In late August, I started a two-week trip “back East.” Caught a BC game, enjoyed a week on the Cape with good friends, and finished with family and friends in the Boston area.
Two interesting views on the way to Boston. First, soon after departing San Diego, we flew just north of the Salton Sea. This was the first time I’d seen it from this perspective. Brilliantly blue, this view belied its troubled state.
Salton Sea
Later, we flew over Chicago.
Chicago, south side.
East of Chicago, we went over two distinctive and storied rivers, the Quabbin Reservoir, and took an unusual route into Boston. My usual flight is a red-eye, so this was a nice opportunity to see things I usually didn’t.
Hudson RiverConnecticut RiverQuabbin Reservoir, central Massachusetts
Our route to Boston included flying directly over Logan Airport, so we had this uncommon-to-me view of the city. The red rectangle in the right-hand portion of the photo marks the BC campus.
Visiting with BC classmates, we (at least the guy portion) attended the opening football game on Labor Day weekend against Rutgers.
Here is a brief video of the BC band as it marched through tailgate land to Alumni Stadium.
Tailgating near Gate A were these Golden Eagles.
All members of the Class of 1968, L-R: Ken Hamberg, Ed Hattauer, Tom Sugrue, Dan Downey, Ken Higgins, and yours truly.
Here is a brief video of the team entering the stadium.
Most of us had high hopes for the Eagles this season. Those hopes were slightly dampened by the 22-21 loss to Rutgers in this game and then steadily drowned in subsequent games.
On Halloween Sunday, Meredith, Dillon, and I traveled to LA to attend the Patriots-Chargers game at SoFi Stadium. It was the first NFL game any of us had attended. (I don’t think I can count the AFL Jets-Boston Patriots game I attended in 1963 at Fenway Park. That was pre-merger.)
Dillon is an uber-fan of the Pats and Meredith is also a fan, when they’re not playing the Packers. I was most interested, frankly, in the stadium. Pictures of it made it seem pretty futuristic, an engineering/architectural marvel.
Parking at the stadium is sold out, so we went to a parking garage near LAX and took a bus to the stadium. Dillon was wearing a Patriots uniform top and he did not stand out among the several fans on the bus similarly attired. While we waited to board, Meredith chatted with, of course, someone who had moved out here from New Hampshire and also in a Pats jersey.
The stadium was constructed with the field 100 feet below grade and the roof rising to 253 feet, so it is sunken to accommodate the overhead flights paths to and from LAX.
It’s a pretty awesome entrance.
Getting to our seats was a trip. They were literally in the last row. And the section was very steep. I was quite winded getting to them and Meredith experienced some dizziness from the experience. She stayed there for the entire game. When Dillon and I went to get food at halftime, I returned to our seats in “phases.”
Fans of opposing teams nearly always (maybe always) outnumber Chargers fans at home games. Certainly this game was no exception, as Patriots fans were substantially present. In a county with 10 million residents (more than 39 states, including New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts), there are going to be lots of fans of other teams.
When the Chargers took the field, there were loud cheers. When the Patriots appeared, there were very loud cheers.
This video will give you a sense of the difference in grade between external and internal.
Our seats, with only the ceiling above us, did give us a good view of the stadium’s superstructure and the heavy cables.
The game (oh yeah, the game) was very close, with the Chargers ahead by one point entering the fourth quarter. A pick-six interception and two-point conversion put the Pats up by seven. They added a field goal to lead by 10. A late drive led by Justin Herbert added a touchdown and extra point with 40 seconds to go, but an onside kick was recovered by the Patriots who then ran out the clock.
Overall, the tone of the game, perhaps surprisingly, was defensive. The Patriots gained 352 yards, 210 passing, while the Chargers passed for 206 yards and rushed for an average of eight yards per carry for 163 yards. New England possessed the ball for more than 10 minutes longer than the Chargers and ran 75 plays, compared to 58 by the Chargers.
LA County regulations required wearing masks throughout the game, except when eating and drinking, and on transportation. Many if not most fans dumped the masks during the game.
I’m glad we went to the game, but I have no interest in attending another. Costs too much, everything is too loud, and the fans are too drunk. Professional and major college sports are operated as entertainment more than sport. The only times when there is not very loud sound is when an actual play takes place, but that is comparatively minuscule and the crowd is loud.
The huge screen was helpful, because we could view play and replays closer than from our seats. But it was more an irritant in that it carried ads and promos as well. Also seemed odd that the statistics presented were not of the game, but of fantasy football stats throughout the league. I can’t imagine something more inane than the announcer screaming SECONNNNDDDD DOWNNNNNNNNNN! every time the Chargers made one. The scream came after every down, but that just seemed more inane.
