The Swan Boats at the Boston Public Gardens
The latest O’Keefe family inexpensive outing was (oops, I was about to say my all time favorite, then remembered I already said that about Castle Island !) one of my very favorites–Boston’s own storied Swan Boats. The truth of it is, I truly love many of 
the things you can do in Boston -especially the ones for $$short money. I’ll take you all on many of these excursions throughout the summer. So, please, sit back and enjoy the FREE ride!
This past Friday my entire family (myself, sons: Paul (12) & Sean (10), my mom (Marion Connolly), niece Mairead (4), nephews: Tommy (7), and Patrick (5) went to The Swan Boats in downtown Boston. We packed a lunch and took the ‘T’, which was in itself an adventure since the kids are used to being driven everywhere. We got off the Orange Line at Downtown Crossing, walked across the Boston Common where we bumped into Ben Franklin giving tours of the Freedom Trail, passed by the Frog Pond and into The Public Gardens. We stopped by the famous statues of ‘Make Way for Ducklings’ based on the book by Robert McCloskey. The little ones all took turns sitting on statues finally making their way to the Mother Duck. Before we boarded the boats we had an absolute blast feeding the ducks…but sadly learned it is not allowed…and for good reasons…overpopulation and non-migration, among others.
The Swan Boat ride was extremely enjoyable. It was paddled by nice young man. Ducks followed along our merry water-way. We saw swans nesting and a large turtle sunning itself on a small island. My mom watched from the bridge to take pictures…thanks Mom! I do have to admit though that my 12 year old felt he was a little too mature for this outing…they grow up so fast!
After that we got ice cream and ate them by the little park in front of The Copley Library. I have been to The Swan Boats countless times in my life and the charm is always 
as fresh as it was the first time.
Talk to everyone soon. And here’s a hint about the next outing: Fire, Water, Peace.
Brave New Roslindale
The neighborhoods of the City of Boston have gone through significant changes in the last 30 years. As the demographics have changed, so indeed have the neighborhoods changed…radically. Traditionally, most of the city neighborhoods were ethnic enclaves onto themselves, each with it’s predominant social character and political power base. The Italians populated the North End, The Irish populated South Boston, African Americans populated Roxbury. Roslindale was different than many of the other city neighborhoods. Roslindale accepted everyone. Roslindale was always ethnically diverse and attracted people from all backgrounds. Roslindale opened it’s arms to Greeks, Lebanese, Irish, Italians, Hispanics, African Americans and many others. Roslindale’s tradition was as a family-oriented, blue collar community. Roslindale was always a pretty easy going community. It was affordable. It’s nature was accepting and forgiving. Living in Roslindale was uncomplicated and, in general, everyone got along. Roslindale’s sense of community embraced people of all races, ethnic backgrounds and of varying economic status.
Like other parts of the city, change is coming to Roslindale. Roslindale is in the process of a major re-zoning process which will affect the character of the future of the neighborhood. The question is: Will Roslindale retain it’s easy going nature or change into something unrecognizable to itself? Will Roslindale lose it’s community identity? Will it change dramatically as the South Boston community has in the last few years?
As I sat in my seat at the last Community meeting on re-zoning June 20th at the Knights of Columbus Hall, I was struck by the make-up of the 15 member neighborhood council members. Clearly, these are concerned citizens with the best of intentions. However, it did not appear to me that the committee represented ‘old” Roslindale. In other words, Roslindale citizens with Roslindale roots. My impression was that the 15 member committee represented the “new” Roslindale. The committee appeared to be comprised of white collar professional-types. Where were the bus drivers, policemen, laborers & firemen? I don’t think “old” Roslindale was present on the board.
Change is inevitable. I lived in Roslindale before Sushi came to the Village. I like Sushi, but I do hope that the “new” leaders Roslindale do not effect such a dramtic change that the “old” Roslndale is lost in the process. I hope that the new Roslindale is sensitive to the old community identity which fared quite well over the years…on it’s own. Roslindale Village has a lot of charm & I can see why it has become attractive to young white-collar home buyers. However, zoning has often been used a mechanism by wealthy communities to keep the undesirable out. A couple of remarks were made the meeting that had a possessive quality to them which concerned me a little. My hope is that the re-zoning of Roslindale does not result in over protectiveness of this easy going Boston neighborhood. I hope that the “new” Roslindale does not become exclusionary, upscale and unaffordable. This would be antithetical to the reasonable nature of this city neighborhood and disrespectful to it’s tradition. Despite all the good intentions, I hope this will not be Roslindale’s fate.
