The East Springfield I knew before moving to Massachusetts.
Sep 14, 2009
Jun 28, 2009
Back on the horse...or our feet, as the case may be
Western Massachusetts has been a lot like London in the winter this month -- rainy and gray and depressing. Yesterday's relative sunshine got me very interested in walking today, so that's what the small dog and I did.
We cut through Van Horn Park and started working our way down. We traveled down Mooreland to Carew, then turned right onto Parkside. We took that to its end, turned around and then started down Lexington. Lexington is another one of those weird streets that splits for no reason whatsoever, so we turned onto Mayfair, then Chapin, then Lancashire, which put us back on Lexington. That led us all the way down to Chestnut.
We turned off Chestnut onto Montmorenci, where we came across the popular Mima & Andpas convenience store. I didn't take a picture of it because there were a billion people hanging out outside. I don't like taking pictures of people. They might get mad at me.
We went back down to Chestnut and turned up Chapin, coming across Childrens' House Day Care and Preschool, which specializes in infants through kindergarteners, and the Springfield Ronald McDonald House.
We turned off Chapin to go down Medical Center Drive. That took us right through the Baystate Medical Center.
The future husband and I have been to Baystate twice -- once for me and once for him. Both times the wait in the emergency room has been horrific (three or more hours) and they forgot about me after they gave me some morphine to knock me out, but other than that, decent care.
We turned off of Medical Center Drive onto Springfield Street, turning off that onto Caseland. We turned off that onto Shefford, checking that out to finish it up, and then taking Caseland up to Armory. Then it was back through the park on the way home.
211 down, 13 to go
We cut through Van Horn Park and started working our way down. We traveled down Mooreland to Carew, then turned right onto Parkside. We took that to its end, turned around and then started down Lexington. Lexington is another one of those weird streets that splits for no reason whatsoever, so we turned onto Mayfair, then Chapin, then Lancashire, which put us back on Lexington. That led us all the way down to Chestnut.
We turned off Chestnut onto Montmorenci, where we came across the popular Mima & Andpas convenience store. I didn't take a picture of it because there were a billion people hanging out outside. I don't like taking pictures of people. They might get mad at me.
We went back down to Chestnut and turned up Chapin, coming across Childrens' House Day Care and Preschool, which specializes in infants through kindergarteners, and the Springfield Ronald McDonald House.
We turned off Chapin to go down Medical Center Drive. That took us right through the Baystate Medical Center.
The future husband and I have been to Baystate twice -- once for me and once for him. Both times the wait in the emergency room has been horrific (three or more hours) and they forgot about me after they gave me some morphine to knock me out, but other than that, decent care.
We turned off of Medical Center Drive onto Springfield Street, turning off that onto Caseland. We turned off that onto Shefford, checking that out to finish it up, and then taking Caseland up to Armory. Then it was back through the park on the way home.
211 down, 13 to go
Jun 8, 2009
Freedom from Liberty
We have finally finished Liberty Street! Huzzah!
I had the morning off today, so I decided a small dog I know and I should take a walk to finally finish a certain long street. We headed down Carew to where it meets Liberty and turned right. We quickly came upon Sullivan Keating Moran Insurance.
Next to that was the Peking House. An anonymous reviewer on Insider Pages gave the place three stars, writing, "This place has the hugest live lobsters for sale. Food was alright. Prices were reasonable. The place itself needs a little cleaning. The crab ragoons are delicious."
Near the Liberty Street entrance to Van Horn Park is La Iglesia Hermanos Unidos en Cristo (the Church of Brothers United in Christ) and the National Federation of the Blind of Greater Springfield.
We wandered on down past quite a few houses before crossing over Newbury, coming upon Downey Side.
Downey Side's philosophy is rooted in the conviction that every child deserves the right to a permanent and loving family. It is our purpose to work in partnership with the government as a licensed adoption agency to place America's waiting children, who otherwise would remain homeless. We are dedicated to family life for all children and strongly believe that a healthy permanent relationship is the best prevention against homelessness, according to the Web site. Downey Side began in Springfield, Mass., in 1967 when Fr. Paul Engel placed a 17-year-old boy in the home of Margaret Downey. The Springfield Office is proud to be the first Downey Side office and where it all began.
