Boston’s Chinatown

By Kanbe M.

Boston’s Chinatown..Not the biggest but is unique in it’s own distinct way.From the flashing lights of the restaurants and stores to the murals and the paifang gate,Boston’s chinatown is one of the most unique and historic places in New England.It’s definitely not the largest but has it’s own character.Chinatown, Boston is a neighborhood located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the only surviving historic ethnic Chinese area in New England Since the demolish of Chinatown’s in Providence, Rhode Island and Portland, Maine after the 1950s. Because of the high population of Asian Americans living in this particular area of Boston, there is an abundance amount of Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants located in Boston’s Chinatown. It is one of the most densely populated residential areas in Boston, and is the center of its Asian American life.There are many distinct characteristics about Boston’s chinatown from the moment you walk in.First is the “Paifang gate”.The Paifang gate is green and has chinese characters engraved on it and to the side there are 2 foo lions on each side.The characters means Tian Xia Wei Gong, a saying attributed to Sun Yat-sen that translates as "everything under the sky is for the people", and Li Yi Lian Chi, an ancient Chinese proverb meaning a good person is one who understands "Manner", "Loyalty", "Honesty", and "Shame".Continuing on there is a huge Mural that is being displayed.It is displayed in “scroll form” as Ms.Donoghue says and is beautifully presented.We contiued walking and decided to eat a traditional vietnamese dish called “Pho”.As “Pho Experts” Ms.Donoghue and I showed my fellow writers how to eat,what to put it and so on.It was interesting to see the reactions on there faces after first trying and suprisingly David finished everything from the noodles to the soup.We then went to a local gift-shop and they sold many fasinating things.From plates,tea pots and cups to bamboo,it was an interesting place and is definitely worth going to.We ended the trip going to get Boba tea for Robert, who didn’t even finish the whole thing.Overal,l the trip was a great expirience and i’m glad I got to eat good food with great people.If you are in Boston and want to look for an area with great restaraunts, historic places and a great atmosphere,Boston’s Chinatown is that place!!

Chinatown

By Robert A. and Brendan M.

For our latest city exploration, we went to Chinatown. In Chinatown our group tried this food place called Pho Hoa. The food was rather interesting in a good way. To be honest it was very good. Pho is kind of like a soup with many different flavored broths and delicious rice noodles.  It was a different type of food that we had and it expanded our culinary pallets. After eating, we walked around and went into a little corner store. When we went in the store we were greeted by a dog full of energy. When we went in the corner store we saw tiny trinkets such as chopsticks, silk clothing, pottery and bamboo.  

Kanbe was the expert on this trip he knew exactly where to go. If anyone that reads this is interested on vietnamese food go down to Chinatown. If you ever want to go to Chinatown hop on the red line on the MBTA and get off at the Chinatown train stop. Man was this trip interesting at least this time everybody got on the train at the same time lol no one forgot Robert (ME) and David this time. It was an amazing trip because at night the bright lights in Chinatown and the old authentic atmosphere makes this city so beautiful, from many different food places to stores on the corner of streets that sell old china silverware and Japanese movies to a bubble tea place :) This trip was a amazing, and we would recommend you go when you have free time.

Big Papi
by Robert Anglin

Big Papi (David Ortiz) Is a famous baseball player...#34. He started his baseball career in 1997 he started playing on the Minnesota Twins. As he was playing for the twins he suffered knee injuries, this put David Ortiz out of playing baseball till 2002. When he went back to the Twins they traded him to the Red Sox in 2003. After Ortiz got traded to the Red Sox when he was young they won the world series. Boston Red Sox won the world series in 2004 2007 and 2013. David Ortiz was a part of all of this. After the World Series he had more honorable mentions with the Boston Red Sox. Big Papi just recently retired his whole baseball career. Prior to his retirement there's a monument of him at Fenway in the display cage outside. Big Papi also has a famous movie about his career because it was a special time in Red Sox history. Ortiz won the World Series MVP in 2013 with a .688 batting average in the World Series against the Saint Louis Cardinals.  