SoFi is to be surrounded by a 300-acre mixed-use development currently under construction. Plans are for up to five million square feet of office space, a retail district of up to 890,000 square feet, 6,000-seat performance venue, 300-room hotel, and up to 2,500 residences. They will border a six-acre artificial lake and 25 acres of public parks and plazas.
The Forum was once the home of the LA Lakers and the NHL Kings, a sports mecca. They left in 1999 and there are plans to renovate the structure into a concert arena. Opened in late 1967, the structure was also regarded at the time as futuristic. Looks like that not so much in this shot from SoFi. Guess 50+ years will do that to you, says the person who had just turned 21 when the Forum opened.
SoFi Stadium itself contains 3.1 million square feet and can seat 70,240. For events such as a Super Bowl (2022), Olympics, and similar scale events, it can accommodate up to 100,000 fans.
Walking to the stadium, we saw one building already in place — the West Coast headquarters of the National Football League.
(Young women, of course. But “surfer young women” doesn’t quite carry the Beach Boys allusion.)
A competitor in the Supergirl Surf Pro event
Back in late July, the Supergirl Surf Pro surfing competition tour came to nearby Oceanside. I showed up somewhat early Sunday morning so that I could get a parking spot. I had tried the previous afternoon and could not find any parking.
The Oceanside event bills itself as “the world’s largest women’s surf event and music festival.” Hard to tell, especially on an early Sunday morning. But this is quintessential SoCal. Surfing alongside an iconic ocean pier with music, booths, an F-16 . . . wait, what? Yes, the Air Force showed up with a pretty large contingent of troops, including a lot of females, even a female brigadier general, and brought along an F-16, for visual effect. It worked.
Had a great time last month (March 10) at the BC-San Diego State lacrosse game. #2 BC won, 19-8. But it was meeting members of the team that made it special.
San Diego was in the midst of one of its rare “winter storms,” i.e., rain, so that discombobulated things a bit. Several local alumni showed up, however, as well as members of the Cathedral Catholic girls’ lacrosse team. I had been in touch with BC assistant coach Kayla Treanor via email about a post-game meet-and-greet, but the weather made that unlikely on the field and I certainly expected the team members to want to change from their wet uniforms.
I waited on the sideline for the team to exit the field after the game. I saw them walking toward the gate and then they started running toward me, several of them yelling “Bill!,” “Bill!” (Something the likes of which had heretofore only occurred in my dreams.) Kayla had told them about me getting alumni to the game and that I had put up the two BC banners on the sidelines for the game. They were so appreciative of seeing BC fans and several of them told me how much they liked seeing the banners on “enemy” turf.
They did want to change from their uniforms, of course, so I joined the ton of team parents who had come for the game. It was nice to see how many were there. At least a dozen set of parents, and other relatives. They, too, were very appreciative of our local Eagles coming out.
The team members came out after changing and enjoyed food and beverages provided by the parents. They had pretty much a major tailgate in one of the SDSU athletic buildings. And I got the picture at the top. Me surrounded by 24 lovely young women!
I had the chance to speak with several of them, particularly with senior captain Kaileen Hart and senior Emma Schurr. They were curious about ancient times at BC. I pointed out to the seniors that they would be graduating 50 years after I graduated and that that meant we would always be on the same class reunion schedule. 🙂
I had not known anything about Kayla, the assistant coach, beforehand. In researching, so I would know who she was, I learned that she joined the BC staff last summer. She is a Syracuse legend, graduating in 2016 — 4-time all-America, finalist for the Tewaarton Award (women lacrosse’s Heisman), ACC women’s lacrosse scholar-athlete of the year, and more.
Last week, I joined five classmates for a Boston College winter sports weekend. One or two times a year, there is a weekend when the men’s and women’s basketball teams and men’s and women’s hockey teams all play at home. I had been a regular attendee on these weekends when I lived in New England, but this was the first such weekend for me since moving to California in 2012.
I flew in the night of Wednesday, February 7. On the way, I saw this interesting sight (at right), somewhere over New Mexico, I believe. I came into Boston late enough to miss the snow, but not the cold rain. The next day was bitterly cold, and it helped me realize that it had been six years since I had last experienced below-freezing temperatures.
I stayed at the home of Larry Kenah and Marcy (McPhee) Kenah in Acton. Tom Sugrue drove up from Virginia, arriving in Acton late Thursday afternoon.
