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Discover the Boston Marathon Finish Lines
March 31, 2016 by cryan.com
In its 120-year history, the Boston Marathon has had 4 different finish line locations. Here's some information about each of the finish lines:
The goal of today's post is to help people find the location of the major Boston Marathon finish lines.
1897- 1898 - The Early Years
The exact location of the first two Boston Marathon finish lines were never recorded. This is because the final part of the marathon involved running a lap around the Irvington Oval. The Irvington Oval was a running track near Copley Square. The exact location of the finish line was never recorded.
The winner of the first Boston Marathon was J.J. McDermott of the Pastime Athletic Club of New York, he was given an ovation as he went around the Irvington oval track.
Today, there are a many Boston marathon symbols in Copley Square to remember those that accepted the challenge to run the race. The memorabilia is located where some historians consider the first finish line would have been located.
Finding the Finish Line Today: Visit Copley Square and in the area near the BosTix Booth is where you'll see Boston Marathon markers. The four brown metal poles in the area are similar to ones that the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) used as the finish line in the early days of the Boston Marathon. (42.3501,-71.0767)
1899 - 1964 - Exeter Street Years
In 1899, the BAA moved the finish line to be next to the organization headquarters on Exeter Street. That location today is the main branch of the Boston Public Library.
The marathon last mile was a bit different than today, back then runners would go further down Commonwealth Avenue and then turn right onto Exeter Street for the final leg of the marathon. The finish line was near the back of the Lenox Hotel, just before Blagden Street.
How you can find the finish line: The finish line was located next to the Lenox Hotel on Exeter street. Based on pictures and videos of the 1960 marathon, it looks like the finish line was between the City Table entrance and the back of the Lenox building. On Exeter Street, there is a separation in the pavement and that is where I believe the finish line was located. Exeter Street has been paved over long after the 1964 marathon, so you won't find any indication of the previous finish line. I don't believe that the road separation has anything to do with the finish line. (42.3488, -71.0794)
1965 - 1985 - The Prudential Years
When the Prudential Insurance Company became a major sponsor, the BAA change the finish link Boston to be in front of the Prudential Center Plaza. The change began the same weekend that the Prudential Center open for the first time.
The official race ended on Ring Road, but it's not the same Ring RD that you know of today. Between 1965 and 1988, there was a North Ring Road that was parallel to Boylston Street and the Hynes Civic Auditorium. This is where the Boston Marathon finish line was from 1965 to 1985 - about 300 yards from the intersection of Hereford Street and Boylston Street.
Some of the Notable finishes at the Prudential Finish Line:
- 1972 - The BAA offically recognized Women runners
- Bill Rodgers wins 3 straight Boston Marathons (1978, 1979, 1980)
- 1982 - Alberto Salazar beats Beardsley by 2 seconds.
Finding the Finish Line Today: The finish line disappeared when Ring Road was removed in 1988 to make room for the Hynes Convention Center. The finish line location was right at the base of the Prudential Plaza, just about where the Quest Eternal sculpture was located. The Prudential Plaza is currently going through major renovation and the Quest Eternal statute has been removed. To see where it was, simply stand by the Boston Marathon RunBase store and look over to the Prudential Building. (42.3486,-71.083)
1985 - Present - The John Hancock Years
In the mid-1980s the BAA encountered challenges getting elite runners from running in other marathons. Boston certainly had the name and history, but other marathons offered better incentives to run their races. The BAA decided to commercialize the Boston Marathon and make the race a professional event in an effort to keep pace with the other major marathons.
The Prudential Insurance withdrew sponsorship in protest.
In September 1985, the BAA announced that a 10-year $10 million sponsorship deal with the John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. The agreement names Hancock as the race's major corporate sponsor and the race will now pay a cash prize - $250,000 for the first year. The new cash prize match similar prizes by New York and Chicago marathons.
As a result of the change of sponsorship, the finish line was moved to be near the John Hancock building.