The History Of Fenway Park

By: Robert Anglin and Brendan McDonough

Brendan: Monday 10/25...we took a trip to the legendary Fenway Park in Boston. This park was built April 20th, 1912. This park is the home field of the Boston Red Sox. On our trip, we saw the retired baseball players numbers out on display. All these players are great but there is one spot dedicated to one special player, his name is Ted Williams. Ted Williams has one special seat located in right field section 42 seat 21. This seat is painted red and dedicated to Ted Williams because of the home run he had hit. Ted Williams hit the longest home run in baseball history.

Fenway gift shop is a huge part of Fenway because it has everything from every game. This part of the field trip was the best for Robert because he spent 45 minutes in the store...he is very passionate about baseball.

Robert: This trip meant a lot to me because growing up I was a huge fan of baseball. I will always remember the 2004 world series the year the Red Sox broke their 86 year "curse of the Bambino" that year the “ Bunch of idiots” including David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Johnny Damon and Bill Muller helped the Boston Red Sox comeback from being down 3-0 behind the New York Yankees to come back and win 4 in a row for the greatest comeback in sports history. Going to Fenway unleashed my inner child because it gave me enjoyment to see all the history in this park from the retired numbers from Ted Williams famous #9 to Jackie Robinson’s league wide retired #42

Ye Olde State House By: David Gillis

The Old State House is an interesting place to visit. What once was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court is now a museum . Many of its exhibits show us a glimpse at life during the colonial era. Some of these exhibits include one showing how Boston went from what it was hundreds of years ago to what it is today, one exhibit with artifacts on display, on exhibit of an interactive map of old Boston and its major locations during the time, a multimedia presentation on the Boston Massacre, a hands-on exhibit for children, and a council chamber remade as how it was during the 1760’s. Although it’s small, there’s so much to explore at the Old State House. I strongly recommend you come and visit

Old State House Museum 9/19

The Old State House

By Kelvin Lewis 9/28/16

Yesterday our traveling writing club went to the Old State House in downtown Boston.

David, Robert, Brendan and I explored the Old State House and the touring we did was very interesting because we got these cards with histories of everyday young people in the 1700’s. The man I had on my card was named Patrick Carr- he was an activist and a leather worker, but he passed away in 1730. Also there were facts about the State House, for example, it is the oldest surviving public building in Boston!

The Famous Bill Russell

The  Famous Bill Russell Celtics Champion

By Robert Anglin , Brennan McDonough

Our travel writing group took our first trip of 2016. We went downtown to the Old State House in downtown Boston. On the way  there, our group visited the famous Bill Russell statue. If you don't know who Bill Russell was, he was one of the greatest centers in NBA history! He is a first ballot NBA Hall Of Famer and of course he played for the legendary Dynasty Boston Celtics. Bill Russell won 11 NBA championships with the Boston Celtics which is the most by any player...ever! The Celtics only won 6 titles after that and Bill Russell alone has half of those rings in his collection. He was also a five time MVP.  

Some funny fun fact that people may not know about him is that he is frequently mistaken for Morgan Freeman! LOL!

Bill Russell was also a coach of the Celtics. “Bill Russell  was inducted into the ESPN Boston Hall of Fame in 2011, which was the inaugural class. Some other professional sports figures were also inducted; they were Red Auerbach, Larry Bird, Bobby Orr, and Ted Williams. “ (http://yakmax.com/10-fun-facts-about-bill-russell/)

After reading this article we encourage you to visit the famous statute that is in tribute to Bill Russell.  