I'm intrigued by the idea of adopting older children, and I've always wanted to adopt. I'm not sure of the hubby's feelings on older child adoption, but we have plenty of time to talk about that. I doubt they'd let a pair of 24-year-olds adopt anyone.
We loped on down Liberty for a while before we came across Academy Hill School. (In the photo, it shows that the school is on Carolyn Price Way, but I'm not counting that as a street, as the Web site states the school's address is on Liberty.) Academy Hill serves bright, gifted and curious students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Next up was ABC40's news studios.
Further up, across from the Liberty Street entrance to the Springfield Plaza, sits an AutoZone, Pizza Wings & Things Ristorante and a Rent-a-Center.
There's also a Westfield Bank next to the Rent-a-Center.
We cut through the plaza to get to St. James to head back home.
204 down, 20 to go
I had the morning off today, so I decided a small dog I know and I should take a walk to finally finish a certain long street. We headed down Carew to where it meets Liberty and turned right. We quickly came upon Sullivan Keating Moran Insurance.
Next to that was the Peking House. An anonymous reviewer on Insider Pages gave the place three stars, writing, "This place has the hugest live lobsters for sale. Food was alright. Prices were reasonable. The place itself needs a little cleaning. The crab ragoons are delicious."
Near the Liberty Street entrance to Van Horn Park is La Iglesia Hermanos Unidos en Cristo (the Church of Brothers United in Christ) and the National Federation of the Blind of Greater Springfield.
We wandered on down past quite a few houses before crossing over Newbury, coming upon Downey Side.
Downey Side's philosophy is rooted in the conviction that every child deserves the right to a permanent and loving family. It is our purpose to work in partnership with the government as a licensed adoption agency to place America's waiting children, who otherwise would remain homeless. We are dedicated to family life for all children and strongly believe that a healthy permanent relationship is the best prevention against homelessness, according to the Web site. Downey Side began in Springfield, Mass., in 1967 when Fr. Paul Engel placed a 17-year-old boy in the home of Margaret Downey. The Springfield Office is proud to be the first Downey Side office and where it all began.
I'm intrigued by the idea of adopting older children, and I've always wanted to adopt. I'm not sure of the hubby's feelings on older child adoption, but we have plenty of time to talk about that. I doubt they'd let a pair of 24-year-olds adopt anyone.
We loped on down Liberty for a while before we came across Academy Hill School. (In the photo, it shows that the school is on Carolyn Price Way, but I'm not counting that as a street, as the Web site states the school's address is on Liberty.) Academy Hill serves bright, gifted and curious students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Next up was ABC40's news studios.
Further up, across from the Liberty Street entrance to the Springfield Plaza, sits an AutoZone, Pizza Wings & Things Ristorante and a Rent-a-Center.
There's also a Westfield Bank next to the Rent-a-Center.
We cut through the plaza to get to St. James to head back home.
204 down, 20 to go
Jun 7, 2009
Atwater Park
Today, the small dog and I journeyed into the land of big, beautiful houses and lush, green lawns -- we went into the Atwater Park sub-neighborhood of Liberty Heights.
We had taken Newbury down to Farnsworth and then started making our way down Springfield Street. We turned onto Atwater Road, checking out Weaver on our way down. We did a quick up and back on Bedford before doing Green Lane and Atwater Place. It was a little noisy down on that end -- Atwater Place is right next to I-91. We turned onto Atwater Terrace, scoping out Candice Circle, as we made our way back to Springfield Street. We took that down to where it meets Chestnut, then turned around to start making our way back up the hill.
On Springfield Street, across from Baystate Medical Center, is Naomi's Inn.
Both Yahoo reviewers gave the place five stars. It's touted as a place to get away and relax, even if you live in the same city. With a ranking like that, it could be a fun place to go next Valentine's Day.
We meandered around Derby Dingle (love it!) and then around half of Shefford before checking out Crestwood. We took Armory back up to Springfield Street, at the corners of which sits the Grace Church of Christ.
This is the stop sign next to the church:
I think it spreads a good message. Especially considering it's kitty-corner from St. Matthew's Cemetery.
On our way back, we swung through Van Horn and the small dog had his first encounter with a turtle. I thought it was hilarious.
