On the banks of Charles

17th - 21st May, 2017

Our team from IIT Kharagpur was going to visit MIT which is in Cambridge, however, our bus tickets were up to Boston - I was highly puzzled at the very first. When I looked it up on the map and read about it, the puzzle was partially solved: Boston and Cambridge are two separate towns on opposite banks of Charles River. It reminded me of Howrah and Kolkata! Nevertheless, who doesn't remember reading about 'Boston Tea Party' in history books in school, despite of having faintly remembered what exactly it was if not, literally, a tea-party! Anyways, we were on-board a double-decker bus from New York City which took us to the South Station Terminus in Boston; and we reached for our designated accommodation with our Indian hosts (presently studying at MIT) in Cambridge by taking the 'subway'.

Looking back

A quick search on the internet revealed that Boston Harbor started as a trading post with colonial settlers in 1630s. Soon, it became the site of many events significant to the history of American Revolution. Harbor activity suffered a blow after the War of 1812 when Boston turned to manufacturing. As the population increased, Boston started filling up the marshes, mud-flats so as to expand its territory. Between 1630 and 1890, the city tripled its area by land reclamation. Even the crown of Beacon Hill was used to this effect! Today, almost 3/4th of the city sits on reclaimed land. Boston has few 'firsts' in the country: first public park (Boston Commons) in 1634, first public school in 1635, and first subway system (Tremont Street Subway) in 1897. In the late 19th Century, there were many attempts towards annexation of Cambridge to the City of Boston, though without success. Thus, Boston and Cambridge stand today as two different cities, probably as rivals, on opposite banks of Charles River.

Walking with History: Boston

A glimpse of the past (set of cards)

The most comprehensive way to get a feel of Boston's history is to take the trolley tour. Tickets were being arranged by the host department at MIT. The conducted tour took us around the historic city-core covering Faneuil Hall, Theater District, Boston Commons, Fenway Park, and even crossed the river to skirt through MIT Campus in Cambridge, only to return to Boston Harbor. Otherwise, 'Freedom Trail' is a walking route marked by red tiles connecting the landmarks spread throughout the historic core.

(from left) Old State House (1713), Custom House (1847), Boston City Hall (1962)

Let me describe few of the landmarks here. Built in 1713, Old State House was the seat of the State General Court till 1798. The 'Declaration of Independence' was proclaimed from this House. Now, the building has been dwarfed by high-rises surrounding it. Located nearby is the Custom House (built in 1847 and 1913) which has a clock tower and is fondly referred to as 'four faced liar' as none of the two faces tell the same time! Further along the 'Freedom Trail' is the heart of Boston - Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Faneuil Hall, built in 1742, has been a public platform which has earned its nickname - 'Cradle of Liberty', since it was from here that people have raised their voices from time to time, such as 'no taxation without representation' while protesting against the oppressive Sugar Act in 1764. Today, the Hall and the triad of three markets - Quincy Market, North and South Markets - together comprise of the most happening place in downtown Boston, particularly for the tourists. Food joints along the corridor inside Quincy Market offer cuisine across the globe, as it used to be when produce from far fetched regions used to be sold in this market years back. The place was crowded with tourists; and magicians and stunts-men presenting their skills.

Quincy Market (outdoors)

Quincy Market (indoors)

Boston Commons (Park)

Boston Commons is to Boston what Central Park is to New York City. Basically, its a city park, what Nehru Park and India Gate grounds is to Delhi. (I wish, Rabindra Sarobar (Dhakuria Lake) in Kolkata could also have earned such an identity for itself.)

The trolley passed through the relatively newer areas: Back Bay and Fenway Park - which have been built on reclaimed lands. A typical old residential building in Back Bay neighborhood will have a long continuous facade in brick with a series of rounded protrusions (Victorian brownstone).  