Finding the Finish Line Today: You can find the current Boston Marathon finish line right in front of the Boston Public Library. The finish line road paint is now visible year round. (42.3498, -71.0788)
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Things to do with a Preschooler in Boston
March 24, 2016 by cryan.com
As a long time Bostonian, I thought I put together a list of Boston places that I would like to show my 5-year-old daughter. These are places that she would have fun seeing in Boston. Many of these should be familiar to most Bostonians, but I am sure there are some surprises in the list.
During the past couple of years she had done many of these things, but there's a few that she should do over and over again.
List of 10 unique things to Do with Preschoolers around Boston Before They Grow Up
A fun day running around the museum exploring all the exhibits. Going up the steep stairs at the Omni Theater gives them a hint that the movie they are about to watch will be unlike anything they have ever seen.
Watching a Red Sox game on a hot summer day at Fenway Park. Arrive early to watch batting practice and walk around the park. Don't forget pictures with Wally! Don't forget to get your "First Timers" fan items at one of the Service Booths at Gate E, Gate D, and Gate B!
Spend some time summer day at the Boston Commons, there's plenty to do at the playground, fly a kite, get wet at Frog Pond and throw around the frizbee. Enjoy a nice family day playing in the oldest park in the Country. Did you know that George Washington walked around the park? At the Garden, everyone can enjoy a nice ride on the Swan Boats, sit on one of the Make way for Duckings statues (Figuring out the names of each) and smelling the spring flowers.
in Maynard, Massachusetts. One of the oldest continuing running ice cream stand in New England.
Enjoy the view of Boston from high above. "Can you see your House? How about the Baseball field?"
An opportunity to explore an old castle in Boston? Who wouldn't want to do that. Let them go explore and have fun. Good place to watch airplanes arriving/leaving Logan Airport.
Fun times exploring one of Boston's Island. Pack a lunch, and get the boat to Thompson Island.
A New England classic, watch the reenactment of the Minuteman in Lexington and Concord.
Enjoy some of the Halloween adventure in Witch Country. The children will have fun dressing up in costume and enjoying the festivities in downtown Salem. Visit in early October for smaller crowds.
Drive in movie theaters are getting rare, and the one in Mendon is really nice. Get some popcorn, and have a nice evening watching a movie.
The Hurricane Simulator at the Ecotarium is a pretty cool experience for a preschooler.
Do you know of any other places that I take my daughter in Boston to have a memorable childhood? Let me know!
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New Back Bay Video Display
March 22, 2016 by cryan.com
Today I noticed a new video display above the Track 5/7 Commuter Rail station exit way:
The number 5 and 7 tracks are for the Framingham/Worcester base trains at the Back Bay train station. The exit takes riders on the other side of Dartmouth Street. The exit is right next to the Copley Place Mall.
The MBTA also replaced the old 'Back Bay' sign and clearly indicated that this is not an entrance way. I have noticed that the door downstairs has been closed on a number of occasions which prevents commuters from entering the tracks from the exit door.
The video display was probably put in sometime during the past weekend. (I go by this exit every day and today it was the first time it caught my eye.)
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Happy Evacuation Day!
March 17, 2016 by cryan.com
On this day in 1901, the City of Boston officially celebrated Evacuation Day for the first time. This is the description in the Massachusetts record on how the sitting governor should handle March 17 every year, it was officially enacted in law in 1941:
Massachusetts General Laws, Part I, Title II, Chapter 6, Section 12k
Section 12K. The governor shall annually issue a proclamation setting apart March seventeenth as Evacuation Day and recommending that it be observed by the people with appropriate exercises in the public schools and otherwise, as he may see fit, to the end that the first major military victory in the war for American independence, namely, the evacuation of Boston by the British, may be perpetuated.
The True Meaning of Evacuation Day
During the Revolutionary War, General Washington was struggling to outsmart British General Gage, whose troops had occupied Boston since 1768. On the pre-dawn hours of March 17, 1776, Washington's Troops, made a strategic move to gain control of Dorchester Heights in South Boston which overlooked the entire British fleet. Colonel Henry Knox's troops had recently transported cannons they captured from Fort Ticonderoga in New York and transported them to Boston. On the morning of March 17, the British awoke to find the cannons aimed straight at them. The British were forced to evacuated their perch a few days later. This was a turning point in the war.