203 down, 21 to go
We had taken Newbury down to Farnsworth and then started making our way down Springfield Street. We turned onto Atwater Road, checking out Weaver on our way down. We did a quick up and back on Bedford before doing Green Lane and Atwater Place. It was a little noisy down on that end -- Atwater Place is right next to I-91. We turned onto Atwater Terrace, scoping out Candice Circle, as we made our way back to Springfield Street. We took that down to where it meets Chestnut, then turned around to start making our way back up the hill.
On Springfield Street, across from Baystate Medical Center, is Naomi's Inn.
Both Yahoo reviewers gave the place five stars. It's touted as a place to get away and relax, even if you live in the same city. With a ranking like that, it could be a fun place to go next Valentine's Day.
We meandered around Derby Dingle (love it!) and then around half of Shefford before checking out Crestwood. We took Armory back up to Springfield Street, at the corners of which sits the Grace Church of Christ.
This is the stop sign next to the church:
I think it spreads a good message. Especially considering it's kitty-corner from St. Matthew's Cemetery.
On our way back, we swung through Van Horn and the small dog had his first encounter with a turtle. I thought it was hilarious.
203 down, 21 to go
May 31, 2009
Precious metals, precious streets?
The small dog and I went on our first big walk in a while today, conquering a lot of terrain. We headed down Carew to Armory, and then turned right off of Armory on to Governor. We then turned left on to Penacook and then left again on to Wait, took that down to Armory and then turned right on to Miller. My co-worker Liz's mom grew up on Miller Street and wrote a lovely piece about her experiences there for the Write On, Springfield! collection. I'm going to (hopefully) meet with Jane soon to talk with her about her youth, growing up next to Van Horn Park.
We strolled through the park before continuing on our journey, heading up Armory toward Beauchamp. We took that up to Hamburg, then turned onto Bevier. We took that down to Armory and then turned right onto Sterling. We checked out Nevada before heading down Gold, back onto Armory, and then up Silver.
We turned left onto Hamburg and found a couple small businesses in that weird little rotary area.
On Hamburg:
A learning center, a salon (surprise!) and a place to get some lovely eyewear.
On the rotary is Russ's Breakfast and Lunch, Foggy Dew Ink Tattoo and the City Line Cafe.
It was hard to find any information on any of these places, but a reviewer for Insider Pages said this of the City Line Cafe: "The City Line is a tradition Irish pub that has been around for 30+ years. The place is dark inside and like the show Cheers "every knows your name" -- or don't bother coming in. They don't serve food but the Guinness is cold!" Yahoo review Liz said, "Fun: Great Irish Pub to hang out in. Favorite spot for local Hungry Hill residents. Great prices!! Check it out."
We took Rimmon up to Newbury and then followed Carew back home (in the rain...it was lovely).
193 down, 30 to go
We strolled through the park before continuing on our journey, heading up Armory toward Beauchamp. We took that up to Hamburg, then turned onto Bevier. We took that down to Armory and then turned right onto Sterling. We checked out Nevada before heading down Gold, back onto Armory, and then up Silver.
We turned left onto Hamburg and found a couple small businesses in that weird little rotary area.
On Hamburg:
A learning center, a salon (surprise!) and a place to get some lovely eyewear.
On the rotary is Russ's Breakfast and Lunch, Foggy Dew Ink Tattoo and the City Line Cafe.
It was hard to find any information on any of these places, but a reviewer for Insider Pages said this of the City Line Cafe: "The City Line is a tradition Irish pub that has been around for 30+ years. The place is dark inside and like the show Cheers "every knows your name" -- or don't bother coming in. They don't serve food but the Guinness is cold!" Yahoo review Liz said, "Fun: Great Irish Pub to hang out in. Favorite spot for local Hungry Hill residents. Great prices!! Check it out."
We took Rimmon up to Newbury and then followed Carew back home (in the rain...it was lovely).
193 down, 30 to go
May 28, 2009
The Outer Limits: Hockey time!