(From left) Back Bay Station; typical continuous facade; buildings in beige and terracotta

Architecturally, the old and the new live harmoniously in Boston. Glass surfaces in new buildings reflect the old classical architecture. At times, a new construction wrapped in glass will have the front facade capped with an old edifice. Whereas at places, glass and brick are seen to be sandwiched. Such interplay of glass and brick/stone - classical and modern - may be seen throughout the city.

(from left) New reflecting the Old; New capped with the Old; Glass and brick together

Being a city built with migrants, Boston has distinctive cultural quarters, like Italian one and China Town. We could visit the Italian quarter which is famous for its restaurants.

Italian Quarter

After the trolley-ride, we had taken a cruise along the Boston Harbor. The narrator had woven an interesting story-line of how Boston had evolved into its present shape.

Harbor Cruise: our team waiting for the sail; view of the waterfront from the cruise

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Beyond the trolley tour, I had been to Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on recommendation of Saranya-da. Since I had only an hour, I chose to skip the ancient arts section, and jumped to the 'Making Modern' Gallery. I liked the works of few modern American artistes like Charles Sheeler and Stuart Davis. In a painting titled 'On a Shaker Theme' (1956), Sheeler experimented with composite photography by overlaying two photographic negatives with one reversed and a degree smaller. Another painting titled 'View of New York' (1931) reveals Sheeler's move to set aside the identity of a photographer, depicted by an unlit lamp and a covered camera. The descriptive notes placed next to these paintings helped me understand them, and being able to do so, I loved them! Stuart Davis' works were influenced by European Avant Garde style and Cubism. He wrote:

"I don't want people to copy Matisse or Picasso, although it is entirely proper to admit their influence. I don't make paintings like theirs. I make paintings like mine."

(from left) 'On a Shaker Theme' (Sheeler, 1956); 'View of New York' (Sheeler, 1931); 'Apple and Jug' (Davis, 1923)

How to abstract? Sketches by Pablo Picasso over time, 'The Bull' (1945)

From this visit, I learnt how a museum engages with its visitors by constantly rediscovering itself. At the end of a new exhibition on the works of Henry Matisse, there was a shop selling souvenirs. Additionally, children were encouraged to participate in a still-life sketching exercise, inspired by the works which they have just come out seeing. The exhibition helped me get an insight into the life of an artist (Henry Matisse in this case): how he gets influenced by artefacts around him and his collections from places he did visit; and how he evolves over the journey called life.

How a Egyptian curtain finds its place in a painting by Matisse; the ongoing exhibition

Through the exhibition: Gallery; Shop; children sketching still-life at the end

On the way back to Cambridge

Coming out of the Museum, I walked along the streets of Boston; passed through the Symphony Hall, Berklee College of Music. While walking along the Boylston Street, I was thrilled to find a plaque on a shopping center building which read that this is where Rogers Building of MIT stood between 1864 till 1939, before the institute shifted to its present campus in Cambridge - across the river. Another interesting find was a banner put on the Old South Church at Copley Square which read "Love thy (Muslim) neighbor as thyself".  This was encouraging! However, curiously, the word 'Muslim' has been put between a pair of parentheses.

(from left) Trinity Church at Copley Square; Plaque indicating where MIT stood previously; banner on Old South Church

I was also happy to discover public art on the streets of Boston. I was quite thrilled having had identified the mural - 'Spaces of Hope' which I remember having seen in a newspaper article.

(from left) 'Spaces of Hope' mural at Dewey Square; a mural next to Boston Architecture College

It was getting dark, and was time for me to walk back to Cambridge. Cutting through the greens of Boston Commons, around the Lake where ducks were in plenty, walking down the stretch of Beacon Street which is lined up with multi-storied row houses (Brownstone residences), I reached at the foot of Harvard Bridge. Many were going up and down the bridge: few walking, rest taking an easy jog. Crossing over the dark waters, I was home to the land of MIT and Harvard.

Waters of Excellence: Cambridge

Having two World's most prestigious research institutes on its bank - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, Cambridge posits itself as a concentration of  knowledge and wisdom. This probably lends Cambridge a ledge over Boston! 

(Tales from MIT have been compiled in a separate post titled "MIT: down the Infinity Corridor".)

