Tagged With "Boston Freedom Trail"
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Re: Boston in the fall - suggestions please!
Glad you're traveling again, Mac. Boston is my home town, and October is THE BEST MONTH. Where are you staying in the city? I'd walk the Freedom Trail if you're feeling up to it. Go down to the waterfront. Boston Common and Charles Street are fun places to hang out. Newbury Street is fancy shopping and also has a few fun bistros and coffee shops. The Science Museum is excellent. Plenty of seafood to be had. New England clam chowder is great if you have sweater-weather. Go whale-watching...
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Re: Sea World gives up its killer whale shows
I grow weary of political correctness. Orcas are highly intelligent animals, no doubt -- and have the "cruelty" we expect of intelligent animals (anyone who's seen them hunt a baby gray whale for hours, only to kill it, eat its tongue and let the rest go to waste knows what I mean). I never saw Blackfish, but I do recall at the old Marineland park in Southern California. The park was closed for a number of months, and the orcas got depressed. Listless, didn't eat, didn't look good. Someone...
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Re: The Best Things To Do In Boston
From Logan Airport you can take the Metro into the City. When you've seen enough at the first stop - get back on the Underground system and come up to ground level at the next stop. Repeat as often as time will allow. Great way to spend 8 hours between flights. Only the Bostonian's would drink green beer on Paddy's Day.
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Re: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA: Where Gumbo Was (#226)
It's a great museum! Well worth at least a day when visiting Boston. Thanks, Jonathan.
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Re: Belfast: An Uneasy City
Human conflicts always go deeper than face value. To make sense of each case it's necessary to "Follow the Dollar". Religious Freedom motivates the masses. Financing conflicts produces great wealth for the few.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? 7.5
Originally Posted by PortMoresby: It seems to be "Leopold", a symbolic 1890's photographer, by David Clemons, Higgins Point, Lake Coeur d'Alene in northern Idaho. Well done Port Moresby. However there is a minor point about the location. Higgens Point (yes, this is the correct spelling) is about 0.2 mile southeast of the location of the statue. The statue is actually located on the 34 acre Coeur d'Alene Parkway, a thin strip of park land running along the Centennial Trail for about 1/2 mile...
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Re: How'd We Live Without Travel Apps?
I love Yelp as well, and there is a app called Happy Hours. It shows me restaurants with their own happy hours and happy hour menu. I also like hiking trail apps. Those apps tells me hiking trails in the cities I am traveling in (in the US). I recently tried Wishbeen. It is a web application though. It's a travel planning and sharing web. I like it a lot because it helps me browse travel itineraries made by other travelers, and I can easily modify them for my own trip. It also has a map...
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Re: Wow! Iceland Express successor adds U.S. flights
I really am excited about hearing this.I was a big fan of Iceland Express, so I'm hoping Wow will offer the same consistent low prices to North America as they did.
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Re: Boston's Beautiful Public Garden
It's a great garden and a wonderful place to go for a walk or jog at the end of a summer's day.
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Re: Walking the Freedom Trail in Boston
Must be 15 years since I walked most of your journey through Boston. The mix of old and new buildings are fascinating as you walk the city. Many of the older buildings look like they have shared an architects plan with older buildings here in Liverpool UK. I do find it odd that 5 Bostonians were stoning a single Redcoat then you call them unarmed ! A situation that would bring about the same end results today. I enjoyed your Blog. Thanks.
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Re: Walking the Freedom Trail in Boston
Thanks Gerry. Liverpool is definitely on my list when I get back to the UK. And congratulations on a great 2nd place finish in the EPL.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #40
A lovely little trail of clues and misinformation Karl! Excellent stuff and great fun, thanks. Keep 'em coming.
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Re: Gumbo’s Pic of the Day, January 23, 2015: Postcard from Morocco: A long and winding road...
Mac, your photo reminds me a lot of the Hiram Bingham highway which winds its way up to Machu Picchu. We walked in to Machu Picchu on the Inca trail the first day we were there, but the second morning took the bus up from Agua Calientes. It was definitely a ride to remember.
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Re: Welcome to the town of Dawson City, Yukon
That's the nature of gold boom towns, PHeymont. I believe another gold vein had been found in Alaska near the mouth of the mighty Yukon River, and most of the Klondike prospectors flowed downriver to it. I've been fascinated by the Klondike gold rush since I was a school boy in Canada, reading the writing of Pierre Burton (famous Canadian author, former resident of Dawson City, whose father was one of those who came here during the Klondike Gold Rush and unlike most stayed in Dawson). On the...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? (#39)
PHeymont can be such a tease at times... I'll go out on the limb and suggest these are the "truths" 1) It is a model train set -- very nicely done, by the way 2) It is in a formal display somewhere. Mac said " I have seen reports of some fantastic layouts in Germany". A model trail museum in Europe, possibly Germany? Anyone else have any ideas?