Falcons set to host ball hockey game this Saturday
SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Falcons, proud members of the American Hockey League, announced today they will host their first ever Ball Hockey Challenge this Saturday, May 30, from 11 a.m. to noon, when they take on the Media All-Star Team at the outdoor rink at Amelia Park in Westfield. The Falcons team will consist of members of the front office staff, as well as assistant coach Gerry Fleming. The Media All-Star squad will be comprised of members of the local media including personalities from ABC 40 (Neille Giffune), WWLP TV 22 (Ryan Walsh), CBS 3 (Amy Lynn Stanley), Mix 93.1 (Bob Martin & Kevin Johnson), KIX 97.9 (Shaggy), Reminder Publications (Katelyn Gendron and Courtney Llewellyn), Turley Publications (David Forbes), and The Springfield Republican (Fran Sypek).
"We are really excited about this event because it's something unique that we have put together to have some fun this off-season," said Falcons president and general manager Bruce Landon. "We have built up so many strong relationships with our local media throughout the Pioneer Valley and this gives us a chance to say thank you to individuals who support us on a regular basis."
The Ball Hockey Challenge will be open free to the public with the team passing the hat during the game to help raise money for Falcons Charities. The Falcons will also be hosting their merchandise/equipment sale at the MassMutual Center on Friday, May 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also on Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, please call the Falcons Office at 413-739-3344.
Come on out and cheer me on!
SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Falcons, proud members of the American Hockey League, announced today they will host their first ever Ball Hockey Challenge this Saturday, May 30, from 11 a.m. to noon, when they take on the Media All-Star Team at the outdoor rink at Amelia Park in Westfield. The Falcons team will consist of members of the front office staff, as well as assistant coach Gerry Fleming. The Media All-Star squad will be comprised of members of the local media including personalities from ABC 40 (Neille Giffune), WWLP TV 22 (Ryan Walsh), CBS 3 (Amy Lynn Stanley), Mix 93.1 (Bob Martin & Kevin Johnson), KIX 97.9 (Shaggy), Reminder Publications (Katelyn Gendron and Courtney Llewellyn), Turley Publications (David Forbes), and The Springfield Republican (Fran Sypek).
"We are really excited about this event because it's something unique that we have put together to have some fun this off-season," said Falcons president and general manager Bruce Landon. "We have built up so many strong relationships with our local media throughout the Pioneer Valley and this gives us a chance to say thank you to individuals who support us on a regular basis."
The Ball Hockey Challenge will be open free to the public with the team passing the hat during the game to help raise money for Falcons Charities. The Falcons will also be hosting their merchandise/equipment sale at the MassMutual Center on Friday, May 29 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and also on Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, please call the Falcons Office at 413-739-3344.
Come on out and cheer me on!
May 16, 2009
Update on streets, May 16
The small dog and I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel:
Armory Street
Atwater Place
Atwater Road
Atwater Terrace
Bartlett Street
Beauchamp Street
Bedford Road
Bevier Street
Candice Circle
Carew Street
Caseland Street
Chestnut Street
Copley Terrace
Crestwood Street
Croyden Street
Cunningham Street
Derby Dingle Street
Gold Street
Governor Street
Green Lane
Hamburg Street
Harlan Street
Lexington Street
Liberty Street
Massasoit Place
Massasoit Street
Medical Center Drive
Miller Street
Montmorenci Street
Mooreland Street
Narragansett Street
Nevada Street
Parkside Street
Prospect Street
Prospect Terrace
Rimmon Avenue
Shefford Street
Silver Street
Springfield Street
Sterling Street
Thames Street
Wait Street
Weaver Road
42 to go!
Bartlett Street
Carew Street
Chestnut Street
Copley Terrace
Croyden Street
Cunningham Street
Harlan Street
Massasoit Place
Massasoit Street
Narragansett Street
Prospect Street
Prospect Terrace
Thames Street
42 to go!
The official Van Horn Park post
I set out with the small goal of finishing all the streets off of Newbury today, and the small dog and I did a bit more than that. It was very warm and started out sunny, and then it got darkly overcast and I felt maybe a dozen sprinkles hit me, but the rain held off until we got home.
We traveled down Carew to Newbury once more, turning left onto Huron. We took that all the way down to St. Lawrence, finishing that up, and then turned right off of Huron onto Connecticut. We had been checking out Connecticut all the way from Farnsworth. We turned right onto David, took that to its end, turned around and then turned right onto Wentworth. We took that to its end, turned around, got back onto David, and then turned right onto Tacoma. We followed Tacoma up to Liberty and took Liberty down to the back entrance of Van Horn Park.
