How I Spent My Summer Vacation -- The Long Walk

July 16 -- Boston

Way back in 1969, I spent a semester at Boston University.  Didn't do much there; I was too young and timid.  But I did make that 40 minute walk from Beacon to Comm Ave for classes everyday.

When my son started school at Harvard, I determined to a) get to know Boston, and b) do a reminiscence tour of BU.  That last resolution hadn't happened yet, and here he is, almost a senior.

So I began my second day in Boston, map in hand, looking for BU.

It wasn't hard, even for me.  I only got turned around a couple of times before I found where Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street make an X.  Instead of heading toward BU, I started walking the other way, down Beacon Street.  Sure enough, I found those gorgeous brownstones where I lived those few months, up on the third floor, looking out the huge bay windows.

Or maybe here....

I lived here...

And one of my favorite things -- some things change, some things don't -- was the huge and delicious meals at the wonderful dining hall on my way to and from school.

Lower level serving comforting food.

There were special meals on certain days, lobster dinner and prime rib.  It was comfort food before there was comfort food.  A young woman, dressed too well to be a BU undergrad, was leaving the building, so I asked if it was a dorm, and was told, sadly, no.  I guess even BU had to cave to the cost of real estate in the 21st century.

Instead of turning around and heading to the university, I decided to see what would happen if I continued east.  What discoveries!  I found the Harvard Bridge, right at the intersection on Mass Ave.  I decided to throw caution to the wind and leave Beacon Street for Commonwealth Avenue, and headed to Boston Commons.  It's a walk I highly recommend, and I'm glad I did it, 40 years later.  Beautiful houses,

Breathtaking monuments of tribute,

Boston Women's Memorial

Tribute to firefighters -- Vendome Hotel

Had I taken this walk back in 1969, the homes may have been lovely, but the memorials are new.  The Vendome fire happened in 1972, a few years after I had passed through Boston.  I imagine the Public Garden has changed as well.

Weary feet, and with time passing, I walked through the Public Garden and glanced in the general direction of The Commons, where there have been so many important gatherings.  Not today, it just looked like a baseball diamond and grass.  Definitely not worth the walk.  On the other hand, as I walked toward what should have been the T (once again, sense of direction fails me), I happened upon a true photo op:

Eventually I did end up on the T.  En route I realized that while visiting my son, I had once stayed not a block away from where I was standing.  Amazing.  Great fun finally piecing Boston together in my head.

The T came above ground on the way to Boston University.  I had never taken public transportation to school while I was there, not out of a great need for exercise, but because -- I swear -- I had no idea how to use it.  I felt like I had become quite the daredevil and world traveler in the intervening years.

I had figured out where my school -- The Division of General Education (Deej, I believe they called it then) -- should be, and got off.  There it was (I think...), only the once experimental program had become the more mundane College of General Studies.

On the long walk back, I was able to guess other buildings that I may have had classes in.  There were a few student tours being conducted along the way, and I slowed down to walk with them.  I learned that Boston University has a College of Communications and they have their own TV station.  In fact, students who take the class have their own show about being a BU student.  I was told that undergrads really look forward to the last episode of the season to see how the writers have decided to kill off all the seniors each year.

And the School of Management has an advertising course that includes designing the billboard at Kenmore Square, which currently has a Pizzeria Uno display.  And as a marketing tool they announced at a Red Sox game that if the Sox hit the billboard, everyone would get a free pizza. I think.  It was getting hard to stay with the group at this point, so I went my own way, heading back to Hojo, and later, my first Red Sox game.