Respite at home

In case you're wondering why I pine for more time at home, here's a picture from my walk today.

The suburbs cab keep their big houses and lots of private space. I'll take communal greenspace any day.

Deb in the City 

Scenes from an adventure

I did get out and take a walk yesterday, and it was lovely. I made it to the Charles but not the Atlantic--next time.

It was just what I needed after a few weeks of planning--excuse me, organizing--a week of missing my kids, and right before I jump back into phone calls for democracy and a long weekend in the suburbs.

So much beauty, and my good fortune to share in it.

Deb in the City

Trees and Environmental Injustice in Massachusetts (Day 91)

My husband and I participated in a Zoom webinar called Why Trees Matter for Green Development. I want to say it was fantastic, but I'm outraged.

The scientific grounding--which should be accepted information at this point, but no--was thorough and thoughtful, and I've got a name to add to my list. But the three case studies were horrifying. Two of them were in Boston proper, and one of them practically right down the street from me. For all of Boston's posturing about working with neighborhoods to deliver smart reform--for all of Massachusetts' departments touting their environmental record--you still have the state shrugging about removing four acres of wood from a predominantly Black neighborhood and shrugging when that neighborhood appeals for a review. 

What really got me was seeing footage from the "cranberry" industry that were allegedly deforested to create bogs but were really valued for their sand. The pictures made me think of West Virginia after a mountain had been blasted.

I'm reeling, but it inspires me to action, not my bed.

Don't know how I'm going to get involved, only that I will.

Deb in the City 

Rolling with the punches (Day 86)

My husband was supposed to pick up his computer this afternoon, so we took advantage of the forced break in his schedule and went for a very long walk, with a break to get brunch or whatever you want to call a very late breakfast. It was a beautiful day in Boston, but you'll just have to believe me because I was enjoying being with my husband so much that I didn't stop to take pictures.

We picked our son up from class and then went to Microcenter to pick up his computer. When he told me that the tech had told him that they fixed it even though they didn't know what the problem had been, I snickered and told him that he'd be bringing it back. I was wrong--he didn't even get to leave with it. He can turn it on just fine, but he can only sometimes connect to the internet. Please try doing work on a computer without connecting to the internet. Right. They'll let him know when they've figured it out. In the meantime, he'll be renting a station at one of those workplaces, which is just great.

While waiting in line to buy my son a snack, I glanced at the magazine selection. They cover an eclectic mix of topics, including art, hardware, stocks and finance, cooking, logic games--and guns.

Garden and Gun, the Soul of the South. Alrighty then.

Well, I guess we know who Microcenter's target audience is. But, um, they're still better than Amazon...right?

Deb in the City

Compost, Marathon weekend, computers, the usual (Day 83)

My son woke me up a little before 3 AM, and I have not been back to sleep, though I did try. (Yes, I say this a lot; yes, I did have a talk with him.) 5 hours of sleep is not ideal, but I decided to do my day anyway, even if it felt half-assed. 

My husband and I went to the garden to turn the compost, and oh my is it gorgeous. That spongy, chocolate cake texture people aspire to--it has been achieved. My husband finished it up while our garden partner and I went down to the wilds to talk design with a landscaper. We've wanted to turn the space into a permaculture food forest for years, and this brings us closer. I liked the man, in no small part because he recognizes the same Boston grifts that we've seen.

My husband joined us shortly before the landscaper needed to leave, then we went to pick up some miso and peanut butter. I was all set to go home after, but then I saw a message from my sister for help with an errand that she wouldn't be able to run herself. Off to Newton, through Back Bay, and my eyes widened as I recognized all of the signs that the runners were in town. We are agreed that we will not be traveling to Back Bay again for several days. 

Ran the errand, got a snack of desperation--Tatte is the nicest looking sub-par establishment in Boston--and finally got home. I tried to nap, my husband went to work out, and I took the night owl to return some books--2024 Deb does not have the same reading taste as 2021 Deb--and get him a drink. For some reason, my little part of Boston was out in droves even though we're nowhere near the marathon route. That, or everyone is *really* excited about Patriot's Day.