Harvard Square

Harvard Square

Established in 1636, Harvard University is definitely a pilgrimage of higher learning. Ranu had suggested meeting for a breakfast at Harvard Square. While approaching the Square from the MIT end, its presence was being announced by shops selling souvenirs with 'Harvard' labels! Besides that, the node was dotted with numerous cafes - quite a popular destination indeed. Entering through one of the gates into the Old Yard, green lawn surrounded by red-brick buildings with pathways criss-crossing the greens reminded me of Princeton University Campus. It being a semester break, probably, this section of the University Campus seemed to be filled with visitors more than students and faculty. Commencement Ceremony (i.e. annual convocation) being just over in the past week, red flags carrying the University's logo had filled up the scene. On the steps of the Library, I found a fresh graduate posing for a photograph wearing the ceremonial robe, along with the red flag in the background. He was quite anxious to get the right pose. Meanwhile, a visitor-mother approached him if her daughter may stand next to him for a photo; and he was more than happy to pose - after all he is a hero today, in those robes!

Harvard Campus: green lawns and brick-buildings

(from left) Library at Harvard; Proud mother clicking a photo of her daughter with a Hero from Harvard!

Approaching Harvard Art Museum, we had stumbled upon the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts- the only work by master architect Le Corbusier in the USA. I remembered that I have been in love with the idea of a ramp cutting through a building so as to retain the original path used by passers-by crossing the site before the building had come up in 1963. (This is what I remember from a lecture in the undergraduate program; need to verify if this was the architect's intent.) Nonetheless, going up the ramp provides interesting play of light and shade. The ramp led us to the entrance of Harvard Art Museum which had undergone a major renovation under Renzo Piano, completed in 2014. I was amazed to find how beautifully has the architect clubbed both the parts: old and new; both having their distinctive features, yet sit in harmony when placed side by side. The renovated atrium hall clearly reveal the added floors and the roof-cover made in glass.

Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts (1963): model showing the ramp; the exterior

Harvard Art Museum: Old and the New; Atrium with added floors; Glass roof over the Atrium

Red and Green

Red and Green lines are the arteries which bind these two cities settled on the banks of Charles river. Similar to my experience with the subway system in New York City, metro railway in Boston-Cambridge, being very old, is highly 'modern' in appearance; though being indispensable. One way Charlie Ticket (named after a fictional character who gets trapped in Boston Subway) costs 2.75 USD across the network. Red Line trains follow the 'inbound and outbound' convention, with 'inbound' referring to trains headed for downtown in Boston; similar to the 'uptown and downtown' nomenclature followed in New York Subway system. Green Line subway runs underground as well as as a street-car or tram on a dedicated corridor along the road's median.

Red Line

Green Line

Apart from Red and Green, another arteries this university town (Cambridge) runs on are food and frolic joints which are open till late in the night. One of our favorite stops - Clover (an organic veggie gourmet cafe) was open for 24 hours! I was amazed to find this small university town to be awake and active even past midnight! It was much different from the sleepy university town of Darmstadt in Germany where I have lived before.

(from left) Meadhall Restaurant; Clover Cafe; Lafeyette Square filled with people at midnight!

Note: 

I was on a tour to MIT with a team from IIT Kharagpur as part of a joint collaborative planning studio over the Spring Semester in 2017. Thanks to Ashwin Raghavan who hosted us during our four days' stay in Cambridge; took us to places even at midnight! Big thanks to the team at MIT; particularly, Soumya for making the arrangements; Ranu, Cortni, Andrea, Jonars, and Linyi for helping us with the trolley tour.

Weather in Boston-Cambridge had been very funny during our visit. It was sunny the day we reached, and I was wearing only a half-sleeve shirt, even sweating a bit. And, in two days, there were strong winds, and I had to wear two layers of jackets!

Unlike New York City, masses in Boston-Cambridge didn't appear to be highly mixed. Obviously, owing to a large student population, there were pupils who have come across different corners of the World.