Hello Boston!

We arrived in Boston Harbor on September 14 and sailed to the Boston Islands for a couple days before heading into the city. There are 34 Boston Islands, all state and national parks, some accessible by ferries from downtown, some with designated mooring fields for private boats. The islands vary significantly, some just a spit of land with some brush and trees, some with forested hiking trails and public beaches, some are off-limits due to erosion, and one, George’s Island, is home to Fort Warren, dating back to the American Civil War.

We arrived on a day with strong wind from the west and looked for a safe place to anchor or grab a mooring ball. Of all the mooring fields, only Gallup Island has a mooring field protected from westerly winds; ironically, public access to Gallup is prohibited due to erosion. Fortunately, George’s Island is just a short dinghy ride away, so we were able to get out and explore.

With the old fort, George’s Island is a big tourist destination; however, despite having its own mooring field, no private boats are allowed to use the docks. Our only option was to “beach” the dinghy – drive it onto a beach, pull it out of the water enough so that it doesn’t float away with high tide, but also not so far on shore so that it’s impossible to launch during low tide. This is yet another reason to pay very close attention to tides – we got it right this time, not having forgotten the lesson we learned in Lunenberg.

Construction began on Fort Warren in 1833 and was later named for Dr. Joseph Warren, the man who sent Paul Revere on his famous ride. Built to protect Boston, Fort Warren was used as a training facility for Union soldiers as well as a prison camp for captured Confederate officers during the American Civil War. The fort remained active for the Spanish-American War and WWI, reactivated for WWII and finally decommissioned in 1947. Today the fort is open to the public from dawn to dusk, with regular ferry service from Boston. After Labor Day ferry service drops off to only weekends, and since we were visiting on a Thursday, it was just Allen and me, one other visitor and a few parks employees.

Much of the fort is accessible to the public with very few roped off areas, and just a few signs saying things may not be stable and you enter at your own risk. We explored most building interiors, went up spiral staircases with just our phones’ light to show the way, strolled along the seawall and crawled through windows.

Another island not far from George Island, with an interesting history, is Spectacle Island. Spectacle served as Boston’s city dump from 1921-1959. In the 1960’s the dump produced so much methane gas that underground fires would break out and smolder for years. In 1991 Boston city planners began work on the Big Dig, a massive multi-year project designed to reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions in the city by replacing the elevated expressway and moving traffic to underground tunnels. It was completed in 2006 as one of the most expensive projects of this type in world, and displaced over 16 million cubic yards of soil. This soil was brought to Spectacle Island, sealing the old dump and created a beautiful park and ecosystem that is now home to many species of birds, butterflies as well as coyotes, deer and racoons.

After two nights enjoying the solitude of the islands, it was time to go into the city. We were struck by the marine traffic in Boston harbor – knowing Boston is a busy harbor is one thing, but experiencing it is quite another. Ferries, water taxis, ocean-going freighters, Coast Guard vessels, fishing boats, sailboats – non-stop action and non-stop wake rocked us as we motored through to Constitution Marina, where we would spend the next two nights. What also struck us was how beautiful the Boston waterfront was, lovely old buildings mixing perfectly with new, modern structures. Boston also marked a major milestone in our journey with particular significance for me – Roxy Music was playing Boston and a visit from one of my dearest friends, Hilda.

Hilda and I grew up together in Cleveland and have remained good friends for over 50 years. We also share very similar musical taste, with Roxy Music being right up at the top. In mid-August I mentioned in an email to her that I was hoping to get to Boston to see the Roxy Music 50th Anniversary reunion concert on September 17 and she immediately replied – I’ll fly out there if you do! So, the next 3 weeks of itinerary planning revolved around getting to Boston by September 17 – and we did.

Weather could not have been more perfect for a weekend of sightseeing and concert-going – blue skies and sun, comfortable temps to stroll around the city. Boston is a spectacular city, chock full of history, beautiful architecture, parks and harbor. The city has a vibrant vibe, full of young people, tourists and thriving businesses with line-ups for almost every restaurant. Spending time with a life-long friend, exploring one of my fave cities, Roxy Music exceeding expectations, a brunch squeezed in with Brigita B (an old friend and Boston native), left me energized and ready for the next milestone – New York City!