This is the small back pond, which turns totally green with algae by the end of the summer.
Where the trail splits is one of my favorite features of the park, a natural staircase formed by the roots of trees.
As we wandered along the trail, I noticed an awful lot of these bastard caterpillars, which can kill whole trees. If I had my way, I'd squish them all but it's the natural order for them to do their thing.
This photo was taken up by Armory Street, by the park entrance closest to Springfield Street. This is my favorite spot in the entire park.
This is the view of the big pond from the bridge on Armory Street.
We followed the sidewalk up Armory to the main entrance to the park and walked in on Catafalque Drive, which is basically the driveway to the park's parking lot. Van Horn offers a splash pad, a playground, several baseball diamonds, tennis courts, a basketball court, a picnic area and even a doggie water fountain. When we were done at the park, we took Armory up to where it meets Carew.
Across Carew from Our Lady of Hope is the House of Huang, Kenny Travel and Tours Income Tax and Kwick Kleaners and Laundromat.
The House of Huang received a glowing five-star review from a person on Yahoo! Local.
Across Armory from those shops were the Racing Mart, the Image Makers II and Jasmin.
The Racing Mart is your typical convenience store; Image Makers -- I'm telling you, you need your hair cut, you come to Liberty Heights; and Jasmin's Creations offers women's clothing and serves as a bridal boutique.
Next to them was El Pilon Restaurant, which Yahoo! Local user rubia gave five stars, stating, "You have to go to this restaurant, I give them an A+. It's one of my favorites. Very good with customers. Fresh food everyday. If you're looking for some spanish food, this is the place to go. Oh, and don't forget to ask for a Natural juice. I tried the tamarindo one and it tasted so good I asked for another one."
Next to that on Carew is Gerardo's Transportation and New Millennium Barber Shop.
After passing the barber shop, we turned left onto Raymond Place to begin our series of short, dead-end streets. After Raymond it was Morrell Street, Van Horn Place, Mystic Court and Dineen Street. Once we'd finished those, we got up to the corner of Carew and Liberty, where Access Family Chiropractic and Facchini & Facchini PC sit across from a Cumberland Farms gas station.
Amanda S. wrote on InsiderPages.com "If you are looking for a chiropractor that really cares about your well being take a look here. Our family is feeling great because of this business. It is amazing how much better life is without aches and pains. The staff is cheerful and helpful. The office is clean and nicely decorated especially for the holidays." The office specializes in whiplash, sleeplessness, no noise or twisting treatment, migraines, fibromyalgia, fat loss and chronic fatigue. They also offer free consultations and free financing. (The "kinky" sign on the side of the building is the best feature of the office in my opinion.)
Facchini & Facchini PC specialize in work place injury, wills and estate planning, serious injuries, real estate - residential/commercial, personal injury, medical malpractice, defective products, criminal defense and car accidents, and they do hablan espanol.
We continued following Carew back up to where it meets Newbury. Just before the corner building is A&H Printing Company.
On the corner sits Angelo's Barbershop, Junction Skatepark and H&K Hair Design.
Junction Skatepark is "a skatepark for skateboarders by skateboarders" -- no bikes, scooters or roller blades allowed. This place is always busy and the kids that hang out there are pretty awesome. They always compliment the small dog and I.
181 down, 42 to go
We traveled down Carew to Newbury once more, turning left onto Huron. We took that all the way down to St. Lawrence, finishing that up, and then turned right off of Huron onto Connecticut. We had been checking out Connecticut all the way from Farnsworth. We turned right onto David, took that to its end, turned around and then turned right onto Wentworth. We took that to its end, turned around, got back onto David, and then turned right onto Tacoma. We followed Tacoma up to Liberty and took Liberty down to the back entrance of Van Horn Park.
This is the small back pond, which turns totally green with algae by the end of the summer.
Where the trail splits is one of my favorite features of the park, a natural staircase formed by the roots of trees.
As we wandered along the trail, I noticed an awful lot of these bastard caterpillars, which can kill whole trees. If I had my way, I'd squish them all but it's the natural order for them to do their thing.
