Tag Archives: quincy

President’s Day Celebration (Quincy, MA)

Date Of Event: February 17, 2019

Location: Hancock-Adams Greenway, Quincy, MA (about 10 minutes south of Boston and 45 minutes northeast of Providence, RI)

Cost: Free

Parking: There was free parking available at the Ross Garage

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Summary: Quincy, MA, held their first (of hopefully many) President’s Day celebrations which included games for children, a band, costumed entertainers, an orchestra, a play for children and the Fire Gypsy.

IMG_0548

What better place to spend Presidents Day than Quincy, MA, the home to two U.S. Presidents as well as former Governor of MA John Hancock (Hancock has been considered to be from Quincy after the part of Braintree he was from was annexed into Quincy)?

The first Presidents Day celebration included a tour of the crypt where the former Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams have been laid to rest.  Both presidents were originally buried in a tomb at the Hancock Cemetery across the street.  But, since John Adams wanted to buried in a church, the bodies were moved to the basement of what is now called the United First Parish Church.  The tomb where the bodies were originally laid to rest is still at the cemetery.  The presidents and their wives bodies, or remain, are in the crypt at the church.

Image may contain: plant and outdoor

 

Some very tall costumed entertainers greeted visitors.

 

Souljacker ably covered some Rolling Stones and other classic rock bands.

IMG_0088

Behind The Mask performed for the children at the event.

 

There were also games such s air hockey and other table games for people to play.

 

One of the biggest attractions was the Fire Gypsy.  Despite the very cold temperatures, everyone stayed for the entire show.

 

The Presidents Day celebration was dog friendly.  I saw these two dogs during my visit.

Callie is a 5 year old Saint Bernard.

IMG_0068

Ren is a 9 month old Whippet mix.

IMG_0107

 

 


Hancock-Adams Common Light Display (Quincy, MA)

IMG_0623

Dates Of Visit: December, 2018

Location: Hancock-Adams Common, 1305 Hancock St, Quincy, MA

Hours: Dusk until dawn

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Parking: 1 and 2 hour street parking is available.  There is also a parking garage located at 1250 Hancock St

Highlights: holiday lights on display at the Hancock-Adams, Quincy, MA

Optimized-IMG_0579-3

The newly constructed Hancock-Adams Common (it was dedicated in Sep. of this year) is home to one of the most festive holiday displays.

The Hancock-Adams Common, named after two of the more prominent residents of Quincy (technically John Hancock was born in what was then known as Braintree but it was later incorporated into what is now known as Quincy).  At the north end of the display is John Adams

IMG_1059

John Hancock is located at the south part of the display, closer to Quincy Center (or as it is now being called The New Quincy Center)

IMG_0961

The center piece of the display is the 60 foot tree.

IMG_0982

But the Santa, nutcracker and snowman are all a very close second.

Speaking of Santa, these two Santa Clauses took some time away from the North Pole to check out the display.

IMG_1431

Thousands of lights illuminate the common.

The trees reflection so pretty in the gazing ball at City Hall.

IMG_1017

The 174 year old Quincy City Hall was also dressed up for the holidays.

The Christmas light display is dog friendly.  Al, a 2 year old English Bulldog posed in front of the tree for me.

IMG_1040


Vietnam Veterans Memorial Clock (Marina Bay, Quincy, MA)

Date Of Visit: June 17, 2018

Location: 308 Victory Rd, Marina Bay, Quincy, MA

Cost: Free

Parking: There is street parking and a big parking lot located across the street

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Website: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Clock TowerIMG_1794

Once the site of a military training base, Marina Bay in Quincy, MA, is the perfect place for a military tribute.

The clock tower, which was dedicated in 1987, stands 85 feet tall.  The base of the tower, which is dedicated to the men of Quincy who died as a result of the war in Vietnam, is 16 feet by 16 feet.  The tower is built of brick and granite and has a gold leaf cupola.  And, yes, the clock still keeps good time.

 

 

 

During the course of the year, the city and other organizations hold special events during important military related holidays such as Veterans Day or other noteworthy days.

Forty eight men from Quincy died either during the Vietnam War or later due to injuries they sustained from the war.  The most recent name to be added was Capt. Alan Brudno.  Capt. Brudno died in 2004 after suffering from PTSD which he was afflicted with after being held as a POW for 2,675 days.

A quote from President Kennedy and the names of all of the men from Quincy who passed away during or after the war are etched on the tower.

 

 

 

Small shops and restaurants dot the boardwalk along the bay.  The views from the boardwalk located behind the tower offers pretty views of Boston and the surrounding area.

 

Besides the obvious sentimental value of the monument at Marina Bay, this was also sentimental for me for a very different reason.

I have spent many days and nights at Marina Bay (and not just to partake in the nightlife the area offers).  I used to work in the building directly across the street from the monument.

IMG_1845

The Marina Bay area has changed a lot since the days I spent working there.  But, that’s a topic for another blog post.

There is a surprising amount of wildlife and animal habitat in the area.  Seals are often found in the bay during the winter and I vaguely remember avoiding a turkey and deer (before they began developing he area) on my way to work in the past.

