Weather reports were not promising. Freezing temperatures and strong winds foretold of a day that should be best spent indoors. Casey pondered a walking tour of Beacon Hill. A grand idea with lots of history which would include most of the Black History Trail as well. We bundled up and stepped outside for the walk to the subway station that would bring us to Beacon Hill. By the time we got to the station, the chilling winds had cut us to the bone. We decided to let the day warm up a bit and stay inside for a while. We took the subway to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) - http://www.mfa.org/.
We arrived hoping to find a cute little place near the MFA to grab a light breakfast
. This more suburban location, where the subway was now above ground, disclosed no eatery candidates and it was way too cold and windy to go exploring. We ducked into the MFA, paid for our self-guided tour and entrance tickets and immediately headed for their downstairs cafeteria for some hot coffee and a breakfast bite.
The original MFA opened its doors to the public on July 4, 1876, the nation's centennial. Built in Copley Square, the MFA was then home to 5,600 works of art. In 1909 the Museum moved to its current home on Huntington Avenue. Today the MFA is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world; the collection encompasses nearly 450,000 works of art. Casey and I spent much of the day there and barely scratched the surface!
The exhibit I enjoyed the most was to be found on the "Art of The Americas Wing" on Level 1. This section focuses on early American art produced primarily in New England and the Northeast, with a lot of attention paid to the early history of Boston
. The galleries prominently feature paintings, furniture, silver, textiles, and prints from colonial Boston and other regions, as well as art of the United States created in the decades after the American Revolution and highlighting the collection of works by John Singleton Copley (recall that we were staying near Copley Square!). We were also able to view five period rooms, including the dining room, parlor, and bedchamber from Oak Hill, a circa 1800–01 mansion. These exhibits really added to our understanding about the life and times related to the Freedom Trail.
The MFA offers several dining choices. We chose the middle of the road offering for lunch – the New American Café - and were not disappointed. By about mid-afternoon, we were spent. We exited the MFA with a hope that the day had warmed up and a walking tour of Beacon Hill was in our future. NOT! The bitter, windy cold weather waiting for the subway at the above-ground station was more than enough to advise us that the remainder of our day would be spent indoors.
Prior to returning to our hotel, we wondered the “Shops at Prudential Center” which is a massive indoor structure connecting several buildings and incorporating many, many shops, hotels and eateries. Glitz, glamor, and gold. Not much of interest for me here!
There was not much that motivated me to take off my gloves on Sunday to take a picture and risk frostbite. Therefore, the pictures associated with this entry were actually taken from my “training room” on the 21st floor of the John Hancock Tower on Monday. It was fun to look down on the plaza where Casey and I had begun our journey on the Freedom Trail.
In conclusion, I can understand why winter is not peak tourist season in Boston. I am just glad for “Climate Change” and the fact that this was likely the warmest February in Boston on record.
Museum of Fine Arts
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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2025-02-09