History of Jamaica Plain, MA
Note: No one is quite sure how Jamaica Plain acquired its unusual name. Some attribute it to the legend that people here had a fondness for Jamaica rum and asked for it “plain.” Others attribute the name to an Indian chief who lived here more than two centuries ago whose name was Kutchamaiken.
Before 1630, the land around Jamaica Pond was a summer home to the Wampanoags , Native Americans who spent their winters nearby in Mattapan. In 1630, Puritan settlers built the first road in the area — which today is called Perkins Street. In the late 1630s, the settlers constructed a road to Dedham as well as the Dedham Turnpike (now Centre Street and Washington Street). The modern Boston neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, and Roslindale were, until 1851, part of the Town of Roxbury. The area that would become Jamaica Plain was settled slowly and was not even mentioned in Roxbury town records until 1683. The rich, fertile land along the Stony Brook Valley was attractive to farmers.
The Jamaica Plain area became a wealthy rural village. One of the next major streets to be laid out was South Street in 1662. In 1689, the local reverend John Eliot donated 75-acres of his land to establish a school for children of all ethnic backgrounds. The school still exists today. The area at the intersection of South Street and Eliot Street was then and continues to be a focus of community life in the Jamaica Plain area.
The first wave of gentrification of Jamaica Plain began in about 1740, when the wealthy elite of Boston built their country summer homes on sprawling rural estates in the Pond side area of Jamaica Plain. One of these was the Loring-Greenough House, which was built in 1740, was later used as a hospital for Washington’s men during the Revolution, and still stands today at the corner of Centre and South Streets.
Public transportation dramatically changed the development pattern of Jamaica Plain. In 1826, Omnibuses (known as “The Hourlies”) ran to Boston each hour for a fee of 25 cents, opening up access to what had been an exclusive rural area. By 1832, the roads in the area had increased dramatically, and included Centre, South, and Walter Streets, the Dedham Turnpike (now Washington Street), and Perkins, Canterbury, Walk Hill, Seaver, Back, Warren, Bourn, Elliot, and Burrough.
In 1834 the Boston and Providence Railroad was completed. The railroad brought settlers to the area in even greater numbers and the first suburban homes were built. With the suburbanization of the neighborhood came industrialization of the Stony Brook corridor. Beginning in the 1840s, and continuing for the next several decades, factories such as textile mills, print shops, foundries, lumber and stone yards, and twelve breweries were built along Stony Brook (roughly parallel to what is now the Southwest Corridor).
Urban Coyotes
In my West Roxbury neighborhood, the wild turkeys were once a frequent summer visitor. The summer of 2007 seems to be the year of the coyote. Throughout the area, there have been coyote sightings. One recent afternoon, my neighbor watched and photographed a coyote make it’s way through our backyards and on to Lagrange Street. 
Last month, both the Boston Globe and the West Roxbury Bulletin reported that a family of coyotes were seen on Francesca St. in West Roxbury. For now, people seemed to be fascinated to see these animal up close. Experts remind us that attacks on humans are rare, though precautions should be taken with pets and young children. I wonder if the construction on the VFW Parkway may have driven the coyotes out of their leafy homes along the Parkway???
NEW BOSTON CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
I would like to follow up on Helen Coen’s recent article about Teachers Appreciation Month and the Children’s Museum. I haven’t been to the Children’s Museum in a while and just last week I visited the new remodeled Museum. A childhood friend of mine, Madeleine, was visiting from Cannes, France with her husband, Roberto, and her 6 year old daughter, Coline. So I got to play the tourist and we tried to find fun things for all of us to do.
The renovations are great and the most striking one to me is the labyrinth/climbing structure.
I remember how scary the earlier version was. I don’t really know then who was more scared: the adult or the child. You couldn’t really see where your child was except when he/she was screaming because of being stuck or lost. I tried one day to go inside and unfortunately I was too big!!
Now, everybody gets comfortable and it is a really nice time for all. There are tables, chairs and bunches outside facing the water and it is lovely to have lunch there.
The all time favorites are still there (the bubbles room and the golf balls room). The supermarket is better. There is rock climbing which is new. I didn’t remember the Japanese house and it is really interesting! Especially when you sell Real Estate as I do !
Coline had a blast! So did her parents who thought the world of this Museum. France has an impressive amount of Museums but not so much directed towards children and that is a shame!
