Boston

[tgtaylor]

Hi all,

I will be in the Boston area on a business trip from Saturday, 16 March to the following Friday (the 21st) and will be bringing an F6 and P645NII to do some photography when not working. What's some good subject matter? I like historic architecture, street, scenic...just about anything that's “photogenic.” I have to work during the day until around 3ish and will have the rest of the day and evening to pursue my photographic interests. The hotel is in Danvers and I plan to spend Wednesday and Thursday visiting the seafood producers in New Bedford. Any tips are greatly appreciated and would be available to meet with other forum members from the area.

Thanks,

Thomas

[diversey]

I know Trinity Church is beautiful and photogenic. David

[JWebb]

From Danvers you have pretty good access to the North Shore. Marblehead's old town is very photogenic and right on the water, There is one home whose corner was cut under to allow the kings coach to pas through. Also in Abbots Hall is the original painting "Spirit of 76". Very narrow streets with numerous homes from the 1700's. Going north on 128 is Gloucester and just a little further is Rockport. Rockport is touristy but it is still very scenic and at that time of year will probably not be crowded. Since your in Danvers stop by Bill & Bobs or Nicks for one of the best Roast Beef Sandwiches you'll ever have.

[jnantz]

there is a sea of 19thcentury
textile mill architrcture in NB and in fall river
might be a bit sketchy
scenics along the charles river ( both cambridge and boston sides )
and an abundance of houses, brownstones, townhouses and fun architrcture
on beacon hill / back bay. there used to be a brick walk called the freedom trail
that would bring you around boston, the north end , quincy market / haymarket
( farmers market on friday and saturday in the am )
for revolutionarry war sorts of stuff ( kings chapel old north church &c )
if you like newish architecture there is a bunch of it there too
tall glass and steel buildings, a facadectamy on state street where they kept the facade of an old building
and built a skyscraper behind it .... chinatown/ midtown cultural district / combst zone isnt dangerous anymore and offers nice streetscapes and buildings and street photography too

have a nice trip!

[Winger]

JWebb and jnanian have good ideas. I'll add that Salem isn't far either and does have neat cemeteries and architecture as well as being on the water (not sure how many boats are in the harbor this winter, but it might still look cool). There's also a museum ( http://www.pem.org - Peabody Essex Museum) if the weather is not great for wandering around. Well, and all the kitschy museums about the witch trials (some are more accurate than others).
In Boston, there are some good scenic buildings near the harbor, such as Rowes Wharf. It's really difficult, imo, to not find something worth shooting along most of eastern Massachusetts.

[Ray Drueke]

Hi,

About New Bedford - during the whaling times it had the highest per capita income in the world! Architecture, large homes etc, from that period reflect that. The Whaling Museum and surrounding neighborhood is very photogenic, including cobblestone streets and the Seamen's Bethel on Johnny Cake Hill.

New Bedford is still a fishing port and the harbor is home to many working boats in port because of catch restrictions. Lots of opportunities there as well.

PM me and maybe we can meet up if the weather is decent either Wednesday or Thursday. I'll shoot some film with you but it probably would be 35mm or MF. Not comfortable with the 4x5 outside in less than ideal weather yet.

Ray.

[jnantz]

new bedford has some beautiful streetscapes and architecture,
but after the sun goes down be careful because the drug trade ( and violence )
seems to have taken over the whaling and textile industries
> tried to cut and paste google search of new bedford drug but my browser wouldnt let me <

have a nice ( and safe ) trip

john



Hi,

About New Bedford - during the whaling times it had the highest per capita income in the world! Architecture, large homes etc, from that period reflect that. The Whaling Museum and surrounding neighborhood is very photogenic, including cobblestone streets and the Seamen's Bethel on Johnny Cake Hill.

New Bedford is still a fishing port and the harbor is home to many working boats in port because of catch restrictions. Lots of opportunities there as well.

PM me and maybe we can meet up if the weather is decent either Wednesday or Thursday. I'll shoot some film with you but it probably would be 35mm or MF. Not comfortable with the 4x5 outside in less than ideal weather yet.

