flood occurred in Boston in January 1919. A tank explosion causes a sea of Molasses to cover parts of the North End of Boston.

Location of the United States Industrial Alcohol Company is now a Park and Ice Rink.

Eleven things I learned about the Boston Molasses Disaster

• Molasses was used to manufacture industrial alcohol for the First World War.
• The Molasses Disaster occurred on the night of January 15, 1919 (406 days after the Halifax Explosion)
• 2,500,000 gallons of Molasses was spilled around the corner of Commercial Street and Charter Street
• Twenty One Lives were lost because of the collapse of the Molasses containers. (50 injured)
• In 1925,the United States Industrial Alcohol Company settled a pending lawsuit and agreed to pay an unspecified amount of damages. (Estimated $500,000 to $1,000,000) That would be equivalent to $6,973,665.58 $13,947,331.16 in 2016 value.
• Individual claims against death of victims got $7,000 each ($98,667.60 in 2017)
• The cause of the disaster was the tanks weren't designed to hold more than 2,500,000 gallons. There should have been a "factor of safety" and the containers should have been built to hold more weight.
• Boston Building Standards and Zoning laws were drastically changed because of the disaster.
• The United States Industrial Alcohol Company had claimed that it wasn't an accident and was caused by anarchists. Several ships were lost at sea in mysterious ways.
• The area where the tank was located is now the Steriti Rink. You may hear stories about locals still smelling Molasses on a hot day - it's a false lengend.
• There is a proposal to build a monument to the victims on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.

A list of the fatalities can be found on Wikipedia.

Best Boston Blog Post of 2017

This was a great year for creative Boston Blog post. Lots of great content was discovered this year.

It was a lot of fun researching different topics and learning more about the city along the way. Hopefully, the post was entertaining and informative.

Top Seven Boston Blog Posts

In no particular order....

• Oliver Ames Jr. Square - I knew the Ames family had a long history in Boston, it was fun learning about the square.
• District Hall - great place to visit and be inspired by other entrapanures.
• William Dawes - Paul Revere wasn't the only hero on April 19, 1775.
• Boston Public Gardens Foot Bridge - A popular tourist attraction with some interesting history.
• Governor John Brooks - Interesting history about a Revolutionary War volunteer who lead a team of revolutionary fighters in Concord on April 1775. Later he became the 11th Governor of Massachusetts.
• John Winthrop Statue - lot of history behind a statue that many people may never see.
• Coconut Grove Night Club Fire - Some information about a Boston's worst night club disaster.

There's still lots of great content planned for 2018. If you have any topics that you would like to see get covered let me know.

Largest Parking Garages in Metro Boston

There are lots of places to park in Boston. I thought it would be interesting to find out the size of the parking garages in and around Boston.

These were gathered from various sources:

• Websites that manages the parking facilities - Not all facilities list parking spaces. Is it a big secret?
• City of Boston - Lots of outdated information
• Parkopedia.com - Didn't always show the accurate information.

Lead the Field - Prudential Parking Garage

The Prudential Center Garage biggest claim to fame is they are the "Largest Parking garage in New England with 3,600 spaces." Actually the largest garage in New England is the Mohegan Sun garagewith spaces for 13,000 vehicles.

Parking Garages in the Boston Area

Here's an interesting list of other parking garages sizes in and around Boston. This information is accurate as of December 21, 2017.

Copley Place Garage	1,400 spaces
100 Clarendon Street Garage	2,000 spaces
Boston Commons Parking Garage	1,350 spaces.
Motor Mart Garage	1,037 parking spaces	Once the largest Parking Garage in the World!
Government Center Garage	2,310 spaces	Also known as the One Congress Garage.
Harbor Garage (New England Aquarium)	1,300 spaces
Parking Garage at North Station / TD Boston Gardens	1,275 spaces
Boston Museum of Science Garage	850 vehicles
Logan International Airport Central Garage	12,000 vehicles	1,700-spaces were added in 2016

Some Parking Garages along the MBTA routes:

Alewife Parking Garage	2,733 spaces
MBTA North Quincy Station	1,206 spaces
MBTA Wonderland	1,862 spaces
Amtrak Garage on 128	2,589 Spaces

Other Notable Garages

• Disneyland parking garage holds 10,000 vehicles.
• Disney Springs Strawberry Lot holds 1,130 vehicles.
• Largest garage in New York City is the garage at Pier 40/West Street with 3,500 spaces
• The West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada holds the record for the largest parking structure in North America with 20,000 spaces.