So if you don’t know where to take the kids this summer, head on to the Children’s Museum! Make it a day trip and walk following the water to the Aquarium and you can even end your day by eating in the North End.
Parking was easy at the Museum with couple of parking lots giving you a great discount if you validate your ticket.
West Roxbury Literary Society of Loose Ends
The final meeting of the 20th year of West Roxbury Literary Society of Loose Ends came to a conclusion at Geoffrey’s Cafe at 4257 Washington Street in Roslindale Square on Monday, June 18th. Over a delightful dinner with appetisers and desserts we would all recommend Geoffrey’s to our friends and spouses. The desserts by Michael Aplin were worth every calorie. We all enjoyed the splendid service of Beau as well as Shari.. Keep in mind the kitchen is open until midnight!
The members of the book club are charter members: (President), Debbie Vinci, Kathy Cummings Tower, Kathy Cooke Wilmarth, Donna Miller, Maureen Hayes Rossi; also attending were (Secretary) Tanya Tower Newburg, Chris Conroy Kristeller, Jeanne Black Guidi, Beverly Sheehan and Maureen Hachey.
This month’s book was a new novel by Khaled Hosseini called A Thousand Splendid Suns. He also wrote, a few years ago, the wildly popular, Kite Runner. Most members had finished the novel within the past month and many described it as “brutal.” It felt more non-fiction than fiction since these are accounts of the war in Afghanistan that we have been assaulted with by the news media for well over a decade. The tragic lives of the women veiled and unveiled, educated and uneducated and how they were valued within their families. Most members rated the book between 4.77 (Our scale runs from 0 the worst to 5 the best).
Society reading list since 1987 here
Our 21st year will start 9/23/07. Stay tuned!
Parkway Soccer Family Day at Millennium Park in West Roxbury–What a Blast!
What a fabulous time! The Parkway Youth Soccer League and the Parkway Family Day task force organizations really outdid themselves this year in a combined community-wide effort that resulted in a very successful Parkway Soccer Family Day this past Saturday, June 16Th at Millennium Park in West Roxbury, MA. 
So many families volunteered, local businesses donated food, pastries, and other give aways. There were pony rides, two (2) moonwalks, a duck pond toss, a theatre production, patriotic songs, trivia games, and The Boston Fire Department allowed children to play on and learn about the fire engines. The Parkway Idol Contest was a big hit as usual…and so much more!
A cookout included burgers, dogs, slush, popcorn, cotton candy and much more-all free! 
My kids, Paul and Sean, and my husband Tom had a blast. They bumped into lots of friends and relatives. Many local politicians were also there which gave people a chance to meet them on a more personal level.
I would like to thank all who had a hand in this fabulous day…each year it gets better and better. Keep up the good work!
A History of Roslindale, Ma.
Roslindale, a community just 6 miles from downtown Boston, was annexed to the city in 1873. At the time, it was an out-of-the-way part of the expansive town of West Roxbury. The area was called South Street Crossing in the 1880’s because the railroad crossed South Street at the street level. However, when the community applied for a post office district of its own, it was told that “South Street Crossing” was an unacceptable name in the Commonwealth. And so, the community renamed itself.
The name, “Roslindale,” was suggested by a well-traveled member of the community who told the assembled citizens that the area reminded him of the beautiful historic town of Rosslyn, Scotland, outside Edinburgh. He thought the area was like a dale because of the hills surrounding it. Thus the combination of “Rosslyn” and “dale” were submitted to the Post Office and the name “Roslindale” was formally established. Roslindale grew residentially as a classic streetcar suburb in the early 20th Century. The railway, which currently serves as the Needham line of the MBTA, was built after the Civil War, and spawned yet another new round of commercial and residential development.
Roslindale saw steady growth in its residential population, beginning in the 1880’s, with the introduction of the horse-drawn street railway service between Forest Hills and Dedham. By the 1920’s Roslindale Village had assumed the configuration it has today. It is beautifully laid out with the well-kept Adams Park at its center. Roslindale is convenient with easy access to bus and rail lines center, and the area continues to grow and offer great opportunity as both a commercial and residential district.
History of West Roxbury: Part III
The West Roxbury Branch of the Boston and Providence Railroad was completed in 1848, fourteen years after the railroad was established, with stations at Central (later known as Bellevue), West Roxbury Village, and Spring Street.