Ray.

[tgtaylor]

Thanks for the replies everyone - very informative! Looks like I'll have far more subject matter than I can possibly cover in a week :cool: I arrive at Logan about 5pm Saturday afternoon and by the time I get the car and check into the hotel in Danvers, it will be time to head out with the cameras. Since Salem is near Danvers, I'll start there.

It anyone would like to meetup for coffee or a little photography while I'm there, PM me. Ray, I just sent you a PM. See you over there.

Thomas

[Jim Andrada]

Hi Thomas

Beacon hill is neat - they were going to replace the gas lamps with electric quite a few years ago and the residents chained themselves to the lamps - so the city changed course and kept all the gas lamps and they're still there today. The old State House in downtown built in 1713 has a gilded lion and unicorn. The Harvard residence halls along the Charles River are worth a look as is Massachusetts Hall in Harvard Yard (1718)

A spot most would miss is the Mt Auburn Cemetery just west of Harvard. Just leave the Square on Mt Auburn St and the main entrance will be on your left about 2 miles out. Some amazing statuary and well worth the time. The Audubon Society had keys to the gate for bird watching. There are a couple of small ponds with crypts set into the surrounding small hills - very Edgar Alan Poe-ish on a foggy morning. Somewhere there's a family plot with a glass dog house inside of which is a life-sized statue of the family dog. Some well know monuments - Nathaniel Bowditch of navigation fame, Mary Baker Eddy who founded Christian Science, has a large memorial and there was a phone installed in the crypt because she had an expressed fear of being buried alive - or so the story goes. Another really interesting thing , although they won't let you carry anything in, is a 40 foot or so stained glass globe with all the countries as of around 1914 represented by stained glass with a glass bridge so you can walk though the center of the earth so to speak. Located at the Christian Science mother church on Mass Ave near Symphony Hall.

Plenty of traditional white New England churches in Concord/Lexington and lots of small old cemeteries scattered about here and there. The grounds of the DeCordova museum in Lincoln always have interesting modern sculptures on exhibit and they never seemed to mind when I set up a 5 x 7 to photograph them decades ago.

Rockport is touristy but interesting and you can have a shot at photographing the red lobster shack made famous by being the subject of zillions of paintings and photos - google "Motif No. 1". Gloucester and Bass Rocks area are good if the surf is up.

I second Trinity Church in Copley Sq/Back Bay area. When they excavated for the 60-some story John Hancock tower nearby the water table dropped and since the church was built without any structural steel (except one small I-beam that supports a stairway) and sits atop several thousand wood pilings that were in danger of rotting when the tops dried out there was quite a huge flap and they installed huge pumps to continually keep the pilings wet. The Hancock Tower was the first mirrored glass building in Boston and the 5 by 11 panes of glass started to fracture and fall out onto the street below so they had to replace all 11 thousand of them after construction was complete. I worked across the street from the tower and somewhere I have a box full of glass shards that I refer to as Hancock Crystal.

I don't know if the boats are running yet, but in season you can got to some of the harbor islands and get good skyline shots of the city.

Great area - have fun. I'm in your neck of the woods today, in San Jose for meetings tomorrow and Tuesday then off to Raleigh and back to the desert. I'll be meeting up with my clients from Tokyo later today. No Acros this time, just 100 sheets of 5 x 7 Provia.

[jp]

From the perspective of a Mainer, there are two reasons to go to New Bedford; you're a fisherman who has to, or you are a drug dealer needing a resupply. Boston is New England only for historical and pro sports reasons but is otherwise avoided by most New Englanders. Sort of like Upstate New York is different than the city of the same name. Back to Boston. Plenty of architecture and history there. Great colleges and science museum. A short drive to the west is Worcester which has an amazing art museum if you have time. Gloucester and Rockport and decent visits. I haven't been there but would like to visit Walden Pond, the Larz Anderson auto museum, and the Collings foundation in stow (closed this time of year)

[JWebb]

With a 5pm arrival at Logan it will probably be dark by the time you get to Danvers.

