Tag Archives: Boston

‘Twas Two Nights Before Christmas

architecture, Beacon Hill, Christmas, massachusetts, New England, winter, , , , , , ,
Two days before Christmas, the temperatures soared to the high forties, almost fifties, in Massachusetts, and the sun came out.  So, Yang and I hopped in the car, determined to take advantage of the improved weather to go a-strolling in Boston.  We parked in the the South End and headed for Beacon Hill.  Along the way, we discovered a new street with some wonderful old buildings.
They weren’t Brownstones but brick and wood.  Lovely, at least on the outside, rows of attached buildings.  We were particularly taken by the carved heads that adorned the outside walls.  Several of the house on the opposite side of the street had a woman’s head over the lintel.  Well, not an ACTUAL woman’s head.  Only a carved one.  These houses, on our side of the street had the carved heads of an Elizabethan, even Shakespearean guy and an eighteenth-century head.  Voltaire?

We had a lovely walk through the Beacon Hill section where we enjoyed the beautiful holiday decorations of greenery in the bleak (well, not so bleak today) mid-winter.  Yang took a picture of this courtyard, done up nicely.  It is also notable because, in the past, it was decorated as a Halloween extravaganza for Beacon Hill’s celebration of that holiday.  Dinner was at Tatte, on Charles Street.  I love walking down Charles Street in the holidays, with it’s neat shops and cafes, all decorated in greenery and old-fashioned Christmas imagery.
Lastly, as the sun had just set, we crossed the Boston Common to get to the Downtown Crossing and take a subway back to our car.  Yang took some wonderful pictures of the skyscrapers and Christmas lights in the trees glowing against the falling night and the fading sun.

 

So long, after  four hours of walking – ouch those knees!  It’s home to a heating pad and Bengay for me – but it was well worth it!

 

Halloween on Beacon Hill

Autumn, Beacon Hill, Fall, Halloween, Hallpween Decorations, Trick or Treating, , , , , ,

This year, like many others, we went to Beacon Hill in Boston for Halloween.  I don’t know how many years the residents have been celebrating with elaborate, creative, undeniably SCARY decorations, but we have been enjoying their eerie creative edeavors for  close to ten years.  This year was, Wait For IT! – SPOOKTACULAR!  BeaconHill7Forgive my channeling Shawn and Gus from Psych.

 

 

 

The picture above doesn’t give you an idea of how packed the streets are with people of all ages, most in some form of costume.  You wouldn’t believe all the Imperial Troopers, Princess Leias, Spocks, robots, zombies, witches, vampires, Stay Puff Marshmallow Men, etc. we saw. The picture below gives you a better idea.

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That’s me in the gold coat and a sparkly green witch-hat fascinator.  The little kid in the tiger costume was too quick – I couldn’t take a snatch at her candy bag – Heh, heh, heh!

 

People also elaborately, artistically carved pumpkins.  Here are some of my favorites.BeaconHill8

You never knew what you’d see peering out a window

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or climbing out grates:

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arms, legs, projections of ghosts and zombie.BeaconHill12

 

 

 

 

 

All that tramping around worlds of terror BeaconHill5requires a moment to relax my tootsies.  I hope that hand coming out the window isn’t going to push me off the steps!  Or worse, grab something out of my wallet.

 

The prime display was in a courtyard between two buildings.  You need to stand in line to get in and look around.  BeaconHill9This family has projections on the walls, fake fog, human-sized creepy mannequins, and folks dressed in scary rat costumes (including one “caught” in a giant rat trap!)  Natasha and Rosalind would have been terrified! BeaconHill10These folks even give candy to adults!  Unfortunately, this was the last year they will be doing the super display.  Will someone else be able to “resurrect” such creative horror?

 

People giving out candy also get into the “spirit,” with elaborate costumes.  You see witches, mad scientists, zombies.  One year, a woman was Cruella Deville.BeaconHill14I love this woman’s Snow Queen or Fairy Queen ensemble – complete with a matching (real live!) poodle on her lap! She was kind enough to let us take her picture – and her dog agreed, too.

At the end of this journey into terror, we bopped down the street to our favorite restaurant Caffe Bella Vita.  It was fun seeing all the folks, young and old, pass by the window, some greeting Yang and I with mock threats of horror, while we returned the favor by responding with playful terror.  BeaconHill13As usual, Yang finished off my sandwich – my chai was all mine, though!  How do you like my little green fascinator? Can you see Yang reflected in the mirror, taking the picture?

 

 

At the end of the evening, we turned to a designated driver we found onBeaconHill1 Beacon Hill to get us home.  As the Three Stooges would say, “Nyaaaaaaahhhhh!”