Blue Suede Shoes

"Do anything you want to do, but,
Honey, lay off of my shoes
Don't you step on my blue suede shoes.
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes."

(Thank you lyricsfreak.com)

There are plenty of people who don't want to have their feet stepped on. Historically speaking, there two effective options. First, like Elvis Presley, you could write a song about it. But who wants to do that? You can't sing 24/7, and whenever you stop, you'd be liable to have your shoes stepped on.

So consider this, shoe-preservationists -- make your feet scary. And is there anything more frightening than a dragon?

I sure as heck wouldn't step on this sign's feet. Would you? No way! You'd be mauled! You say you're not intimidated by the fearsome jaguar-dragon that guards an (apparently) important lamp in the Copley location of the Boston Public Library?

Well...then take a look at this!

AAAHHHHhhhh!!! It's a human head! For crying out loud! This is probably what happens when you step on the feet. This man-dragon can be found guarding a lamppost on Commonwealth Ave.

Of course, historians may remind us that these kinds of animal mash-ups aren't that uncommon. Consider the Assyrians and their penchant for carving human-headed-winged-lions between the 7th and 9th Centuries BCE (thanks metmuseum.org). Let's hope these carved beasts don't come roaring to life.

Following this link for an image and additional info: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/32.143.2 (By the way, all links are items that I have tested myself -- so feel free to enjoy clicking.)

Til next time, Beantown.

Grammar-Conscious

Dear Beantown,

I just read my previous posts, and I wanted to apologize for some of the grammar. Not all of it is "A" worthy. I can do better. Forgive me?

An Update

As it turns out, the previously posted statue is of none other than William Lloyd Garrison (proof below).

Living from 1805-1879, Garrison was a well-known abolitionist and supporter of women's suffrage. The Boston area was, for quite some time, his home, and he is buried in Jamaica Plain.

In his lifetime, he was the founder of the newspaper The Liberator, where he made his views quite plain to see. It was here, in his words, that he stood for social justice. Moreover, he is one of history's few individuals who possessed the ability to admit wrongdoing. By the end of 1830, he had publicly denounced his previous support for colonization, instead wholeheartedly supporting emancipation (source: wikipedia page).

For his more direct impact on the Boston area, he is a bit (read: much) more fitting a statue for the Commonwealth Mall than Alexander the Great Leif Erickson, who may not have even reached Beantown  (and happens to look a lot like classical depictions of Alexander the Great).

It should also be noted that Wikipedia claims that as a boy, Garrison sold lemonade (though I cannot confirm this). To all you lemonade-stand-entrepreneurs: you are in good company. Unless, like me and one of my good friends, you tried to sell lemonade on a dead-end street.

Efficient Uses for Ladders

Well, I wish I could tell you just who this statue is, but I didn't take a look. I was too distracted by the ladder. Either this man is notorious for tipping backwards in his seat, and the city of Boston has finally found a way to solve this troubling dilemma, or this is the perfect setup for a colossal noogie.

As a side note, I can now confirm that Leif's boat, as depicted in the previous entry, will not float.

Get out of Town!

Yes, as you may have surmised based on yesterday's teaser, the newest entry on design in the city of Boston is...  Leif Ericson (who will be referred to intermittently as "Viking-Man").

First Question: Where is he? Leif Ericson can be found at the very end of the Commonwealth Mall (towards Kenmore).

Second Question: Who is he? This is an excellent question. Walking down Comm Ave, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who is not directly associated with Boston and/or American history. Even at a quick glance, it's easy to see that the vast majority of  these immortalized (and heftily carved) figures are wearing outfits that range from the colonial to the slightly more recent. That is, until travelers stumble upon the figure at the end (or beginning) wearing plated armor. That hasn't been in vogue for, what, centuries? Unless it's about to make a comeback, in which case, Leif totally rocks it.

Aside from his ability to "make it work" (potentially copyright Tim Gunn), we still have to beg the question why someone so seemingly out of place has become a permanent structure in the city.

Well, the answer may just surprise you...if only because it still doesn't make any sense.

After extensive research (read: Wikipedia and the sources it cites -- so consider all info sourced to the Wiki listing), it is apparent that our good friend Mr. Leif, the Viking-Man, has left a big of a legacy. Long before Columbus sailed the ocean blue, Erickson and his fellow Norsemen sailed to North America (almost 500 years before, to be more precise).

That said, it is generally agreed upon that Leif was born in Iceland, though it seems that this is inferred and not factually known. He also traveled to Greenland, Norway, and the currently Canadian regions of North America. In any event, the landmasses that are Greenland and Iceland had both been found by Vikings before Leif was born.

In addition, Leif didn't land in Boston! It has been suggested that Leif landed in Newfoundland. I tried to Mapquest directions from Boston to Newfoundland, but the site "had trouble" finding me a route. No doubt Leif did, too.

So, why is he here? I'm not too sure on that one, but his history is definitely interesting.

And so is his statue -- especially when dramatically back lit.

I like his stance -- mostly because I remember taking a series of photos posed just like him at the beach. Symbolically, yes, he is looking at Newfoundland. I think. Literally, though, I think he is focused on Fenway (and the current 6-3 Sox-Blue Jays game), or thereabouts.

My favorite part of this statue would have to be the pedestal on which it stands. This is obviously because it's a tiny, top-heavy boat. I have a friend who works with such buoyant travel devices, and I'll double-check with him, but I'm pretty sure that it would never float -- nor would anyone be able to stand tall atop it, even the first explorer to reach these shores.

Coming Soon -- Vikings Raid the Bean

Whoah! What do you see there, Viking-man? A new post? Yes, it is just on the horizon!

Welcome to Don't Look Down, Beantown!

Welcome, everyone, to the new blog. Hopefully with a little bit of elbow grease and a hefty dose of regular posts, this blog will take off quickly.

In case you were wondering (which, if you got here, you probably are), the intent of this blog is to capture odd and interesting architecture all around Beantown. These items will be the types of things that if you never look around, you just might miss (hence the title "Don't Look Down" -- so clever). From time to time, I may pepper in some interesting sights from my travels, so expect some upcoming posts from London, Dublin, Athens, and NYC, and other places I have been.

Lastly, why Boston? Well, admittedly, it comes down to me being so darn close to the city. On the other hand, there is also the sheer architectural irregularity of the city. It's binding structure seems to be the brownstone, but take one look around the city, and you'll see the overwhelming variety of style.

For instance, take a quick look below:

So -- from the Commonwealth Mall, we are looking over at the very end of Newbury Street, where it meets Mass Ave. (via its rooftops). We can see traditional brownstones (lower right), a spire (obvious), and a really, really industrial-looking building that is currently home to a Best Buy. Architecturally, this seems as un-uniform as you could get.

It is largely because of this variety that Boston is such a fun place to explore.

I hope you have fun exploring it with me.