With that said Salem would be a good starting point, Salem was also famous for its Maritime trade and was once one of the largest cities in the country. Number of the homes of the prosperous captains can be seen on Essex Street. It's been a number of years since I returned in 2006 (lived in Marblehead through the 60"s) but at that time there was a tall ship "Friendship" that was either being rebuilt or a replica in progress. Also down about a block was the House of Seven Gables built back in 1668.

Have a great time. Although I left that area back in 72, the North Shore is still is one of my favorite places.

[Nathan Potter]

If you are in Danvers, Salem makes good sense for the 17th and 18th century architecture. Also as Winger suggested the Peabody Essex museum is one of the best small museums in the country. The artifacts collected by the whaling trade are phenominal, especially the northwest indian art that is extensively on display. A fully reconstructed house from China has been completely rebuilt within the museum walls, including the chairman Mao posters, and is a great visit. The museum restaurant is first rate elegance.

Another place nearby that I like is Cranes beach and neck, in Ipswich, for images of dunes and seaside plants.

On the north shore and on the Merrimac River you'll find the massive array of old mills at Lawrence and Lowell MA. that are worth photographing for the archtecture; if that is your persuasion.

Too much good stuff around there.

Nate Potter, Austin TX.

[StoneNYC]

You should post to this thread

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?t=111738

[Winger]

While the DeCordova in Lincoln is great and the grounds are fun to wander through, they started charging admission (gatehouse on the road into the property) a few years ago. There are some nice New Englandy-type scenes on the roads near there, too.

Some pretty good museums in Boston, too, but not quick to go through.

I was only in New Bedford for work and did notice some cool looking buildings (old mills and such), but would never have gone there to photograph without an armed escort. The fact that I was there for work more than frequently was enough of a clue for me (forensic chemist for the MSP). Guess it hasn't changed since I left.

FWIW, Rockport, MA was always a good place to shoot for me. There's "motif #1", nice harbor, and some really cute stores.

While there's plenty in eastern mainland MA, what I miss the most is the Cape. There's this little salt marsh near Falmouth (off Sippewisset) that I really want to wander around in.

[tgtaylor]

Thanks again for everyone's replies. I'm really looking forward to this trip!

Thomas

[Jim Andrada]

When I was a kid (1940's) our next door neighbors had a Summer place on the Cape in North Truro, It was really ON the beach - step off the porch onto the sand kind of thing. In that era a Summer place was often a little cottage with a sitting area, a kitchenette and two small bedrooms maybe 9 by 10 feet each. Maybe 500 sq ft total. Pretty basic and great fun with a freezing cold shower on a post near the porch to wash the sand off. And the water hadn't yet been polluted and you could dig clams and actually eat them without dying of some horrible disease. The flip side of course was that antibiotics were not common and every year a classmate or two died of some REALLY horrible disease that modern kids only read about in history books - if anyone still reads books that is. No TV in the cottage but then again there wasn't any TV anywhere yet so you didn't miss it.

[StoneNYC]

When I was a kid (1940's) our next door neighbors had a Summer place on the Cape in North Truro, It was really ON the beach - step off the porch onto the sand kind of thing. In that era a Summer place was often a little cottage with a sitting area, a kitchenette and two small bedrooms maybe 9 by 10 feet each. Maybe 500 sq ft total. Pretty basic and great fun with a freezing cold shower on a post near the porch to wash the sand off. And the water hadn't yet been polluted and you could dig clams and actually eat them without dying of some horrible disease. The flip side of course was that antibiotics were not common and every year a classmate or two died of some REALLY horrible disease that modern kids only read about in history books - if anyone still reads books that is. No TV in the cottage but then again there wasn't any TV anywhere yet so you didn't miss it.

