Fine Arts Overload and a Great View

Phew!  My feet have never hurt this bad!  Between uncushiony shoes, a heavy backpack, and the loads of walking, my feet are practically dead.

Today was Day B on my “Boston plan,” and so I began by visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (I still don’t understand why it’s “comma, Boston,” but I suppose if they want to be fancy like that…).  It is another ticket that I got with my CityPass.

To get to the museum I had to catch a bus in central square and ride it across the bridge and past Fenway Park (where the Red Sox play).  Thankfully Kelly cut me out a map of the area, so I followed the streets as we passed them and had an easy time figuring out when to get off.  The museum itself is located right off of the green line.

The museum looks very old, with large pillars in the front.  Currently there is an exhibition on Renaissance artwork, so there are banners advertising it everywhere.    I arrived early, around 9:30, but as I entered there was already a large line composed of many school children.

[singlepic=821,320,240,,left]Once inside I was forced to check-in my over sized backpack.  I took out my SLR camera and said goodbye to my video camera–not wanting to carry around too much (knowing me,  I’d lose something).  I spent all morning touring their giant collection of artwork.

Out of the art museums I’ve been to, this has been by far the nicest.  The building itself is beautiful, and they boast a proud display of Asian art, as well as Egyptian, Greek and Roman.  Someone told me there was a mummy here…but that was one thing I didn’t see.

In the Japanese display I recognized a lot of art subjects–particularly the woodblock prints depicting the tales of Genji.  Nearby two people were speaking in Japanese and I was thrilled to sit and listen. I never realize how much I miss Japan until I hear people speaking the language.  It’s enough to drive me crazy with homesickness…for a foreign country, that is.

[singlepic=816,320,240,,right]Of course, the museum also has a large hall devoted to realism and European classics…which are my favorite.  Portraits speak to me in more ways than other artwork.  It must be the idea that this was a real person and while they shall never know me, I am able to learn so much about them.

In the impressionism exhibit they had several of Auguste Rodin‘s pieces– my favorite sculpter of all time.  His “kiss” statues are passionate and strong.  They are mesmorizing  (So of course I took a million photos).

Finally, there was a room entirely devoted to musical instruments.  Old Stradivarius violins, one of the first saxophones, a koto from Japan, and several ancient looking grand pianos were just a few pieces on display.  I wanted to take photos so badly, but there was a staff member who was rather strict about it…not even cell phones were allowed.

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When I finished my art-rendevue, I took the green-line train further into Boston to the Prudential Center.  This is the second tallest building within Boston, and is filled with shops and offices.  I ate my packed lunch within the center’s courtyard and listened to Harry Potter on my iPod before heading up to the Skywalk Observatory.

[singlepic=882,320,240,,left]Another part of CityPass, the Skywalk Observatory is located on the second highest floor of the building.  With windows all around, from here you can get a panoramic view of the entire city.  Boston’s crazy, winding, unorganized streets are far below, and beyond them you can see the harbor and then the ocean past Massachusett’s many islands.

The observatory also offers audio tours on small walkie talkies that you receive upon buying a ticket.  By entering a specific number, these guide you around Boston from above, pointing on main attractions and teaching you Boston’s history along the way.

I joined Kelly after this to explore Boston’s upscale streets and shops.  Down Newbury and Boylston we looked into windows and pined over things far too expensive for our wallets.

[singlepic=857,320,240,,right]On the way home we crossed through Boston’s Public Gardens and the Common–wide, green areas kind of similar to Central Park.  During my observatory tour I also learned that, originally, the Boston Common was where Boston citizens would bring their cows to graze during the 1600s.  Apparently they were only allowed 70 cows to graze at any one time.  I couldn’t imagine managing seventy cows at one time.  That would be a nightmare!  What would you do if your cows got mixed up with someone else’s?

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