By Ben Alper Living in the densely populated North End can sometimes feel like living in a small can of tightly-packed but friendly sardines. You’re never too far from a neighborly hello or a pre-COVID out-of-towner lugging a Mike’s Pastry box and asking directions to Old North Church. Contrast our tightly packed community with the Read More…
Twenty years is a big chunk of a man’s life, no doubt about that. The day in 1955 when Billy DeChristoforo walked out of MCI Concord he swore he would never go back. The twenty best years of his life were gone. In 1935, the year he went in, the country was in the middle Read More…
COVID-19 unexpectedly rendered people in their sixties and older a vulnerable demographic: physically, emotionally, and financially. Most retirees are poignantly aware of this disturbing truth. For those who, like me, decided to retire recently, COVID-19 did not enter the calculus. Many people plan to reinvent themselves upon retiring, but wearing a mask and living with Read More…
Progressives too, can back the blue By District One City Councilor Lydia Edwards Thank you. I haven’t said it enough to the men and women in blue that serve our great city. Time and time again they are expected to be at their best when we are at our worst. Whether it was during 9/11, the Read More…
The three-month closure of Boston’s parks and cemeteries during the covid-19 outbreak led to the remarkable reappearance of Copp‘s Hill in its natural state. They’re gone now, likely never to reappear — wildflowers and meadow grass swaying gently in the harbor breezes on the lower slopes of an ancient graveyard. During the three-month shutdown of Read More…
Downtown JournalAn occasional column about city life Tentatively stepping back into what life used to be, we shake off the shackles of the lockdown and look around at the changed world. It’s not really new, of course, but our perceptions of it are altered. We see things in a new light as the opening of Read More…
COVID-19 canceled celebrations, graduation speeches, prom, and other events for the class of 2020. When they will attend their 25th high school reunion in 2045, what will these students remember of their senior year? For most high school seniors, the first week of June usually means walking at graduation and completing the traditional rites of passage Read More…
White Cells are killing Black Cells and Red Cells are left to die in the Body ContaminateIf America is One Body, One Voice forwarding the Civilized Discourse. Then,America is dying.And The Founding Fathers are crying. More and More Money to MoneyAnd Shit to the BucketAnd Rosevelt is crying Confederate Flags are flyingEmpowering the fight for Read More…
As we move through the surreal days created by the COVID-19 pandemic, it can be comforting and inspiring to learn the stories of those who survived similar challenges which, at the time, were unprecedented. These stories can lead us to acknowledge our human fragility but also our ability to persevere and prevail when our physical, Read More…
Downtown JournalAn occasional column about city life On the first Friday of May, I went to sleep next to my husband and woke up early Saturday morning being transported from our bedroom to an ambulance. “What hospital do you want to go to,” one first responder asked. “Mass General,” I replied. We raced off to Read More…
Let’s all thank the small businesses that are keeping our community intact. The cashiers at The Golden Goose, butchers at Sulmona Meats, the workers at Bova’s and Parziale’s Bakery, the list goes on, who all show up to serve us every day, and they don’t have N95 masks to protect themselves from the public who Read More…
For nearly 20 years the Friends of Christopher Columbus Park (FOCCP) has been dedicated to creating a vibrant urban oasis in the Park. This has always been a vital mission and never more meaningful than now. Christopher Columbus Park offers solace and even some fun, in this precarious time. FOCCP member, Katie Kelly, shares her Read More…