How did Evacuation Day become a Boston Holiday?
Boston Pilot and the Eliot School rebellion
The earliest mention of making March 17 an Evacuation Day holiday came in 1859. That's when the Boston Pilot suggested it during the Eliot School incident (Eliot School rebellion).
This was when Thomas J. Whall, a Catholic, refused to recite the Protestant version of the Ten Commandments. As a result, of his refusal, he was suspended from school. The Boston Pilot, which led the fight for the young Whall, was was looking for more fuel to the fire. In 1859, it noted the eighty-third anniversary of the British leaving Boston on March 17, 1776, and posed the rhetorical question as to why Bostonians hadn't yet celebrated Evacuation Day. Everyone knew the reason: Evacuation Day happened to fall on Saint Patrick's Day. The Pilot added:
Irish Boston: A Lively Look at Boston's Colorful Irish Past -
The expulsion of the battalion of England from Boston was not a 'Know Nothing' achievement; not would the sentiments of those who accomplished it harmonize with the sentiments of that party.
Dorchester Heights Monument
Additionally interest later came when construction of the Dorchester Heights Monument was being built.
In the later half of 19th Century, the hills around Dorchester Heights were getting smaller due to excavation. In 1898, the General Court of Massachusetts commissioned a monument to stand on the hill of the Heights. Designed by the architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns, the white marble Georgian revival tower commemorates the 1776 victory. Shortly after the construction was completed was when the City of Boston started celebrating Evacuation Day.
Becomes Law in 1941
In 1941 state representatives Thomas Coyne and Michael Cusik managed to make it a legal holiday in Suffolk County, which includes Boston, Chelsea, and Winthrop.
Every year there is some Massachusetts legislator who will file a bill to eliminate the holiday as it serves very little purpose. Opponents argue that it cost the city too much money in holiday pay. Proponents argue that it was a critical point during the Revolutionary War that should always be remembered.
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Prudential Tower Time Capsule
March 10, 2016 by cryan.com
The Prudential Tower is the second tallest building in Boston standing at 748 feet. The building was constructed over an old rail yard and the Massachusetts Turnpike during the 1960s. It cost the Prudential Company $150 million to build. (In today's dollars it would be $1,128,171,428.57.)
The Prudential Center grand opening was held during Patriots Day weekend in 1965 (April 17-19). It was the first time that New Englanders would be able to go into the tallest building outside of New York city. According to news reports at the time, about 35,000 people came to the celebration.
As part of the grand opening celebration a time capsule was sealed in the north lobby of the Prudential Tower. The time capsule was sealed by British Consul General John N. O. Curle, O.V.S, and Prudential Senior Vice President Thomas Allsopp, with the help of construction workers Archie Langham, Charlie Ablondai, and Brian O'Rourke. The time capsule was sealed at 10 a.m on April 19th, 1965.
The time capsule was to be open ten years later - April 19, 1975. Which is the 200 anniversary of the famous Paul Revere Ride and the 100 anniversary of the Prudential Company. The time capsule was protected by a 350-pound bronze plaque displaying an actual piece of the Rock of Gibraltar.
The time capsule contained microfilmed pages from more than 200 New England newspapers, audiotapes of radio and TV editorial forecasts and editorial relating to Boston 1975. There were letters from by authorities in government, education, the arts, and sciences. In addition, there was a brochure of The Prudential Center as well other items from the opening weekend.
A picture of the contents of time capsule was posted on insuringthecity.wordpress.com website.
There is no indication of what happened at the Prudential Center on April 19, 1975. There's nothing to suggest that the time capsule was actually removed and opened. I checked various media sources and verified that there is no mention of that particular time capsule after April 1965.
What has become of the time capsule and the contents? I still don't know, I am still investigating. If I can get a copy of the audio recordings, I'll be sure to play it with my readers.