We washed dishes, bathed--did I mention compost?--then settled in to watch a kdrama before my husband ran into computer problems because of course he did. Fixed now--fingers crossed--and we're snacking on hummus, which I somehow managed to make along with vegetable broth and almond milk.

You know, your typical Saturday. May Sunday be just a little less eventful. 

Deb in the City 

I'm not the only one to have noticed (Day 77)

Today was a run-through tour of the Commons with a good friend (and my husband). She did a good job and I would recommend her, but what made me laugh and groan was her statement, repeated twice, that the same names come up again and again because apparently there were only ten people living in Boston at any one time. 

Weird how it doesn't take much to notice that. Small city, small country, small world. 

Deb in the City

Art, Social Media, Community: Just Another Day (Day 74)

The Nor'easter was worse in other parts of New England, but Boston got its share of rain and wind today, plus a bit of snow. Anyone who has ever been in one knows that the most important detail is the icy wind which exacerbates the precipitation, and today was no exception.

I take seriously the union action we attended at my daughter's place of work yesterday, so I couldn't stomach the REI coat I've been wearing for a few years. But you know, maybe I would have soldiered through today, except I am finally sick of only having one functional pocket in the outer layer--yeah, I know I could have returned it, but since REI wasn't going to repair the coat, I couldn't bring myself to do that. I needed two pockets today--see: Nor'easter--so I decided to swap out the ultra-modern materials for the pea coat my father-in-law wore when he was in the Navy in the 1960s. My husband declared me cute; I declared me warm. 

As I said, I take labor seriously, and another result of yesterday was that because I had to go to an appointment in Newton and couldn't drive the car--long story--I wasn't going to call a Lyft. I arranged for a cab, and miraculously it arrived when it said it would. Which was great, except the privilege (!) of doing the right thing (!!) cost me over $50. Um...what? So rather than take a cab back, I walked to the nearest bus station and took public transportation to an easy spot for my husband to pick me up. It was a little bit scary to walk on the wet pavement, but you know what? That coat kept me warm.

Today's big event was a reception at the Museum of Fine Arts for Napoleon Jones-Henderson, an artist whom I call a friend when I want to flatter myself but is really a very good friend of a very good friend. Regardless, he is an extremely generous person, and I am honored to be in his circle, and to have been invited. While I waited for the hour to roll around, I decided to play with Mastodon. That's a little better than BlueSky, but after five minutes, the usual emptiness rolled over me, and I muttered to myself that I was wasting my time when I could be doing anything else, like reading. So I did.

 

1970s cool

So-We-Too (Black Men Rise) by Napoleon Jones-Henderson

 

We cajoled my son the art student to leave the house and join us...and we had a great time. It was a small affair, but I was fascinated by Napoleon's discussion of how he developed So-We-Too (Black Men Rise), how he came to get involved in textiles, and most importantly what the artist's community AfriCOBRA has meant to him. How wonderful to have a community of artists where you can collaborate not just on works but ideas. And it occurred to me that that is why I always feel so empty on social media: all of these people, many of whom are like-minded, many of whom are also creative, but we all keep so much close to our chest, whether for fear of criticism or competition. That is, perhaps, the biggest disappointment of the internet: instead of providing a space where we can collaborate, it is instead all too easy for us to exist in the space even more vulnerable than before. Not all of the internet--I have found a handful of spaces where people genuinely want to collaborate and create, and not just promote--but not nearly as many as there should be.

Oh, and did I mention that Napoleon's primary medium is textiles? Let me tell you, he approved of the coat, and the whole discussion made me think that I don't agonize over my clothing and choices enough. Well, some goals are easier to fulfill than others.

Deb in the City

Today's random adventures (Day 69)

My husband and I took a long walk into a different part of Boston today. We stopped into a new grocery store, then got lunch at a newish restaurant--quinoa bowls are the best bowls--stopped at home to make our son lunch, then went out again to pick up another few items. 

We've been chilling out with kdramas since we got home--The Escape of the Seven: Resurrection is addictive and insane--and I've got quinoa cooking for tomorrow. Here's hoping I can repeat the quinoa bowl, but will probably take a rain check on the walk.

