September 1, 2010 | Posted in Blog, Designs

A Vintage Postcard Tour of Beantown, Boston 1905

There always seems to be a variety of postcards to pick through in most of the stationary or souvenir store when you travel. For just a dollar or two, I found myself collecting them. Especially collecting vintage postcard, which you can find through antique or museum stores. I got this Boston vintage postcards pocketbook set from a historic house museum I visit in Beacon Hill. Boston. Each card is a portrait of history in time. It describe the time period and even the latest fashion trends or architectures. It’s also lots of fun to go through them and discover the historical perspective as well.

So here are some of the Boston postcards from 1905-1920 that I scan. Most of them were hand colored, because this was before the cameras time. However, this makes each postcard an individual work of art. scroll through them and I bet you recognize most of the sites on these vintage postcards, Enjoy!

(All print belong to “A Postcard Tour of Beantown” by Earl Brechlin with John Bishop)

Oliver Wendell Holmes Called Boston “The Hub of The Universe” Shown

The Hotel Pieroni & The Old State House in Boston

Quincy Market & Paul Revere’s House

Boston Market, most famous market place

T wharf, Boston

The first underwater tunnel of its type built in America

Empty subway scene at 1914

Tremont Street known as today’s downtown crossing

Locatd Betwen Washinton Street and City Hall Avenue, Pie Alley was a favorite haunt of job printers and newsboys.

Ahh Fenway in 1912

Swan boats at Boston Public Garden

Boston Common, a neoclassical design

Boston known as the beantown.

May 28, 2010 | Posted in Blog, Life, Photography, Travel

Historic Boston Sightseeing – Day 2

We started our 2nd day by driving to Backbay area to tour the Museum of Fine arts and Isabelle Stewart Gardener Museum. The Museum of Fin Arts features over 450,000 works of art and is one of the largest museums in the country. We all enjoyed browsing thought the Egyptian artifacts, French impressionists art and more. Isabelle Stewart Gardener Museum was pretty neat too. The three story Italian- style building was filled with many art works from that period of time. The courtyard was amazing and it was worth the visit. The downside is that no pictures are allow in there.

(Museum of Fine arts, Boston)

(Postcard from Isabelle Stewart Gardener Museum)

Next Stop, Beacon Hill, a national district filled with brick sidewalks and 19th-century row houses. We begin at the Otis House located on 141 Cambridge St. It’s a house built by Charles Bulfinch for the wealthy congressman and lawyer Harrison Gray Otis and his wife Sally. From Otis House, we take a short walk down to Nichols House at 55 Mount Vernon St. Both are houses with interesting guided tours detail the lives of the family and the changes over time in Beacon Hill and West End neighborhoods.

(Beacon Hill)

(Postcard from Otis House)

(Allen outside Nichols House)

After beacon hill, we headed off to the Little Italy section of the North End. We stopped by for some photos of Paul Revere’s house (A revolutionary figure). The house is tucked away on these old cobblestone street and wedged among countless Italian restaurants and shops. On the way out, we stop by The Daily Catch for fried calamari and lobster fradiavolo.

(Pual Revere House)

(The Daily Catch lobster meal)

(The Daily Catch menu)

(Shop at North End)

(Candy shop)

(Antiques shop)

(North End Street)

(Cute Shiba I walk into on North End)

From North End we walk over to Quincy Market and Long Wharf Harbor for shopping and dinner. At this point, it was pretty late and we went back to our hotel and turn in for the night.

(Quincy Market & Long Wharf Harbor Area)

(Group shot at Long Wharf Harbor)

Next morning, we went back to Charles Street, Beacon Hill for a delicious breakfast at the Liberty Hotel also known as Charles Street Jail back in 1851. Interesting right?

After breakfast, we drove back to New York. Of course with only 3 days in Boston. there’s no way we could have seen everything, but I can say that I will be back.

(Liberty Hotel)

(Liberty Hotel, Bars from Charles Street Jail)

(Liberty Hotel, Bars from Charles Street Jail)

(Liberty Hotel, Breakfast)

May 27, 2010 | Posted in Blog, Life, Photography, Travel

Historic Boston Sightseeing – Day 1

So remember in my past post how I want a SLR camera? My fiancé surprised me with the best birthday gift ever, a Canon T2i. He also took me and my friends on a Road trip to Boston, Massachusetts for three days, where we celebrated my sweet 27th Birthday. After dropping off our luggage at our hotel, we headed to Boston Common, America’s oldest park. The best starting point to walk in Boston and also where my proposal reenactment happen (My friends asked him to do it formally at the gazebo).

(So Good Jewelry at Downtown Crossing, Boston -1)

(So Good Jewelry at Downtown Crossing, Boston -2)

(Boston Police Man)

After walking around the park, we stopped by the visitors center for Freedom Trail guided tour. It’s a three-mile red- brick path that links 16 historical sites.

(Tour Guide from Freedom Trail)

One of the stop at the Freedom Trail is the Granary Burial Grounds. This is where Paul Revere, John Handcock, and Samuel Adams’s final resting place among many others. My friends are saying that it’s such a bad luck to visit a burial ground on my birthday, which I disagreed.

(Granary Burial Grounds & Quincy Market Show)

We also went through the Old State House next, where the “Boston Massacre” took place. My friend joked, “So much death and destruction on your birthday plan”.

(Old State House)

After leaving the Old State House, we continued on the Freedom Trail, which took us to our last stop, Faneuil Hall, a historic marketplace and meeting hall dating back to 1742 with street vendor stalls. When we got to Faneuil Hall Market Place, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Quincy Market before heading to the long Wharf for our Boston cruise. Long Wharf was once the heart of the city’s shipping industry. This is also where we visited the New England Aquarium of Boston.

(Long Wharf, Harbor Cruise)

(Aquarium Penguins)

(Aquarium Turtle)

After all of these, we were more then ready to go back to our Hotel and enjoy my Birthday Dinner at the famous BOKX 109 Restaurant. They got delicious appetizers that always come in 3 flavor, and ended with a sweet Cotton Candy surprise.

(Menu from my Birthday Dinner)

(My Dinner, Salmon Entree)

(Instead of a big Birthday Cake, I got Cotton Candy)