The town was comprised of three sections: West Roxbury Village, or what is now the Centre Street area; Mount Bellevue, which was literally named for the beautiful views afforded by the hill; and Germantown, a section near the junction of Washington and Grove Streets that was settled by Germans from East Dedham. It was said that in “1851, there were two churches, two grocery stores, and one small dry goods store, and for many years after conditions remained unchanged.”
However, it was the West Roxbury Branch of the railroad that brought the middle class to West Roxbury, and initiated the great changes that were to take place between 1860 and 1900. Some of the estates remained well into the twentieth century — most notably the Codman Estate (later the campus of the Roxbury Latin School ) and the Cabot Estate (the site of the present Saint Theresa’s Church ). It would be the real estate developers who subdivided the farms and created new neighborhoods. This transformed the once rural countryside into urban streetscapes that would become known as “Streetcar Suburbs.” The close proximity of West Roxbury to Boston, with travel made easier by the railroad and the West Roxbury and Roslindale Street Railway, proved far too much of a temptation for the developers, and the push for annexation to the city of Boston became the primary topic of discussion.
Boston had already annexed the once independent city of Roxbury (1868) and the town of Dorchester (1870), and the filling in of the marshlands west of Arlington Street in Boston had created the new “Back Bay” neighborhood, but the steadily increasing population continued to demand more space. West Roxbury (along with the city of Charlestown and the town of Brighton ) was annexed to Boston on May 29, 1873. Thus, the town of West Roxbury ceased to exist twenty-three years after it was founded, and now became a neighborhood of the city of Boston.
The resulting change in West Roxbury was swift and decisive. The opponents to the annexation saw their property soar in value and the proponents began the further subdivision of the farms and estates to attract new residents to the neighborhood. By the last decade of the nineteenth century, the population was served by a street railway line operating between Forest Hills and Dedham. The Boston Elevated Railway had completed the elevated railway that connected Dudley Street in Roxbury to Sullivan Square in Charlestown in 1901. This line was extended to Forest Hills in 1909, and created a passenger terminus for the streetcars that connected Dedham along Spring and Grove Streets and Centre Street. With the increased ease of transportation, West Roxbury became a desirable and accessible neighborhood that would continue to increase steadily in population.
With the increase in population came new schools and churches, along with new streets and major roads, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway. The housing boom took place initially in the 1920s and early 1930s, but would double after World War II, due in part to the automobile and to the Veterans Bill that allowed for low interest mortgages for veterans. Today, West Roxbury is a thriving neighborhood of Boston, with open space along the Charles River and Mount Bellevue. 
With a large number of cemeteries, such as the Saint Joseph’s, Gethsemane, and Mount Benedict Cemeteries, and the Jewish cemeteries of Adath-Jeshurun, Baker Street, and Boston United Hand in Hand, the open green space once so attractive to our ancestors remains, but perceived and utilized in a different manner.
It is a thriving community of people who strive to make it a pleasant and friendly neighborhood that offers the best of qualities of suburban living without leaving the City of Boston.
The Chicken and Egg of Boston Housing and Education
In in article by Tracey Jan in last Friday’s Boston Globe entitled ”S. Boston developer plans a private school,” a proposal was announced to develop 2,500 housing units within a 23 acre site in Boston’s Seaport District. A proposed site, which today contains nothing but parking lots, would be developed by John B. Hynes III into residential housing, a performing arts center, two (2) health clubs, a public garden and a private school.
The problem facing the Seaport district is not unique. Emerging neighborhoods have faced similar problems and addressed them in different ways. What is lacking in the Seaport District are the basic amenities that exist in most other neighborhoods and suburbs of Boston (e.g. schools, shops, restaurants, people, etc.). The concept of ‘build it and they will come’ has not worked well for the Seaport District. There are convention centers, museums, hotels, etc. but what is lacking are people, because there are little to no housing units in which people can live. The Seaport District will never be a neighborhood until people start living there–and people will not start living there unless there is sufficient quality education for their children. This in a classic example of the proverbial problem of which came first the chicken or the egg.
John B. Hynes III has proposed a simple solution to a complex problem: a school which will serve 1,500 children from kindergarten through high school. He hopes the school will help attract families to his development and to the area. City officials are not embracing his idea and are calling it “hair-brained,” and “catering to the upper end.”
By including a school with the development plans, Hynes is solving the age old question of which came first the chicken or the egg? He is proposing a solution by combining the Chicken and Egg.
Good education attracts families, and families attract everything else. Hynes has the right idea: offer good quality educational options and they will come.
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