Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Glimpses of Boston

Raindrops on my face, gentle and refreshing - Boston welcomed us thus! I was there attending ISBI '09. The old-style streetlights, the pretty churches, the breezy banks of the Charles - I loved it all - the looks and the feel! Harvard Square was particularly fascinating - warm and busy, with a wealth of bookstores.
The rains haunted us every now and then. I loved it because it got me reminiscent me of Calcutta monsoons, especially as we scampered toward the T (local subway) hiding underneath umbrellas. :-) And when we were atop the 50th floor of the Prudential Tower for the conference reception, thanks to the thick clouds, we completely missed the city view! Alas, the caprices of Boston weather!


The Charles was magnificent, by day and by night. And, on the fourth of July, it was ablaze with many hues. The fireworks were splendid, and we went bonkers - the 9-year-old, the 17-year-old, and I. :-)
Newport, RI, was gorgeous with stately old mansions lining the shore and moving curtains of fog grazing the landscape. Together, we spent some quality family time and had some delectable Bengali food (thanks to Bandana Mashi.) And to top it off, I got to shop tax-free in NH and MA (ladies, are you listening?). :D
I'd like to share with all some of my favorite photos from the trip. That's me in front of the Trinity Church. (Photo courtesy: Q)

The Prudential Tower at night.

A lady playing our national anthem on Benjamin Franklin's glass harmonica on Harvard Square.

The foggy waters at Newport and the mansions along the shore.

The 9-year-old's masterpiece - his rendition of our Fourth of July experience (The artist himself being jetted out of a ship's chimney, his posterior in flames, the 17-year-old a.k.a. "good lord" rowing a boat on the Charles, valiant and unperturbed, and yours truly, "a.k.a. I don't know her name," emerging from the fireworks.)

And, here's what it actually was like. :-)

Also (courtesy: D), here's a video clip of the fireworks as seen from Cambridge. Enjoy!




5 comments:

  1. kachhu bolne ke liye nahin bacha hai :P
    (bol bol ke bore ho gaye)

    'our' national anthem == US (right?)

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  2. Duhh, she played 'Jana gana mana'. She claimed she could play _any_ national anthem!

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  3. I remember that lady from Harvard Square. She is quite the talent - I remember asking her to play some random songs which she did ofcourse! Looks like you had a fun trip. Boston is always cool because it is young and lively.

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  4. Nice blog Senior!

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  5. Great pics! Love the one of you that Q took. Looks like you had a blast!

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