When I was a kid (1990's) my mom and her sister used to rent a cabin and her kid, husband, my mom, me would all stay together in a tiny place on a road made of sand, same size, no TV, outside shower (but we had hot water as well as cold thank goodness!) to wash the sand off etc. None of my classmates died, and life wasn't too bad... Not sure the point of this, except I think there are certain places like the cape, where life is just better, if only for 1 week (or the summer if you're that lucky).

[Noah B]

If you've got some time stop by the north end, (haymarket, north station T stop). It's little italy and the architecture is amazing, it's a jump back in time. The molasses flood happened there too. The cape is one of my favorite parts of Mass, and Gloucester/Rockport area is really nice as well. As far as galleries go the griffin museum, ICA, MFA are decent. There are some smaller galleries in the south end like kayafus etc. which have a variety of shows up. I have some pals that run kijidome, another independent art space. Concord/Lexington is a great area with Minuteman Historical Park and Walden Pond. If you're into US history its really neat to explore, but more than likely there's still snow all over the place, there was last weekend.

[Jim Andrada]

I was going to recommend the North End as well, but it's become so Yuppified that I hesitated. I remember when you really needed to speak Italian if you wanted to talk to half the people who lived there and whole lambs hung out over the street around Easter time. And downstairs Faneiul Hall was full of hanging sides of beef, complete with flies. Last time I stopped by Haymarket a few years back the pushcarts were still there in force and I think still are - might be an interesting area for a photo or two. My favorite spot used to be Chelsea before the 1973 fire that burned down a couple of dozen city blocks. A bit dicey in some ways, it was where all the scrap dealers were concentrated and a gold mine of LF photo opportunities.

[tgtaylor]

I'm here! The wind is colder than a witches tit! Speaking of which I'll be photographing tonight in Salem. I'll post more later but have to go to work. I'm here for the Boston Seafood Show. Send me a PM if you would like to meet up.

Thomas

[Jim Andrada]

Hi Thomas

Have fun. If you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change. Old Boston proverb. Besides, the wind in SF during the Summer isn't exactly balmy either!

Talk of seafood is making me hungry. Two places in Boston I like (more importantly, my wife likes them too). Atlantic Fish on Boylston near Copley Sq and the new Legal Seafoods Harborside place on Northern Ave. I'm not a fan of Legal in general, but their new place is quite good. Name comes from their original restaurant near the courthouse in Cambridge as I recall.

[tgtaylor]

Having a great time looking for images! Yesterday after work visited Gloucester and Rockport. Headed down to Boston t walk nd shoot the Independence (?) trail. I've extended y stay and am now returning on Tuesday - apparently just in time as, as Jim stated above the weather which has generally been good so far if at times cold, a major storm with be rolling in from the with south on Wednesday bringing tropical winds and heavy snow/rain. Got 3- 1/2 days left to shoot!

Thomas

[Jim Andrada]

Hi Thomas

Sounds like you're enjoying yourself. Post some of your pics when you get a chane.

[tgtaylor]

It's a beautiful cloudless day but a tad on the cold side with temperatures in the teens and HE wind 10-20.I'm on my way to Fall River which I haven't seen yet. I was there Friday afternoon calling on 2 seafood processors which I barely made the appointments (they were in a hidden location but luckily within a couple of hundred metres apart) after which I met up with Ray for photography, dinner, and a film on Vivian Maier in Newport, RI. Did the Boston Harbor Walk down to South Boston ("Southie") yesterday. Interesting historically but not as "scenic" as Gloucester or New Bedford, and then drove out to Nantucket Beach where I took a sunset shot of DT Boston across the harbor with the F6 and Porta 160. An 85km lens is the longest lens that I brought (150mm for the 645) and the sun was setting to the left of city skyline where most of the color was.

Commute traffic should be easing up - gotta go.

Thomas

[tgtaylor]

Made it all the way to the tip of Cape Cod where I hiked 2 miles out to the lighthouse to take its picture. It's an active CG station but you can rent the lighthouse keepers house which is a large 2 story structure. On my way to Trinity church and Chinatown and then to the airport.

Thomas