Marcy’s car, encased in ice
Earlier on Thursday, I drove up to New Hampshire to see the Andersons — Meredith, Winter, Adeline, and Alice. First, however, I had to clear the snow and ice off Marcy’s car. While I was doing so, I had a recurrent thought: “Why do people live like this. Don’t they know there is a better place?” It brought to mind, too, a quote of Ronald Reagan’s (which may be apocryphal) — “If the Pilgrims had landed in California, New England would still be wilderness.”
While visiting, and after lunch, we picked Adeline up at school, Rye Elementary, and took her to a well-visit at the doctor’s. Here she is, passing her hearing test. When Winter explained to the girls that Grandpa had to leave, to get back to Acton, two-year-old Alice marched up to me and demanded, “Stay with us! Stay with us!”
A couple of scenes from chilly New Hampshire
An icy tree in Portsmouth
Snowy Love Lane in Rye
Thursday night, Larry brought Tom and me to a brewpub located in one of the old mill buildings in Maynard that had served as home for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), where both Larry and Marcy had worked a number of years ago. Taking advantage of its proximate location, it’s called “Battle Road Brewing Company” and featured various beers with Revolutionary War-themed names.
Friday, we joined the rest of the crew: Ken Hamberg and Ed Hattauer, who live in the Boston area, and Dan Downey, who drove up from New Jersey. Before the women’s hockey game that afternoon, we had another appointment in Conte Forum. Tom had read that relatively new Athletic Director Martin Jarmond liked meeting BC alumni from different eras. He sent Jarmond an email, asking if he was interested in getting together with a bunch of Golden Eagles-to-be, and the response was “Yeah!” We met briefly with Jarmond prior to the game, sharing some of our hopes for and concerns about BC athletics.
I was wearing a vintage BC jacket. After we had had a group photo taken at the end of our meeting, Jarmond noticed the back of the jacket and had a picture taken of it. Within less than an hour, he tweeted about our meeting, including the group photo and the photo of the jacket. (I wish I could say the jacket was mine from the sixties, but I had found it in the early 2000s on a rack at a vintage clothing store in Cambridge. $30.)
Here’s a bigger version of the group photo.
L-R: Me, Tom Sugrue, Ken Hamberg, Martin Jarmond, Larry Kenah, Ed Hattauer, and Dan Downey.
Going into the weekend, we figured the most likely win was women’s hockey. The Eagles were ranked 3rd in the country at the time and had beaten their opponent that day, UNH, by an aggregate score of 11-1 in two previous meetings this year. It seemed almost a sure win, while the other teams faced significant challenges. UNH beat BC, 2-1. Of course.
The other teams, though, ran counter to form as well . . . but they won. Men’s hockey scored late in regulation to send the game to overtime, and then scored the game-winner with less than 7 seconds remaining in the overtime period to beat UMass Lowell, 3-2. Men’s basketball held #25 Miami scoreless over the last 6-plus minutes of the game and won, 72-70. Women’s basketball secured only their second ACC win of the season, winning handily over Pitt, 72-61. Pitt and BC were both 2-10 in the conference after that game.
Here’s a brief (5:30) video of scenes from the basketball games and men’s hockey game. (Women’s hockey, despite its exalted status nationally, does not attract fans. It seemed almost disrespectful to show the nearly empty stands and absence of cheering. Building fan support for one of the best examples of athletic excellence at BC is one of the issues we brought before Martin Jarmond, who recognized its importance.)
Replacement for the ‘Plex”New Athletics Field House
If you have not been to campus lately, there is significant construction going on. (I wonder if there is any class since the fifties that has not seen “significant construction” going on at BC.) The new Connell Family Recreation Center is taking shape, where Edmond’s Hall once stood. On what was Shea Field, the new Athletics Field House, which will provide an indoor practice facility for football and other teams, is also showing its external form.
Besides sports — and camaraderie, of course — another focus was food and drink. Among the places: Jack’s Abby, Framingham; City Table in the Lenox Hotel; the Comedor, Newton Centre.
Entering Jack’s Abby
Focal Banger — excellent IPA from The Alchemist in Vermont
Boylston Street
Under Armour’s store on Boylston Street
Pork belly and grilled shrimp — on grits — at City Table, Lenox Hotel
Ed’s french toast at the Comedor, Newton Centre
Comedor’s open view kitchen
Looking out the back of Ken’s place onto Marlborough Street
Here’s a brief video (9 secs) showing lunchtime (about noon) on a Saturday at Jack’s Abby in Framingham. Place was hoppin’ (and I don’t mean just in the beer)!