This photo was taken up by Armory Street, by the park entrance closest to Springfield Street. This is my favorite spot in the entire park.
This is the view of the big pond from the bridge on Armory Street.
We followed the sidewalk up Armory to the main entrance to the park and walked in on Catafalque Drive, which is basically the driveway to the park's parking lot. Van Horn offers a splash pad, a playground, several baseball diamonds, tennis courts, a basketball court, a picnic area and even a doggie water fountain. When we were done at the park, we took Armory up to where it meets Carew.
Across Carew from Our Lady of Hope is the House of Huang, Kenny Travel and Tours Income Tax and Kwick Kleaners and Laundromat.
The House of Huang received a glowing five-star review from a person on Yahoo! Local.
Across Armory from those shops were the Racing Mart, the Image Makers II and Jasmin.
The Racing Mart is your typical convenience store; Image Makers -- I'm telling you, you need your hair cut, you come to Liberty Heights; and Jasmin's Creations offers women's clothing and serves as a bridal boutique.
Next to them was El Pilon Restaurant, which Yahoo! Local user rubia gave five stars, stating, "You have to go to this restaurant, I give them an A+. It's one of my favorites. Very good with customers. Fresh food everyday. If you're looking for some spanish food, this is the place to go. Oh, and don't forget to ask for a Natural juice. I tried the tamarindo one and it tasted so good I asked for another one."
Next to that on Carew is Gerardo's Transportation and New Millennium Barber Shop.
After passing the barber shop, we turned left onto Raymond Place to begin our series of short, dead-end streets. After Raymond it was Morrell Street, Van Horn Place, Mystic Court and Dineen Street. Once we'd finished those, we got up to the corner of Carew and Liberty, where Access Family Chiropractic and Facchini & Facchini PC sit across from a Cumberland Farms gas station.
Amanda S. wrote on InsiderPages.com "If you are looking for a chiropractor that really cares about your well being take a look here. Our family is feeling great because of this business. It is amazing how much better life is without aches and pains. The staff is cheerful and helpful. The office is clean and nicely decorated especially for the holidays." The office specializes in whiplash, sleeplessness, no noise or twisting treatment, migraines, fibromyalgia, fat loss and chronic fatigue. They also offer free consultations and free financing. (The "kinky" sign on the side of the building is the best feature of the office in my opinion.)
Facchini & Facchini PC specialize in work place injury, wills and estate planning, serious injuries, real estate - residential/commercial, personal injury, medical malpractice, defective products, criminal defense and car accidents, and they do hablan espanol.
We continued following Carew back up to where it meets Newbury. Just before the corner building is A&H Printing Company.
On the corner sits Angelo's Barbershop, Junction Skatepark and H&K Hair Design.
Junction Skatepark is "a skatepark for skateboarders by skateboarders" -- no bikes, scooters or roller blades allowed. This place is always busy and the kids that hang out there are pretty awesome. They always compliment the small dog and I.
181 down, 42 to go
May 13, 2009
Adventures off Newbury
The small dog and I headed back down Newbury today to finish more of the streets that jut off it, starting with Upton. We took that to its end, turned onto Milford, and then turned up Park Road, taking that straight across Newbury onto Doyle. We finished Milford today, as we started it on Friday.
When we finished Doyle, we headed over to Morison Terrace, which is the home to Glenwood School.
We crossed Newbury to check out Whitmore, then headed down to Parkin, and then back across to Thornfell. We took Thornfell to its end, wandered down Hartley, then back up Thornfell to Lynwood. Then it was back across Newbury to Francis, which we took all the way down to St. Lawrence. We took that over to Ontario and followed that up to Newbury.
On Ontario is Donna's Family Day Care.
Once we finished Ontario, we were approaching our two-hour benchmark on our walk, so I decided to take us home. There are only a few streets left off of Newbury.
169 down, 54 to go
When we finished Doyle, we headed over to Morison Terrace, which is the home to Glenwood School.
We crossed Newbury to check out Whitmore, then headed down to Parkin, and then back across to Thornfell. We took Thornfell to its end, wandered down Hartley, then back up Thornfell to Lynwood. Then it was back across Newbury to Francis, which we took all the way down to St. Lawrence. We took that over to Ontario and followed that up to Newbury.