Some additional information that I found:
Patriots Day and Easter fell on the same weekend in 1965. That will happen again in 2017.
On April 19, 1965, Gordon Moore published the famous article "Cramming more components onto integrated circuits' in Electronics magazine. Moore projected that over the next ten years the number of components per chip would double every 12 months. By 1975, he turned out to be right, and the doubling became immortalized as Moore's law.
More than 60,000 people per day visit Prudential Center, making it one of the most popular places to visit in Boston.
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Prudential Preferred Shopper Card
March 3, 2016 by cryan.com
The Prudential Shopping Center features 65 world-class retailers, 21 distinctive dining options, 3 top Boston attractions and 1 Boston icon. A great place to visit and an awesome place to visit when working nearby.
If your one of those that work near the Prudential Shopping Center, you should consider getting their Preferred Shopper Card. It's a reward card that saves you money at many stores around the Prudential Shopping center. The card is free and available at the center court Information desk. Simply sign up for the card by giving them your name and email address.
This year card contains deals from 36 vendors around the Prudential Shopping Center. There are fewer deals than past years because much of the mall is under construction for some new stores. I still found some good deals with the card:
- 10% off when you eat at 5 Napkin Burger
- 10% off toys at Magic Bean
- 20% off Merchandise at Boston Duck Tours
- Free gift with Purchase at Microsoft
Past years savings featured awesome deals from Paradise Bakery where you were able to get two cookies for the price of one. That made for the great afternoon snack! Sadly they are no longer at the mall because the food court is now closed.
I would recommend picking up the Preferred Shopper Card and see all the available deals today. You never know when you at the Prudential and can use the card to save some money.
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Copley Place Construction
February 25, 2016 by cryan.com
Does your morning commute consists of walking by the 'SW Corridor Path' near Copley Place? Wondering what's the deal with all the construction site fences? You'll be happy to know that, some change is coming. There are two separate projects that are going on.
Project One - Fix Wall Damage
A group of engineers are in the early stages fixing a hole in the wall from a cement truck accident on March 21, 2014.
Around noon time, a cement truck rolled over on the exit 22 ramp from the Mass Turnpike inside the Prudential Tunnel. The truck crashed into the wall of the tunnel, knocking bricks out of a section of the Copley Mall.
Immediately after the crash a tarp was put over the hole and a short time later the bricks were removed. When you drove through the tunnel it looked very strange to see the light shine through the tarp.
The Massachusetts Turnpike has finally gotten around to fixing the wall. This fix will cost the cement truck insurance company, at least, $20,000.
The only good thing out of that accident was the natural lighting in the dark tunnel. Looks like the construction isn't going to shed new light into the tunnel.
Project Two - Upgrading the Copley Place Entrance
The major construction change in this area is the redesign of the Copley Place Dartmouth Street entrance to be more handicap accessible. Check out the artist rendering with how it looks today to what it will look like:
This entrance redesign is estimated to cost Copley Place $9.2 million dollars. The existing mall entrance will be demolished. So MBTA commuters that use this entrance will have to find alternative ways to get into the mall.
This is a popular route that many Back Bay commuters use to get to work. Those that go this way will tell all about the constant escalator breakdown. When this happens, escalator is blocked and there's a long line of people grumbling there way up 45 steps up to Copley Place.
This past Wednesday, the MBTA send out this text alert to commuters:
The underpath is a quick way for commuters to get from Copley Place to the Orange Line. This is very convenient way to get to the Back Bay station when it's raining or snowing outside.
Check back here for an additional post on the big changes going on at Copley Place.
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Signs of Spring in Boston
February 18, 2016 by cryan.com
It's been really cold this week in the Boston area. We are certainly feeling the brunt of the winter season. On Valentine's Day, the weather was very cold that it felt like minus 26 in MetroWest.
Most Bostonians has had enough of the winter and looking some signs of Spring. One good sign is that the Red Sox equipment truck has left for Florida. Pitcher and Catchers report in a few days.