Okay, hedline’s a bit overstated. Local alumni from BC and Notre Dame got together last Saturday to shoot paintballs at each other. What better place than Camp Pendleton?
The six gents on the left were the Eagles contingent and the equal number (counting a young woman) on the right were the Domers.
As no one had had this experience before, we chose “paintball lite,” aimed at kids and adult beginners. The guns are smaller, lighter, less powerful; the paintballs themselves smaller; the result . . . no bruises. Except maybe to pride. Yes, we felt somewhat sheepish seeing so many others, including kids, go with the full-bore paintball. Maybe next time.
Here’s a short (<4 minutes) video of some of the action.
You may notice that the ND contingent was a little on the young side. We had not been aware they had promoted the event among those in their “young alumni” section. With the exception of a graduate of 2009, the others were all 2013 or 2014. That’s like . . . yesterday! BC’s contingent featured mostly guys in their late 30s and one ancient alum.
I survived. And flourished at the post-event get-together in Oceanside.
These kids from Notre Dame are alright! We’re friends until September 16, when the Eagles and Fighting Irish meet again on the gridiron in Chestnut Hill.
Earlier this month, I traveled to Boston for my annual, usual myriad of visits and experiences. Foremost among them seeing family and friends, but also a BC football game (a victory!) and Red Sox game.
First on the agenda, following a bumpy redeye, was a visit up north. Stopped first to see cousin Kathy Gagne McManamy on Plum Island. She joined me for a visit to Rye, N.H., where I saw Meredith, Winter, and Alice, the younger granddaughter. Adeline, Alice’s older sister, was in preschool. After brunch at Bubbie’s, a new spot in Portsmouth, we picked Adeline up at school. My arrival had apparently been announced beforehand, so I was the object of some attention. Especially because I came “from California”!
Stayed awake long enough to drive down to Acton, Mass., to my home-away-from-home, the residence of Marcy and Larry Kenah. Took a nap and then caught up on the latest with the Kenahs. Spent Thursday and Friday mostly on the BC campus, visiting Susan Callaghan, Mary Ellen Fulton, Maureen Raymond, and Bob Capalbo, and taking pictures of what seems an ever-changing campus. See photos below.
Stokes Hall, at right, blocks view of McElroy and takes up much of what had been the “Dustbowl.”New dorm on former site of More Hall.Edmond’s rubble is stark foreground for Gasson Tower. The old dorm will be replaced by a new Recreation Complex.Brookline, 15 Vernon St., first floor, home of Mike Reavey, Richard Sullivan, John McCarthy, and me, 1967-68.
Friday, I joined old bud Leo DeNatale for lunch and then spent some time driving around the various ‘hoods in which I had lived. Drove by our apartment senior year at BC and it does not look (right) as if it has improved in the 48(!) years since I left it.
Then went to Logan Airport to pick up Cathedral High and BC classmate Mike Reavey. He was in Boston briefly for a family wedding. We shared a couple of beers at The Abbey and The Publick House in Brookline. When I saw Mike in late 2011 in Fort Worth, where he lives, on my drive out to SoCal, it had been 42 since I had seen him before. This time, the gap was less than 5 years. Excellent trajectory.
Lousy photo, but here’s Mike and me.
Me and Mike Reavey at The Publick House, where the Tam used to be.Meredith and Winter at Gillette.
Saturday was game day! Ed Hattauer and Tom Sugrue came up to the Kenahs from Arlington to carpool, while Meredith and Winter joined us from north country. Attendance was so light at the game, we parked in the retail section around Gillette (no ticket check, no charge) and walked the short distance to the stadium.
BC cheerleaders surround Tom Sugrue
Joining us inside were Debbie and Ken Hamberg and Shelia and Dan Downey, who drove up from the Connecticut shore. We had seats in the Putnam Club level, which is the way to see a football game. Access to food, beer, and other liquids throughout, no bleacher seats, and cover when needed. (Also visiting BC cheerleaders.) We came back in during the brief rainfall in the first half, and watched the game on several TV screens. Back in at halftime when it was sunny (no sunscreen) and then out to the stands when we were in the shade. The Gillette experience was more interesting than the game, actually. While the Eagles played relatively well in a 26-7 win, it was against UMass.
Gillette during the game. Sparse attendance on UMass side. Only 25,000 total in a stadium that seats ~68,000.