I did see this little critter during my photo shoot.

IMG_1812

I also saw Sassy, a 12 year old mixed breed dog, during my visit.

IMG_1817


Sunrise At Wollaston Beach (Quincy, MA)

Date Of Visit: December 4, 2016

Location: Quincy Shore Drive, Quincy, MA

Hours: Accessible everyday, 24 hours a day

Cost: Free

Parking: Free parking is located at the beach and in nearby lots.

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes, although dogs are not supposed to be on the beach from May to September 30, although they are allowed to walk on the sidewalk along the beach year round.

Highlights: Views of the Boston skyline, pretty, long beach, great place to view sunrises and sunsets.

December isn’t usually considered beach weather.  At least, it’s not in New England.  But, some of the best sunrises and sunsets can happen any time of the year.

dsc_0514

For this shoot, I chose to focus (no pun intended) on the clouds.  You never know what you’ll get at the beach, especially during sunrises and sunsets.  My neighborhood could be cloudless and clear.  But, when I arrive at the beach, a five minute drive from my place, it could be dark and cloudy.  Not only that but it could be bright and clear on one side of the beach, it could be quite the opposite on the other side (something I noticed during this visit).

While the clouds on this particular morning looked foreboding and the sun itself was not visible, the colors in the sky were incredible.  Often times, less is more.  Sure, the sun itself is virtually nonexistent in most of these shots but that seems to add more by letting in pink, orange and blues.   The clouds seem to be layered with rays of light poking out threw each layer.

It was a typical December day with temperatures in the 30’s.  But the wind made it feel at least 10 degrees colder.  The steel blue water rippled with the power of the wind.

The most obvious features of the beach have got to be the jetty and, of course, the Boston skyline.

Bandit, a Japanese Chin, enjoyed his morning stroll along the beach.


Ross Parking Garage Murals (Quincy, MA)

Date Of Event: May 21 & May 22, 2016

Location: Ross Parking Garage, Ross Way & Parking Way, Quincy, MA

Parking: Not for long

Hours: Not many more left

DSC_0840

Like a lot of the biggish towns that many of us grew up in, Quincy, Massachusetts has seen a lot of changes over the years.  Businesses have come and gone.  But, the one thing that has remained a staple of the area for so long may seem rather mundane, a parking lot.  As funny as it may seem, it is the one place most everyone has been to, either in their car or their friend’s car.  Or, for some other reason people may not want to divulge.

The demolition of the garage, slated for the end of May, is just another example of the changing face of the Quincy landscape.  The three story garage, which has 700 parking spots and has been around since 1984, will be replaced by a hotel.  Even though it’s just a garage, and not a very state of the art or pretty one at that, it represents the changing of the city.  And some people are pretty shook up about it for some reason.

DSC_0983

Since the garage was blowing demolished sometime in the near future and  the garage was being closed for good May 23, the city organized a block party and let some of the artists in the area paint some murals and art work on the walls of the garage the weekend before the garage was officially closed.

I caught this artist working on his mural

Here is the end result of all of his work

DSC_0873

On the other side of this wall, I found this cool Quincy themed mural.

The road next to the garage was blocked off to traffic so people could congregate and enjoy the art work like the murals and art below.

DSC_0849DSC_0881DSC_0998DSC_0993DSC_0887DSC_0995DSC_0991DSC_0808DSC_0994DSC_0990

DSC_0804

Even the little kids at the block party got into the action.

The paintings in the upper levels of the garage were more graffiti than artsy.

“Be fearless in pursuit of what puts your soul on fire”(an unattributed famous quote)

I didn’t realize just how creepy abandoned parking garages can be until I went to photograph the Ross Parking Garage on its last day.  It just doesn’t seem right.

Goodbye, Ross Parking Garage.  You’ll be missed.  Well, not really.

Please connect with me on Facebook: New England Nomad

 

 

 

 


Wollaston Beach (Quincy, MA)

We in New England are no strangers to stormy weather.  But, the first stormy weather of the season always seems to catch us off guard.  After all, it was only the first weekend of October.  Much too early for stormy weather.  But, it is hurricane season, after all.  During this first storm of the season, I decided to go to my second stormy destination of the day.

By the time I arrived at Wollaston Beach, the storm had died down quite a bit.  But, it was still pretty windy and wavy.

DSC_0495 DSC_0494 DSC_0493 DSC_0497 DSC_0496 DSC_0539 DSC_0552 DSC_0531 DSC_0524 DSC_0525 DSC_0523   DSC_0512

DSC_0513

The water was rocky earlier in the day.  This boat, the Cenzina, was one of three boats that were washed ashore Saturday.

DSC_0578

Just like in life, a silver began to appear after the rocky weather.

DSC_0585

Unfortunately, the wet weather made it hard to keep the lens dry which made some photos come out blurry.  This was the best photo I could get of Maya.

DSC_0592

To get the full effect of just how bad the weather was (and this wasn’t even during the peak time of the bad conditions) watch the video below.  You may notice the light from the lighthouse in the distance at the tail end of the video.