If you're looking for a place to see the first flowers of Spring, I would recommend heading over to St Botolph Street sometime around the third week of March.
Last year, on the first day of Spring, I captured this photo of a blooming Crocus:
It turns out that this was one of the first flowers to spring up during last year's terrible winter. My picture even made it to several online media outlets like this one:
Here's the location of where you can check to see the first signs of Spring. It's near the intersection of Garrison Street and St Botolph Street, just a few blocks from Copley Place:
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Back Bay Buildings
February 11, 2016 by cryan.com
I started working in the back bay Boston back in September 2011. The area has changed a lot since then. Here is a picture that I took from the 16th floor of the Christian Science Center administration building.
Here's the same picture today from the 14th floor:
Some of the notable differences between the two photos:
- We can no longer see the landmark Citgo sign because of the 24 story Berkley building at 168 Massachusetts Ave. Construction started in late 2011 and was completed by the fall semester in 2013. Many maps showed that a McDonalds was at this location. The property was owned by the First Church of Christ, Scientist.
- The parking lot on Belvedere Street is gone. Replaced by "30 Dalton Street." This new 26-story residential tower located near the Christian Science Center Plaza in Boston will feature 218 luxury rental units, below grade parking for up to 21 cars, and a ground floor retail space facing Belvidere Street. New residences will be able to move in this summer.
- The small park in front of the parking lot is also gone. This is the site of "One Dalton Street", the 699-foot tower that will become Boston's tallest residential building.
- According to the "One Dalton Street" construction schedule, I won't be able to see the "30 Dalton Street." building by labor day this year.
I wasn't able to take a picture from the same spot since our company expanded to other floors in the building.
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Dunkin Donuts vs Starbucks in Boston
February 4, 2016 by cryan.com
Today I was surprised to learn that in Suffolk County, Boston Proper, there are 85 Dunkin Donuts and 47 Starbucks. I thought that there would be lot more Dunkin Donuts in Downtown Boston.
I used Suffolk County as my location target because it covers all of the Downtown Boston areas. There are a few interesting things I learn along the way....
Dunkin Donuts closest to each other
Technically the two closest Dunkin Donuts shops are located in the Back Bay Commuter rail station. There is a regular Dunkin Donuts on one side of the station and an express on the other side of the station. Both are extremely busy in the mornings.
Aside from that, the next two locations is a close tie between the stores on the corner of Bowdoin Street and the stores on Stuart Street and Charles Street. It looks like the Dunkin Donuts on Bowdoin Street wins by a slight margin.
I haven't been up to Bowdoin Street in a long time, but I recall that Duck-Boat operators' often refers to one of the coffee shops as "the only place in town where you can get a cappuccino and sushi at once." Not a good combination, in my option.
Starbucks closest to each other
The two closest Starbucks shops are the shop on Dartmouth Street and the one in Copley Place. In fact, when your sitting at the table in Copley Place you can see the store on Dartmouth Street.
The Starbucks on Dartmouth Street is right next to the FedEx office. The other one isn't in the Copley Place but in the lobby of the Westin Copley Place. The easiest way to get there is to enter Copley Place and then take the pedestrian bridge over Stuart Street towards Westin Copley Place. You'll see it after you get off the pedestrian bridge. This is a real Starbucks since you can get all the drinks and food, and they sell Starbucks gift cards.
Shortest Walk between a Dunkin and Starbucks
With Boston having such a diverse mix of Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, it got me wondering, what is the closest you have to walk to get from one store to another?
You don't have to walk too far if you want a glazed donut from Dunkin and a Triple, Venti, Half Sweet, Non-Fat, Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks in the Back bay. The two establishments on Massachusetts Ave are practically next to each other, separated only by Haviland Street.
I am pretty sure that you won't find any place else in the country where a Starbucks and Dunkin are closer than they are on Massachusetts Ave.
Do you know of an even closer Dunkin/Starbucks? Send me an email with a picture. Small express stores don't count, they both should offer the full menu to qualify.
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