At the beginning of 2023, I had deliberated on cities that I wanted to tackle next after the Chicago trip last October. I had my list narrowed down to Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, and Toronto. I ended up choosing Boston because I had already been previously and I wanted to spend some more time in this city. The last time I was in Boston was in 2008. I was only there for a day, but I enjoyed that small window of time I was there. I figured that a Memorial Day week would be a good time to go.
After arriving in Boston, the first order of business was photographing the Leonard P Zakim Bridge at night, which is something that I have been wanting to do since my last trip. After I finished up shooting there, TD Garden erupted with a mob of people celebrating the Boston Celtics winning Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to force a Game 7 against the Miami Heat at TD Garden. They were down 0-3 in the series and came back to tie the series up 3-3, which was pretty remarkable on its own. Talk about right place right time.
The next day, I spent some time checking out north Boston. The area reminded me a lot of Italy were there were historical buildings, narrow streets, and cobblestone roads with a lot of Italian restaurants. Definitely enjoyed being down there. After I wrapped up there, I went down to Chelsea to shoot the Boston skyline from Soldiers Home (shown above). To get this shot, you are going to need a long telephoto lens because framing this was incredibly difficult with all the obstructions in the way of the shot paired with the fact that it was hard scouting for this exact shot.
On Memorial Day, I spent the day checking out the Freedom Trail and Boston Common. I couldn’t go anywhere in the city without the citizens of Boston talking about Game 7. Against my better judgment, I shelled out for tickets to see Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. This was the only time that I was going to be able to see a game at TD Garden and I was correct. The Celtics were eliminated that game and the Miami Heat advanced to the NBA Finals.
One of my favorite areas to check out in Boston was the Seaport District. Not only was the weather cooler down there, but there were quite a few good spots to eat down there. It was a great place to relax and reflect. The other area to note that had a great view of the Boston Skyline was Lo Presti Park.
The aerial photography did happen, but I wasn’t able to secure a night flight due to the Boston Red Sox shutting down the entire airspace of the city at night during my time there, which really put a dent on things. I wasn’t going to leave empty handed so I settled on a morning flight, which turned out be a decent band aid solution.
I wrapped up the trip seeing Thrice at the House of Blues Boston to see the 20th anniversary album show of “The Artist in the Ambulance” played front to back live. Bostonians now how to mosh, I will definitely give credit where it is due.
Overall, this was a pleasant trip and I am glad I got to spend some time in this wonderful city. Definitely recommend coming in the Spring or Fall.