Deb in the City

Northeastern Climate Justice Action Plan (Day 67ish)

Not even going to apologize for missing yesterday as I had a late night out (well, for me. I got home after 9:30--you decide).

A friend and I joined a tour and conversation about the Climate Justice Action Plan a group at Northeastern University is vetting. This was, according to a member of the team, something like their tenth iteration, and there will be more.

It seems like the group needs to bring evidence to Northeastern that the very reasonable things they want to do should be done. That's so very Northeastern; it's also so very typical of any entrenched organization. The team behind this seems earnest, and I hope they succeeded.

The energy was hopeful, and the evening featured good food, good conversations, and some good performances of poetry and song. Northeastern, don't let us down.

Deb in the City

Crash (Day 64ish)

Hopefully I can be forgiven for not blogging yesterday. Reason: someone rear-ended my husband when he was yards away from the spot where he was supposed to pick me up. Pro-tip: drivers from the suburbs are the ones who make Boston's roads so scary. 

Everyone is fine, but the bumper, not so much. Hopefully it can be taken in for service immediately--and by taken in, I mean towed. Yeah, it was that bad.

Deb in the City

Pro-tip: don't announce you're going to Haymarket (Day 61)

I spent too much time on the computer yesterday, and in general I feel that way a lot. Today I decided that I was going to have An Adventure, so I went to Haymarket and Boston Public Market. (Would love to show you pictures of my walk along the Charles, but this app is ridiculous with pictures, so I'm hoping you'll take my word for it.)

Adventures in Boston are extra special when the MBTA is dysfunctional, but the upshot is that I got to share a surprise bus ride with my daughter. Once we parted company, I dropped off a book at the library, walked along the river to Beacon Hill, got myself a cookie, hung out at another library (this almost balances Boston's deficits), and went shopping at Haymarket. 

My youngest son is home for spring break this week, so I offered to get him pizza from Haymarket Pizza. Alas, they are closed (again). He pleaded with me to go to Bricco in the North End, which I refused but then agreed to after my husband met me. He, it turned out, had some demands from my other son. Half an hour and a couple of shout-filled calls with the boys later, we had a sub (but not from Bricco), two chocolate chip muffins from Bova (the only place in the North End my other son likes), and then some hermits for my husband. 

Definitely an adventure. Next time I might not mention where I'm going until I get back.

Deb in the City

Gardeners Gathering 2024 (Day 55)

The last frost in Boston is approximately May 1, but the gardening season gets started in March with the Gardeners Gathering. It's an event hosted by the Trustees and, since I've been attending, held at Northeastern University (my alma mater, and more importantly, accessible by T).

COVID, obviously, was a damper on the event--the organizers did a great job, but there's a limit to the community you can build via Zoom--and last year felt like it was getting its groove back. But this year felt like a party, and not the least because it opened with a tribute to Mel King, the Black state rep who in 1983 made history by making it into the run-off in the mayoral election. He did not win--for some reason, Boston's voters thought Ray Flynn was the man to lead--but King's legacy and continued work loomed large. I did not realize until after his death this year that he was also the sponsor of the 1974 legislation that made it possible for community gardens to exist in Massachusetts in the first place. Watching an old interview with him made me appreciate yet again how clearly his generation saw what the problems were and what needed to be done about it. Kudos to King for actually implementing some of those solutions. (And in this case, that will be enough to allow me to forgive him for endorsing Jill Stein for anything.)

I brought my own lunch, and thank goodness, because the program ran late due to the mayor's arrival time. Some of the sessions ended up being standing room only. Not all of them were useful--the bokashi system is just going to be too difficult to implement since I'm not on-site--but I did love the energizing session I went to at the end hosted by the youth arm of Alternatives for Community and Environment. Nice to be energized by younger people--Jesus, you start to feel like a vampire--and nice to dream a little bit about what can make things better.

My co-coordinator and friend walked out with me and my husband when it was over, and she smiled before we left. She couldn't wait to get started in the garden. Same.