On Ontario is Donna's Family Day Care.
Once we finished Ontario, we were approaching our two-hour benchmark on our walk, so I decided to take us home. There are only a few streets left off of Newbury.
169 down, 54 to go
May 12, 2009
Second Saturday Walking Tour
On Saturday, I took a walk (without the small dog!) around the downtown area with a group of about 15 others as part of the Second Saturday Walking Tour, which is sponsored by the Springfield Museums, the Armoury-Quadrangle Civic Association and hosted by the Springfield Preservation Trust. The tour brought our group to two of the remaining buildings in Springfield that were designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson, what is currently the Juvenile Court House on State Street and Iglesia Bautista Hispana on Salem Street.
We started out at the G.W.V. Smith Museum to view a stained glass window from Unity Church, which once stood on State Street. It is now a parking lot.
From there, we trekked down toward State Street, stopping briefly in front of the statue of Deacon Samuel Chapin, one of the founders of Springfield. A descendent of his was linked to the family of John Ruskin through marriage, and through a descendent of Ruskin's, H.H. Richardson got some of his first jobs in Springfield.
We wandered on down State Street to what is now the Juvenile Court Building, which Richardson designed in his unique Richardsonian Romanesque style. What is currently used as the front door of the building is actually its back door.
What should be the front of the building sits on Elm Street.
After that, we walked a bit up Main Street to a point where we could see the railroad bridge. H.H. Richardson designed a train station for Springfield that only stood for about two dozen years. The train station had to be moved when the railroad tracks were lifted over Main Street.
We meandered up Mattoon Street to where it meets Salem Street to view La Iglesia Bautista Hispana, a church that the architect designed. He is most well-known for designing Trinity Church in Boston. The pathway between Mattoon and Salem was strewn with apple blossoms.
The church itself is built from local East Longmeadow brownstone, which Richardson favored in many of his Western Massachusetts projects.
Inside the church, we got the chance to view the original stained glass windows, created by Tiffany's.
After the tour ended, we headed back to the Springfield Museums and I decided to check out the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden, which was pretty neat.
The Lorax (below) greets you as you walk in:
Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel and the Cat in the Hat face one of the author's most beloved stories, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"
When I left the garden, I figured that as long as I was downtown I'd get some pictures I'd been meaning to take. This building on Worthington Street is definitely my favorite:
And I just like the way the bricks show the history of this building on Taylor Street:
It was a good day of walking.
We started out at the G.W.V. Smith Museum to view a stained glass window from Unity Church, which once stood on State Street. It is now a parking lot.
From there, we trekked down toward State Street, stopping briefly in front of the statue of Deacon Samuel Chapin, one of the founders of Springfield. A descendent of his was linked to the family of John Ruskin through marriage, and through a descendent of Ruskin's, H.H. Richardson got some of his first jobs in Springfield.
We wandered on down State Street to what is now the Juvenile Court Building, which Richardson designed in his unique Richardsonian Romanesque style. What is currently used as the front door of the building is actually its back door.
What should be the front of the building sits on Elm Street.
After that, we walked a bit up Main Street to a point where we could see the railroad bridge. H.H. Richardson designed a train station for Springfield that only stood for about two dozen years. The train station had to be moved when the railroad tracks were lifted over Main Street.
We meandered up Mattoon Street to where it meets Salem Street to view La Iglesia Bautista Hispana, a church that the architect designed. He is most well-known for designing Trinity Church in Boston. The pathway between Mattoon and Salem was strewn with apple blossoms.
The church itself is built from local East Longmeadow brownstone, which Richardson favored in many of his Western Massachusetts projects.
Inside the church, we got the chance to view the original stained glass windows, created by Tiffany's.
After the tour ended, we headed back to the Springfield Museums and I decided to check out the Dr. Seuss Sculpture Garden, which was pretty neat.
The Lorax (below) greets you as you walk in:
Theodore "Dr. Seuss" Geisel and the Cat in the Hat face one of the author's most beloved stories, "Oh, the Places You'll Go!"
When I left the garden, I figured that as long as I was downtown I'd get some pictures I'd been meaning to take. This building on Worthington Street is definitely my favorite:
And I just like the way the bricks show the history of this building on Taylor Street:
It was a good day of walking.
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