The Boston Diaries
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Category Archives: Boston Diaries
Day 87: Washington Square
Editing, editing, editing. Finally finished and submitted our paper on Obama’s 2012 Facebook campaign. Such a great feeling of completion whenever a paper is sent off for review. (Even better when it’s accepted.)
Day 87: Irving’s Toy and Card Shop
While at Coolidge Corner I came across Irving’s Toy and Card Shop on Harvard Street. It’s been there since 1939 and it’s run by Ethel A. Weiss, a 99-year-old local who leaves “heartfelt messages” and notes on the door for … Continue reading
Day 87: Brookline
A nice walk around Brookline including a quick stop at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site (JFK’s birthplace at 83 Beals Street) and New England Comics.
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Tagged books, Brookline, cinema, Coolidge Corner, fieldwork, JFK
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Day 82: Coffee and curriculum development
Yet another great discovery a stone’s throw away from home – Flour Bakery, on the corner of Rutland Street and Washington Street. Excellent food, surrounded by interesting art. Developing a curriculum design that links student engagement with local community affairs … Continue reading
Day 81: Coffee and notes
Today I discovered Jaho Coffee & Tea – an awesome cafe only a couple of blocks away from home. (They also do excellent fresh orange juice).
Parochialism and gentrification
“One can’t ignore that Boston has been beset by a new class war of late […] It’s a war of gentrification. As the city continues to lose its old-school parochialism and overt immigrant tribalism, it’s also losing a lot of … Continue reading
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Tagged community, gentrification, Hoop Dreams, North End, tribes
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Shovelling snow
There has been heavy snowfall over the last few days all across New England. I was aware that it is mandatory for each resident/landlord to shovel and clean up the sidewalk in front of their property, but hadn’t realised the … Continue reading
Day 77: Lunch at The Friendly Toast
If you can’t avoid it, then enjoy it. Boston has been under a curtain of snow for the last few hours and people are working around the clock just to keep a few footpaths open. Managed to plough my way … Continue reading
Day 77: Kendall Square
Paul Matisse’s Kendall Band MIT Kendall Band Preservation Society
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Tagged art, Art in Transit, fieldwork, MBTA, public art, stations, T
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Day 76: At the Lab
A day at the Lab, writing up the findings of the Obama/Facebook paper and fighting with “lies, damn lies and statistics”. My compensation: a Nutella milkshake from Boloco – highly recommended!
Day 75: Snow, coffee, reading
The morning after the night before. Survived the first snowstorm and headed to Render Coffee for hazelnut latte and Sunday newspapers
Day 73: Downtown, Financial District & Government Center
A walk through downtown Boston, doing part of the Freedom Trail through the Financial District, Government Center and up to the Christmas market at Faneuil Hall, where I found melomakarona and spanakopita at Steve’s! Followed by late lunch at Jacob … Continue reading
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Tagged Downtown, Faneuil Hall, fieldwork, Financial District, food, Freedom Trail, Government Center, work
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Day 72: North End
Walk and lunch at the North End (Little Italy), followed by coffee & work at the Equal Exchange Cafe, whose combination of contemporary urban/industrial ambience, comfort / tables / wifi / plugs, ethical fairtrade products, great music and awesome coffee … Continue reading
Day 71: Colonial Theatre
A day of writing and catching up with projects followed by a visit to the Colonial Theatre for ‘I Love Lucy: Live on Stage‘. Reviews: – The Boston Globe – The Globe & Mail – The Chicago Tribune As a … Continue reading
December readings
The Property by Rutu Modan – Rachel Cooke’s review in The Guardian – James Smart’s review in The Guardian – Glen Weldon’s review for NPR Books
Day 63: Faneuil Hall Marketplace
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Tagged Christmas, Faneuil Hall, Financial District, Government Center
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Day 63: Newbury St
Followed by lunch at the Creperie on Newbury.
Day 60: Lowell
A lovely day at Lowell, MA – the cradle of the Industrial Revolution in the United States, and a city with a rich urban and manufacturing history, as well as one of the three biggest Greek communities in America; followed … Continue reading
Day 60: Two months down, two to go
“Making the most” of a place is not only what you get to see or whom you meet, but also how that place or experience – the act of listening and observing – changes you; and to what extent those … Continue reading
Thanksgiving Day
By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation. The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that … Continue reading
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Tagged food, holidays, Middleborough, Portraits of America, Thanksgiving
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Day 56: Dinner
Excellent dinner at The Butcher Shop
Day 56: Diversity, segregation and engagement
Catching up with a backlog of emails, projects and readings, and building up the conceptual framework on the pathways between urban diversity, segregation, engagement and co-existence. “In the face of greater individualisation, privatism, inequality and ethnic and cultural diversity, there … Continue reading