Deb in the City

My part of town this weekend (Day 41)

I can't decide whether it's a sign of getting older or density reaching a breaking point that this weekend finds me lingering in my part of town as opposed to looking for trouble and adventure downtown (or uptown); probably more than a little of both. I usually feel a rush of nostalgia and curiosity on the weekends and want to walk through places I've spent time in since, well, the 1970s, but between the dysfunction of public transportation and the lack of options for me when I want something to eat or drink (oat milk hot chocolates are wearying after a while, and the going rate for smoothies is about $9.50), I decided it wasn't worth the trip. There is somewhere I can park for a very affordable rate, but it's busy enough on Saturday that it feels like more trouble than it's worth.

So, close to home it was, and truth be told, everyone in Boston should be so lucky. My husband and I walked through one of our world-renowned green spaces on our way to grab (ahem) some hot chocolate. We lingered over our beverages as we discussed current events. (For some reason, this took a while. I don't know; there might be a couple of things going on right now.) We would have gone to the very small and relatively new cafe, but they were packed; if they need our business, they don't need it on a Saturday morning. We ended up instead in the flagship store of a local ice cream chain that also offers coffee. 

We took a walk to kill some time, then bought our son some donuts (no, I can't eat them, but that's okay). When it was finally noon, we stopped into the farmer's market to get some greens (and strawberries!) before making a quick stop into the library and then, finally, the local bookstore I've been wanting to visit for a month. And today I did something I almost never do: I bought new books.

I've only been waiting to read these for two years

I even got to visit the bodega on the way home to grab some plantains (IMPORTANT), so in all, I don't have much to complain about. And yet...this *is* Boston, which means that the parts of the area that were all the rage for about a decade are empty in spots. The little chocolate shop and the very good Dominican place have been gone for a year; the Lebanese place that made delicious falafel left last month. The 7-Eleven that was in that part of town for decades shuttered over three years ago and nothing has looked close to replacing it. There are other storefronts, and many of them are busy, but having seen what's been happening to the other parts of Boston for fifteen years, it makes me queasy. 

However, the quieter part of the main street that used to be residential with a few reluctant stores is slowly filling in. There's the bodega, the bookstore, the little allergy-friendly cafe that sells records (and plants), two cafes across the street that have very good vegan and gluten-free options, and stalwart, funky salons and thrift shop. There is still some iffyness, particularly the retail area of the newly built apartment buildings, but overall, it looks like that's the bright spot. Maybe next Saturday will find me spending my morning there.

Deb in the City

The MBTA remains a joke (Day 38)

I had made an appointment to see a friend today in Back Bay, and later in the day I wanted to meet my son and husband in Brookline. Great, I thought yesterday, I'll just get on the C-Line (a section of the Green Line). Then, because I have learned something living here all this time, I checked a trip itinerary, and, oh yeah, I would actually need to take a shuttle to get there. But no worries, since both my point of origin and my destination were very close to the pick up/drop off spots.

Apparently I haven't lived here long enough, because the ride took so long that I was almost moved to tears (and the fact that my husband misinterpreted our meeting time meant that I was, in a way, that much later). Given the time I waited for the shuttle to "fill", and the amount of time the trip took, if I had walked I wouldn't have missed too much time.

I have no idea what is causing the MBTA shutdowns of the Green Line this time--something about track work through March 8--but it is ALWAYS something, and the improvements have been negligible. Which is insane at a time when lanes are being changed in order to make it more difficult for cars to drive through (and I would still lose my mind if one of my children were going to bike through the main streets of Boston). I love public transportation, but Boston and Massachusetts need to stop acting like they can wish a good system into existence--or repair the one we have now into something that is usable and reliable. We have to start from scratch, and the sooner we do so, the better.

Deb in the City

Nice to be back (Day 37)

After a two-week hiatus, I returned to the "north" of the city, walking between Charlestown and the North End.