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Re: Banff National Park: Hiking up Tunnel Mountain
I can see why it's such a popular trail! It really is nice to see people enjoying the outdoors.
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Re: Banff National Park: Hiking to Boom Lake
Thanks, GarryRF. Bear attacks are about as common as lightening hitting folks, but it does happen. I've never encountered a bear while hiking except at a distance (could see them across a valley for instance). Here's what you do to be bear safe 1) Follow the park rules. They're very good about placing warnings (eg. trail closed, bear hovering over a carcass) 2) Hike in tight groups of four or more. Bears have never attacked a group of people this large 3) Avoid baby bears. If you see one,...
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Re: Signs of Boston
Lovely walkable city. The trains were a great way to get around too. Just move along one station at a time and pop up out of the underground railway for another look around. Around Quincy Market was very strange. It was St Patricks day and the sun was shining. The sellers were wearing shorts and T-shirts. But around the corner the sun hadn't made any impression. It was still in the shade after a long winter. Snow was everywhere and the market traders wore hats and coats. Around the next...
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Re: Signs of Boston
There was plenty of snow this time of year and in a week, only a few days where it was nice enough to walk around and enjoy the city. But spring sun is like that. It really warms a sheltered spot, whereas in the north facing shade it's cool and icy.
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Re: Signs of Boston
Fascinating and excellent photos of all the shops - what imagination some folks have!! Thanks for a great report Dr. F.
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Re: Calgary Farmers' Market
Thanks for your comments, Lester and Jonathan. There are several Farmers Markets in Calgary because it is a fairly large city (well over a million people). This featured market is the one on Blackfoot Trail, close to 77th. There is a market more on the western end of town which would be closer to Canmore. And both have those great savory pies, which are delicious
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Re: Safety tip: Hold that Instagram!
Another angle to this came to the front of my mind recently. A female friend is doing a solo walk along a long distance trail through very unpopulated areas. She attracted a lot of followers from her Instagram prepping, but soon became aware of a group of supportive women hikers advising her about known unwanted followers. In particular she was advised not to post locations until they were long past so it would be more difficult to track her movements. This could equally apply to any form of...
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Re: Financing Freedom - 8 Tips For Budgeting Your Journey
Financing Freedom #2. Advice to fund a vacation by taking out a 2nd mortgage on your home. That isn't freedom, it's the opposite of freedom. As cigarettes have been termed a nicotine delivery system, this post appears to be a link delivery system.
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Re: Sigmund-Thun Gorge, Kaprun, Austria.
Looks like a challenging -- but beautiful -- place to go for a hike. Any idea how long that trail is?
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
I never trusted travel agents before the freedom of the internet gave us access to cost information, and I would need a great excuse to trust them now. Online travel purchasing gives us the freedom to have price information come directly to us, rather than to a middle man who may or may not have our best interests in mind. So flights I'll buy either through Expedia or from the airline directly (esp if they are having a "sale"). Rooms I almost get through booking.com, my favorite site because...
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Re: How do you buy your travel?
Interesting topic and rather timely as I am in the midst of finalizing my plans for my upcoming trip. Hotels: This upcoming trip the first I've used Booking.com. I have used a variety of sources in the past (i.e. Travelocity, Expedia, etc.) and have also found that booking directly through the hotel is sometimes cheaper...sometimes. But, I love the option to be able to change or cancel my reservation, if needed. Flights: I prefer to book directly through the airline. Have never used a...
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? (#119)
There was a beekeeper involved in this achievement. But I can't comment on the New Zealand part (just yet). I think you're hot on the trail, Jill. Email us your solution when you've got it. Remember we're after the name of a town
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, August 23, 2015: Victoria Falls - “The Smoke That Thunders”, Zimbabwe
Originally Posted by Mac: That certainly brings back memories! Sometime in the late 1970's my wife and I were lucky enough to travel to Zambia and drove down to the falls from Lusaka staying at a hotel close by. The next morning we decided to follow the foot path that went down to the bottom of the falls, through the bush, well watered by the spray of the falls. It was only on arrival at the bottom that we were greeted by a large notice saying "Beware of snakes" at which we beat a hasty...