The Old State House and The Bill Russell Statue 9/19

Copley library

Mapparium

We went to the Mapparium on May 24th. It’s near the Prudential building and the long reflective pool thing. The Mapparium is one of the most interesting attractions in the city...people come from all over to take a tour of this famous globe. The lobby is huge and has a projection thingy in the middle with words in different languages. The best-est part of the trip though was when we got to go in the Mapparium. Imagine a globe, but inside out, made out of glass, and very old. And sound is weird in there. Two people can stand on opposite sides of the room, whisper, and still hear each other fine, If you stand in the middle of the room, and speak, it’s like hearing yourself in surround sound. Very hard to describe, but very interesting, and very fun. (But not fun like “hey verse me in a COD match”, fun like “wow, this is amazing”)

Courtesy of The Mary Baker Eddy Library, Boston, MA

Courtesy of The Mary Baker Eddy Library, Boston, MA

Courtesy of The Mary Baker Eddy Library, Boston, MA

Charlestown Navy Yard

The Interesting Journey To The MFA

By Robert Anglin/ Brendan McDonough

Once again our wonderful travel writing club took another trip. We went to Museum Of Fine Arts (MFA when we were there we saw many roman statues and artifacts. We didn't get to see all the exhibits we wanted to see. One exhibit we went into was the Ancient Arts of America. When we were in there, there was this one section where you could take your shoes off and sit in a very ancient chair and get a foot massage. Entering the exhibit it clearly says no photos or flash. Our funniest moment was when our lovely teacher didn't listen. She took a photo (with her FLASH on) then they asked her not to LOL. The funny part was that there were no museum administrators around then they came out of nowhere. There were so many interesting things that we did there, including the pencil trick, (ask Tyler for details). Did you know there are artifacts that you can actually sit on? We were in the Chinese exhibit, when we sat on the artifacts that we were allowed to. It felt extremely weird and it didn’t smell too pleasant after a while. You didn’t realize the smell until you actually got down from the chair. In this exhibit it was really old fashioned, everything that we all were able to sit on had to be manually powered. The experience was out of this world and i would highly recommend you guys going on Wednesday nights for free (kids and teenagers only).

Art Of Africa and Oceania at the Museum of Fine Arts

By Tyler  Andrade

Have you ever wondered what the African lifestyle was like before slavery? There were great kingdoms, Pharoahs, and Empires. Well me and my friends went back into the past, to the MFA, located in the Fenway neighborhood, near Northeastern University. The Museum is free, everyday, for students under 17 (and even for adults like Ms. D, it’s free on Wednesdays).  There were lovely bronze statues of men with weapons and weird faces on masks that looked like they would soon come alive. Once I stepped into the exhibit I felt like I was in the movie “Night at the Museum”. Everything seemed to be coming alive, popping off walls and dragging us back into the past. There were special gold decorations that were probably worth over a million dollars. I feel that the Art of Africa and Oceania exhibit would benefit from being expanded to include more artifacts like costumes and more masks. We had a really good time there, and I would highly recommend taking a visit to the MFA because...

  

16th Century China in 21st Century Boston

By Kanbe Mao

In the MFA’s ancient Chinese room, you’ll feel like you're in 16th century Ming China when you walk in! The moment you walk in, you’re greeted with a peaceful vibe, it’s even more peaceful because you’re able to sit on beautiful ceramic stones and a surprisingly comfortable massage chair.They even encourage you with a sign saying you should sit on it. Now the massage chair doesn’t have any fancy vibrations or electronics but it has four rollers below you that you put your feet on. It feels strange when you first attempt to massage your feet, but soon you sink in and start to feel at peace. Another interesting aspect of the room is an ancient office or study room. It’s nothing like an office room of today-no computers, no printers, not even a fancy rolling chair. Just a table, paper and a pen. It seems like it was built for a general at the time.There was elegant ancient furniture with interesting printings on them.The furniture consisted of elegant tables, beds, shelves and much more. I learned many things on this trip, but this room was one of the most interesting. I could sit there all day and meditate.The only thing missing was Ms.Donoghue’s Zen music...but I could live without it.