The view a little before 9 AM is spectacular, so much so that even my finger doesn't ruin it

I was a little less enamored of the idea of sitting the whole morning in a cafe, so I walked back and forth between the two parts of Boston, and landed, albeit reluctantly, in the Starbucks near my targeted library (which, sadly, does not open until 10). I despaired of the usual snacking choices, but then I saw the sign: Starbucks has oatmeal! Suffice to say oatmeal with almond milk, nuts, and blueberries was the best mid-morning snack I've had outside for a very long time. 

Spent most of my time at the library noodling through a couple of math problems--there's nothing like finally getting the answer after scratching your head for a while--and then pushed through a couple of pages of a YA novel I'm trying to read. This is another case of really lousy editing, which my age-appropriate son confirmed. I'm giving this another forty or so pages (it does read quickly) before I decide, but I suspect it will be returned shortly after. Still in all, a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours "up north".

Deb in the City

Adventures at the Seaport (Day 30)

I had to be in the Seaport area today with my husband and son, and all three of us are disenchanted, to say the least. It looks like a gigantic version of the upscale malls you're seeing in Newton and Dedham, and has next to nothing of any local character. Which makes sense, because up until the last decade it was a mostly industrial area. Those areas have been known to become havens for artists and other people on a tight budget, but this area did not develop organically. So...one of the few times where there was gentrification without displacement?

These areas fill me with horror; most people see large, shiny residential buildings and assume wealth, but I see credit and debts. What can I say, I've lived through one too many bubbles. Obviously, not everyone there is living past their means, but I will not be surprised to hear it's more than half.

I waited for my son in Tatte--of course it was a Tatte--and overheard two younger men talking about how ridiculous it is to utilize the Seaport, the MBTA, and Boston in general. One of them was also hoping for a housing crash, presumably so he could afford to buy something. I resisted the urge to tell him to be a little more patient, because one is inevitable. 

You know you've reached some nth level of degradation when people are openly hoping for a short of their city.

Deb in the City

Solace of an empty space (Day 26)

I went for a walk in one of my local powerspots earlier this week. To look at these pictures, you might wonder why I have to wander off to other parts of Boston at all. Honestly, sometimes I wonder the same thing.

 

This was a particularly cold day, but the upshot was that I had this big, beautiful green space pretty much all to myself. I always wonder about that in Boston--if you didn't come here in the last decade, you're used to the cold in the winter--but I wasn't complaining. I reveled in my good fortune to have the space all to myself, as if the state of Massachusetts, the city of Boston, and another prominent organization decided to give me a little bit of a gift that I could enjoy all by myself.

 

I feel a little guilt keeping this all to myself, and it shouldn't just be mine. Hopefully the next cold day I'm there, I'll have a little more company.

 Deb in the City (see why I like it here?)

Power spots (Day 21)

As sleep deprived as I was yesterday, I was determined to go for a walk. I made tea--an emergency measure--and waited for my husband to get home from the gym. (Why he wanted to go for a long walk after he worked out can only be chalked up to how much he loves me.) 

We took the Orange Line to the Mass Ave stop, walked to the Charles (after a detour on Newbury Street), walked along it to Beacon Hill, walked down Cambridge Street to Government Center, crossed into Haymarket and the edge of the North End, then walked to Long Wharf. We walked along Atlantic until we got to Essex, which is one of the borders of Chinatown, and followed Essex as it turned into Boylston and walked into Back Bay.

The pond in my area just doesn't compare to the Harbor

When I think of Boston, this is what I think of

 

The energy of the city changed once we were in Back Bay, and not in the good way. It felt more stagnant. We ended up at the Prudential Center to walk to the train station, and wow, was it packed. Weirdly so; almost as if people didn't have anywhere else to go. I was grateful to finally get back to my sleepier part of Boston after a slow train ride.

Should I avoid Back Bay during the weekends? Maybe, now that I don't have to take a child there anymore. But I can't avoid that part of the city entirely, because much as I recoil from what it's becoming, I do get a buzz in certain parts of it.

Does anything show your love of a city more than whining about it?

