Results tagged “navyyard”

As Bostonians we pride ourselves on our history as a city steeped in sea-faring tradition. Whether it be our statuesque U.S.S. Constitution, the ubiquitous story of the Boston Tea Party, or the ever-present duck boats, Boston and the ocean will be forever intertwined. As such, Bostonist presents some last-minute gift ideas that pay homage to our salty roots. more ›

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We're not talking about any newly imposed fees, we don't know of any. On a recent trip to the Navy Yard we followed the red brick trail out of the National Park Service site only to come up against a blockade. Because we don't make a habit of following the Freedom Trail through Boston (really, how many times can you do it?) we were surprised to find that Gate 1 of Charleston Navy Yard was closed. Not only closed but closed off using Jersey barriers. We present this ironic image of how the Freedom Trail has been cut off by the likes of Homeland Security. more ›

We got a couple emails this weekend from concerned citizens who had spotted Mounties on the shore at Charleston Navy Yard. Yep, it's true. The U.S. Navy, National Park Service, and colonial-dressed docents alike allowed the Canadians to dock and take shore. We hoped for a South Park-style battle to be brewing, unfortunately it was merely a PR campaign for Canadian-based Bay Ferries new CAT high-speed ferry service from Portland, ME. Formerly only making trips from Bar Harbor to Novia Scotia the company recently expanded their service to depart from Portland as well. We hear it's been well received by their focus groups. A maze of metal barriers was woven together to board the ferry, though when we made it down to take a look there was merely a trickle of folks checking out the "open house" ferry. We expected a lot of tourists to be present, but found that a majority of the people we encountered were not from distant lands stopping over after checking out the Constitution but were travel agents and other tourism workers who had just come up from Braintree, or out from Worchester to gander at Canada's big boat. We didn't take a close enough look to know if they were supposed to promote Maine or Canada – but foam lobsters were the prize for anyone who made it onto the CAT. more ›

Navy Yard, home to that thriving vibrant life associated with a National Park Service site and home to the oldest commissioned warship in the US Navy’s fleet is missing art. Yes, art. Boston has successfully turned the factories of the South End into SoWa, with First Fridays open studios and dozens of little galleries. Where’s the next hotbed of inspiration? The Charlestown Navy Yard really screams to us "I want to be a Creative Incubator!" Boston Redevelopment Authority envisions Navy Yard as a home to artists, artisans, and public art installations. An initiative outlined in March by the BRA described an effort reinvigorate the area with specialty lighting for the ships, distinctive signage, specific area’s of interest on each pier, and general connectivity with the Harborwalk defined by blue bubbles lining the sidewalk (take that Freedom Trail). In addition to the Waterfront Activation Plan is announced intention to turn the BRA owned Ropewalk Building into

a mix of workspaces for artists and for creative companies, such as furniture artisans, graphic designers, and music publishers. These creative entrepreneurs would be supported by a system that allows them to share resources...other possibilities include a retail component, which would sell the products of the artists, extending the range of services available to residents of surrounding area.

It has been Bostonist’s understanding for some time that along with an artist community usually comes some nice hipster places to eat. Apparently Finagle-a-Bagel really fills that role for the up and coming Charlestown neighborhood, and no, Olives doesn't count as hipster. Contact BRA directly to set up a tour and focus group session for anyone interested in helping them realize the vision of the Ropewalk Building. more ›