Museum of Fine Arts

What was the Holocaust?

by Sophia Reid

Before 1933, the Jewish population in Europe was over 9 million, and most Jews lived in cities that the Nazis would soon invade. By 1945, the Nazis killed 2 out out of every 3 Jews as part of their “final solution”. Imagine 2 out of 3 people you know being killed? The Nazis targeted all Jews because they  felt that they were  the reasons why Germany lost the first World War, and  their economic crisis. Recently, on February 24, 2016 me and my fellow classmates and my English teacher visited the Holocaust memorial. I have never been there before, and when I finally went I had many questions, like what did the 6 poles means? Who made it? Well I found those answers. The 6 poles represent the 6 million Jews, Polish people and other minorities that died during this terrible event, the 6 main death camps and the 6 years of this “final solution”1939-1945. The memorial was the idea of a man named Stephan Ross, a Holocaust survivor who lost most of his family, and it’s motto is “A Beacon of Memory and Hope”.  

http://www.nehm.org/the-memorial/history/

Holocaust Memorial

by Rudell Moses-Orr

   

The New England Holocaust memorial is one of the most famous monuments in the city, and an amazing design to remember this tragic event in history. It has six massive glass pillars with millions of numbers on them. It includes the numbers branded on every Holocaust victim. Those tattoos were permanent. It’s not like  the Nazis just wrote on the victims...it was literally melted into their skin. (I’ve heard that, because of this, even now some Jewish parents tell their kids not to get tattoos because it reminds them of the terrible things the Germans(Nazis) did  in the Holocaust.) Most people that were in the Holocaust went in with their family and didn't leave with them, or even didn’t leave at all. And this is why we remember.

Dig in at Quincy Market

by David Gillis and Kelvin Lewis

At Quincy Market there are so many different restaurants to choose from (33 to be exact). You might end up spending more time choosing what to eat than actually eating. Quincy Market has a large variety of restaurants, all with great food. Quincy Market is a historic market near Faneuil Hall in downtown. Quincy Market was built in 1826 for merchants and shoppers alike. Many famous people have stopped by, including people like Susan B. Anthony, Bill Clinton and many more. I recommend that you go there because of the great food and great environment. It’s both a piece of history and a lively food court.

Holocaust Memorial

Holocaust Memorial

by Kanbe Mao

The New England Holocaust Memorial is located in Boston, Massachusetts near Haymarket station. We just finished reading Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night, so we were very interested in visiting this site. Once we got there, we were amazed by the architecture and design of the memorial. We were introduced by steam coming from below which revealed the 6 towering glass pillars. We went closer and saw that the pillars weren't just there for show. They had various quotes inscribed on them of Holocaust survivors, as well as the serial numbers of all the Nazi victims etched into the glass. The pillars themselves represent the 6 main Nazi death camps, including Auschwitz, where Elie Wiesel was a prisoner in 1944.

A quote that my fellow students and I found interesting was:

"Isle, a childhood friend of mine, once found a raspberry in the camp 
and carried it in her pocket all day to present to me that night on a leaf. 

Imagine a world in which your entire possession is one raspberry, and you give it to your friend."

Let's Rename Faneuil Hall “David Ortiz Hall”!

Let's Rename Faneuil Hall “David Ortiz Hall”

by Robert Anglin and Brendan McDonough

On February 24th we took a trip to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Faneuil Hall is named after Peter Faneuil and has been a famous part of Boston for over 200 years. Now let's get onto the topic of who Peter Faneuil was:  “Peter Faneuil was a wealthy Bostonian who made his fortune as a merchant in the slave trade”. A slave trader here in Boston? It's part of our history, and not a part to be proud of. Perhaps we should rethink the name. Maybe it should be called “David Ortiz Hall” or “Ted William's Hall” instead!

And while we’re on the topic of baseball, Quincy Market has baseball jerseys hung in the corner walls of the building... 2 Red Sox jerseys and two Japanese jerseys.. Dice K’s and Hideki Okajimas.

We visited Quincy Market, which has a lots of interesting food places and tourist shops. We went for a quick bite to eat, but there were so many delicious choices! We all ate different types of food (instead of the pizza like we usually do every trip- it gets a little bit repetitive after a while, lol). They had places ranging from Chinese Food to sushi to burgers. Quincy market looks kind of small at first glance, until you walk through and realize how big the building actually is- with seats on the lower level and an upstairs. Our writing group sat in the center of Quincy market. We highly recommend this stop for food because it has many interesting choices to grab a bite to eat.  

Holocaust Memorial and Faneuil Hall