Deb in the City

A Gaping Hole (Day 13)

Well wow, can I call the obvious or what? As I was complaining yesterday about the unbuilt space for the Harvard Bookstore at the Prudential Center, the bookstore was putting out a statement that, in fact, they were abandoning the project. Apparently, an entity that's been in business for decades and was possibly partnered with the owners of the Red Sox and the Boston Globe couldn't make the financing for the project they had agreed to build work. They will instead be investing whatever money was going to go into the second location into spiffing up their existing store in Cambridge.

They can keep it. And they should be ashamed of themselves.

There are two bookstores on nearby Newbury Street: Trident Booksellers (and Cafe) and Posman Books. There is also the very charming Beacon Hill Books and Cafe. There is also an independent bookstore in my area that packs a lot of selection into a small space. Between them, I can probably find the majority of what I'm looking for when I want to spend money on books, games, and puzzles. And if worse comes to worst, I can go to Bookshop.org. I'm not hurting for bookstores, so this isn't a tragedy for me.

What bothers me is that there is another big hole at the other end of the Prudential Center ever since Lord & Taylor closed in 2021. The Pru is a big space and there is a bunch of activity in between, but Barnes & Noble (the predecessor of the aborted Harvard Bookstore) and Lord & Taylor were anchors. There is also something eerie about an empty space that big.

There are ways to repurpose those spaces, and Meet Me By The Fountain lays out a lot of them. I would love to see, oh, maybe a place for all of those people in need of shelter right now. That really is the most pressing need, but I won't hold my breath since I don't feel like passing out. If not, the emptiness could be used as a space for a community college, or maybe a community center. It could be a play space for families that can't afford to pay for the privilege. It could be a teenage recreation center. It could be a lot of things, but the Prudential Center is going to wait until the find the perfect tenant that can pay them the rent they feel The Market has entitled them to, and thus it's going to be a long time before either of those spaces get filled.

This is not good. We need spaces where we can meet up. Yes, the library, but just because one space exists doesn't mean we shouldn't have any more of them. We need places where we can interact with each other, not merely pass them by. And we need to not feel like we are living in a shell, because there's enough of that as it is.

Deb in the City

Degradation (Day 12)

My recently departed son forgot a couple of items when he left. Like the helicopter parents we are, my husband and I mailed him a package immediately. We asked if he wanted a sweater, especially after telling us he was cold the first night, and he said no.

Two days after receiving that package, he told me that no, actually, he does want the sweater. Because I don't want to do this again, I also bundled up a few other items. 

Off to the post office, but the one in my part of town is an unfunny joke. It is understaffed, which isn't the fault of the employees, but half of them are disdainful on a good day, and given how long the lines can get, good days are few and far between. Given that, it made more sense to take the train to the Prudential Center, which has a famously speedy post office.

But somehow I had forgotten the train part.

After 8:30 and before 10 in the morning, the train isn't crowded. Okay, good. But the trade off is that the service is slow. The train that was supposed to leave two minutes after I arrived lingered for at least five, and then it "stood by" for their regular "schedule adjustments" at a station halfway between my origin and destination. 

This is to say nothing of the poor man sleeping with his face leaning against his bicycle's handlebars, or the person who got off of the same train, loudly talking to no one in particular about a choice he made that kept him out of prison for 25 to life. How comforting to see a member of the transit police on the platform. I'm so glad the state is spending its resources wisely to deal with the problem. 

Oh, look, another empty storefront I passed on my way to the Prudential Center

And of course, the unbuilt storefront within the mall

But hey, the post office at the Pru worked just as well as I hoped, and this time the employee there didn't start in on a mini-rant about how some people deserve services and some don't. (I'd forgotten our last encounter, but it probably wouldn't have changed my mind.) I would have nothing to complain about at the Pru if the water fountain had been functional. But hey, since I could buy a $6 latte as well as gourmet chocolate, it's all a wash.

On the train back now, and it's already "paused" twice. My husband could have picked me up, but since the only thing worse than the MBTA is Boston traffic, he'll just meet me at a train station. 

I have the time to spend, I suppose, even though there are other things I could have done with it. But I do not like to think about people who don't. It shouldn't be too much to ask for a safe and functional postal service and public transit system in this day and age, but here we are.

Deb in the City