Boston in 60...okay, more like Boston in whatever time I have

In the summer immediately preceding my trip to Washington, I talked the Boston Globe into publishing my summertime excursion undertaking, which I called the Boston in 60 Project. The goal was pretty straightforward: go out into the city every day for two months, and shoot/write up everything you do. I wanted to go see and do all the things I had taken for granted in my lifetime of living in and around Boston. The Swan Boats, the Warren Tavern, etc.

The project was pretty successful; I still hear about it from people today.

I bring this up because after a meeting at UNO's on Huntington Ave. yesterday, I traipsed back toward my apartment through Northeastern, where I spent five years of my life and money. And it occurred to me in that long walk that I had taken it for granted as well, in many respects.

So as what may be my final community theatre show for the next several months begins to heat up (we open in 4 weeks), I wondered about the practicality and feasibility of reviving my old project. In reading the entries again, I'm reminded of the joie de vivre that came from walking out the door every day knowing I was going to see something cool. And if I could recapture even a fraction of that energy at the cost of some photography, some writing, and a handful of bucks to get in, then maybe it's worth it.

I couldn't do the every-day thing, of course, I do work for a living. But maybe a once-a-week outing, or an as-I-can setup would be successful.

Consider this a call: if you have any thoughts about this, do let me know. What did I miss in Boston in 60? What should I go do again, since it's changed in the 3 years since? Who wants to come along?

Wayland Town Meeting

Just a quick post to note that I wrote an article about potential changes to the format of Town Meeting in Wayland for the Globe today. The means of change I discussed are being spearheaded by a a few conservative folks in Wayland, including a former selectman, and would effectively move TM from an open vote on issues to a secret ballot.

The alternatives being considered are the Australian ballot (making day one of TM discussion-only and day two voting-only), representative Town Meeting, or to make no change at all to the format.

Wayland residents discuss high tech voting to streamline Town Meeting