Some pictures from Boston

[jeanne]

Jaga,

The picture taken at Quincy Market with all the people in blue uniforms looks like it might be some kind of ceremony honoring the U.S. Coast Guard. I can't really tell, but they do look like Coast Guard uniforms. That would explain what it has to do with the wharf, but the Coast Guard was founded on August 4, 1790 which was after the Revolution, but perhaps it had something to do with their August anniversary?

Jeanne

[Jaga]

Jeanne,

yes, this was something in connection with the history of the wharf, you may be right. I am sorry, that I ask for obvious things sometimes. I just grew up in the different country and I just do not know some things which are obvious for you.

[justjohn]

jeanne said:

Jaga,

The picture taken at Quincy Market with all the people in blue uniforms looks like it might be some kind of ceremony honoring the U.S. Coast Guard. I can't really tell, but they do look like Coast Guard uniforms. That would explain what it has to do with the wharf, but the Coast Guard was founded on August 4, 1790 which was after the Revolution, but perhaps it had something to do with their August anniversary?

Jeanne

Quincy Market also known as Faneuil Hall Market. In the same photo you can see Faneuil Hall just under the blue canopy.


One of the premier attractions in downtown Boston remains Faneuil Hall Marketplace, a vibrant, urban area blending old and new. This indoor/outdoor shopping and eating bazaar is situated in the midst of an open-air highlighted festival. Located across from the waterfront in the heart of the city, it spans more than six acres and encompasses Faneuil Hall, a brick hall used for gatherings, and Quincy Market, three restored nineteenth century granite buildings.
Surrounded by Boston's famous cityscape, just beneath the Custom House clock tower, Faneuil Hall Marketplace contains more than 70 shops, 14 restaurants, the city's most popular comedy club, and 40 food stalls. Open-air cafes and clubs give way to a superb shopping experience running the gamut from big-name stores to small specialty boutiques. Architecturally, it is a beautiful representation of old Boston, tastefully enhanced by contemporary additions. Mammoth Doric columns grace the entrance to the Colonnade food court. In this center building, walk through an aromatic central hallway lined with food vendors serving up many ethnic cuisines beneath a picturesque rotunda.
Faneuil Hall Marketplace, also referred to as Quincy Market, is steeped in history and appeals to all ages. Created by wealthy Boston merchant Peter Faneuil in 1742, a solitary building was established as a central food market catering to international shipping and trade. Boston's voters agreed with Faneuil's controversial proposal by a slim majority and a meeting space suitable for town gatherings was constructed. Lower levels were divided and leased for market purposes. But tragedy struck the area just 19 years later when Faneuil Hall burned.
Two years passed before the marketplace was rebuilt, this time financed by a public lottery. It was in this rebuilt structure that the first rumblings of the American Revolution were felt. Though gatherers in the meeting space should only have concerned themselves with local issues, the discussion turned to taxation policies and Faneuil Hall became the focus of revolutionary activity. Protests spilled into incidents of violence and fierce debates led opposition to various political maneuvers. Though the rhetoric expressed here concerned only the community of Boston, reports were carried throughout the colonies and led them together towards unity and independence. Activities here, where Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty urged colonial Bostonians to assert their independence, earned Faneuil Hall the name as America's 'Cradle of Liberty.'
Renowned architect Charles Bulfinch expanded Faneuil Hall in 1805 after its size became inadequate. The new masterful design remained a forum for the debate of national issues and its reputation continues today. In the early nineteenth century the three granite structures of the Quincy Market were built to the east of the Hall, which in the 1970s underwent a major renewal. Another retail addition, Bull Market, was built in the 1980s and provides the vintage district with space for a fleet of artisans' pushcarts. Today, areas Faneuil envisioned purvey food and merchandise to thousands of daily visitors. America is on parade at the marketplace, along with millions of guests from abroad, each stepping into the ongoing stream of history. The secret to the charm of Faneuil Hall Marketplace is its celebration of city living, close to the nearby North End Italian neighborhood, the docks and famed Boston Harbor.