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Re: U.S. regs may delay Norwegian's Cork-Boston route
Norwegian Air Shuttle got their EU flight license approved for their Irish subsidiary airline ,Norwegian International ,in Feb. 2014. Under the Open Skies agreement, they should be allowed to fly between EU countries and the US. How the DOT is justifying taking over two years to approve their foreign carrier permit, when it normally takes a month, I don't know.
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Re: U.S. regs may delay Norwegian's Cork-Boston route
What was that song ? "Money makes the world go round" Well apparently it doesn't. Looks like another case of someone playing "Dirty Pool"
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Re: Boston Public Library (Where Gumbo was #150)
What an amazing library! I look forward to seeing it. It is amazing how many of us love libraries. So far,my two favorites are both in Manchester, England.
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Re: Boston Public Library (Where Gumbo was #150)
And lets not forget Melvil Dewey - a Librarian in the North-East USA who invented the Dewey Decimal System (1876) which is now used in more than 135 Countries ! A wonderful collection of photo's. Love architecture.
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Moroccan Nature Trail
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Re: A visit to Normandy: exploring the D-Day beaches
Thanks for your comment, Arion. It's hard not to be moved by D-Day. The vastness of the assault, the staggering loss of life (civilian and military). What most impressed me is that the local people remember. Not French people away from the coast, but those whose relatives went through the assault make a point of teaching their children and grandchildren the price paid to liberate them from the Nazi fascists. The Juno Beach Center, built by the Canadian Beach, really did a great job of...
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park
Pheymont, you speak as if budget cuts are in the future when in fact the Park Service has been functioning with less and less for years now. The Service has a mission to which they're dedicated but less funding has meant "deferred" maintenance on buildings, trails, you name it. And when features of a park are deemed unsafe or there isn't personnel to oversee visitors then parts are closed. I've experienced that myself recently when a trail I've visited in years past was closed. I have no...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've often advised travelers with jam-packed itineraries to step back and leave themselves time to take a walk in a park or sit there a while, experiencing what the locals see and do. That is absolutely excellent advice. I hope that most people were wise enough to take your advice. Many of my best trip memories are made of such stuff. Thank you so much, PHeymont, for this walk in the park. It is just what my jangled nerves needed today.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I suspect a walk in the park is a habit acquired over time and familiarity with a place. I have a feeling, too, that the urge to go at top speed is the initial and overriding one. Or is it years and not travel experience that slows us down enough for such places to finally come into focus? Looking back over the decades I think maybe it's the latter.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I do think people's perspectives and priorities change with time. For example, I care little about a bar or nightlife scene in most of my destinations nowadays; that mattered more to me when I was much younger. I have always loved walking in parks because of the beautiful gardens, etc. But I think i'm much more into people watching in these places than I used to be. One of my favorite places to visit is the provincial park a short block from my home. It's grand to go for a walk in it, see...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Maybe travel advice of the very concrete sort then, hotels, trains, etc. is the most satisfying for all concerned. A suggestion to slow down just may not compute, something for each of us to discover on our own. So PHeymont may be preaching to the choir...may he continue.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Good advice is good advice. People can accept it or ignore it. I'm all for freedom of choice. But sometimes an alternative needs to be presented in a clear way, as PHeymont has nicely done in this piece.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I don't disagree. Just pointing out the nature of human beings and, like world peace, we can wish for it while not actually expecting everyone to join in. But lessons are learned from war too and how would we feel about every tourist in town flocking to OUR park.
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
I've mentioned in other pages that I love wide open spaces - like the State Delaware Park - but the designer of New York Central Park rung a Bell with me. Frederick Olmsted came to Liverpool to check out the "Peoples Garden" and he wrote in 1850 : "Five minutes of admiration, and a few more spent studying the manner in which art had been employed to obtain from nature so much beauty, and I was ready to admit that in democratic America there was nothing to be thought of as comparable with...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
It is clear that the "dumb" animals always seem to know the best places to hang out. We can never have enough parks. Nice to read that Frederick Olmsted also knew a good park when he saw one. Thanks for that info GarryRF
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Garry's note about Olmsted's travels (and he was quite a traveler) set me off on a quick look to find the park he was referring to (which I didn't; apparently "people's garden" was a description rather than a name?) and found that Liverpool has more parks and especially top-class parks than any British city besides London. The article also mentioned that for reasons of health—and keeping social unrest down—the city commissioners set out on a park-building spree starting about 1833. Many...
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Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park
Re: Sometimes a Trip is just a Walk in the Park