Sunday meant a trip south, to the Cape. Met up in the afternoon with Susan and Reid Oslin in Falmouth at the Quarterdeck and spent a few minutes with Tierney Oslin and Tommy Leonard. The Oslins and I then joined Karen and Richard Sullivan for dinner at the Old Yarmouth Inn. Got a traditional New England dinner — fried clams.
Dinner with Reid Oslin, Richard Sullivan, Karen Sullivan, and Susan Oslin.
Being the equal opportunity moocher I am, I stayed with the Sullivans in Mashpee and caught the end of the Patriots game (even on Eastern Time!). Looks as if the Oslins and Sullivans are planning to make the Cape their year-round locale. Except, of course, for their frequent trips out to San Diego. 🙂
With friend Margaret Evans on the bank of the Charles at MIT.
Heading back north Monday, I got on the Southeast Expressway and then Memorial Drive to visit friend Margaret Evans, who works at MIT’s Media Lab, for lunch. It felt good to hone my driving-in-Boston-traffic skills. Then back up to Acton to join Larry on a combined auto-MBTA trip to Fenway for the BoSox game. We secured a spot near the ballpark to have a beer or two, to be joined there by Ed and Tom. The game was pretty much a laugher. The Red Sox scored 5 runs in the 1st inning and 1 run in each of the next 5 innings before finishing with 2 in the 8th to beat Baltimore 12-2. Had the spirit, the songs, the Big Papi homerun. Here’s a short video (3:29) from the evening.
Tuesday, day before departure, focused on the Andersons. Just spent time with Meredith and her girls and then Winter joined us for a late lunch at Petey’s Seafood in Rye. Another traditional New England treat for me — lobsta roll!
Here are some pics of me and the girls. Winter was the photog.
Adeline, Meredith, and Alice with the old man. Meredith points out the differences between the girls: in years, 3 1/2; in pounds, 8.With Adeline.Skies at Logan
The trip back started with some ominous skies, and it took quite a while for JetBlue to turn off the seatbelt sign after leaving Logan. Only downside to the trip was that the entertainment in my row was out. 🙁 Got back in San Diego around 8:30 at night (almost midnight on my body clock). I had made a reservation with Green Cab, because I know they know where Marine Corps Recruit Depot is (where I park my car) and they don’t get “lost” on the way. Same driver I had when I left the week before. :0
Credit to the Standells — “Aw, Boston, you’re my home!” . . . away from home.
US Naval Institute sponsored a members event last night, coinciding with a three-day conference for military tech types. It was held at a place with the awesome view above. More about that follows, but first I took a stroll. After browsing the conference’s exhibits, I had some time before the USNI event so I decided to walk through a little of downtown San Diego — the Gaslight Quarter (called historic, but seems more nuevo tourista), Petco Park neighborhood, and the new county library (remember, I have librarians among family and friends).
Here’s San Diego’s ball field.
Actually, as I’m sure you have surmised, this is not the home of the Padres. This is a kids’ field in Park in the Park, which is a three-acre open area beyond the bleachers of Petco Park, which is accessible each day, though you need a ticket if it’s game time. Here’s Petco Park. (Petco is based in San Diego, FYI.)
Not quite the green swath, but they’re working on it. It is February, after all.
The library is just a block from Petco Park. This is a relatively new central library, opening in September 2013. In the tradition of cash-strapped California, no expense spared! $185 million, and it looks it. It’s like San Diego’s version of London’s pickle, on a reduced scale.
For those interested, such as the aforementioned librarians, here’s a gallery of images from the library.
Main lobby
General shot of second floor
Children’s area
Retro!
Overhead of a reading room
Looking east from that reading room, toward the mountains
View of Coronado Bay Bridge from the open deck near the top
The dome at night
The USNI event was at “The Ultimate Skybox,” a unit on the 15th (top) floor of the “Dreamview Tower.” Nothing like overstatement, but it is nice, and this view is worthy of another look.
At lower right in the picture above is Petco Park and in the distance is the Coronado Bay Bridge. Temps were still in the 70s by sundown so it was very comfortable outside. Below is a more direct view of Petco Park, with Coronado and Naval Air Station North Island on the other side of the harbor and Point Loma in the distance at upper right. Thanks, sun, for making a nice sky.
A slightly more northerly view below. I took some panorama shots as well, but haven’t figured out yet how to retrieve them.
Very pleasant evening. Met some new people, including Christine (last name forgotten), who is lead veterinarian for the Navy’s marine mammal program out on Point Loma. She went to Tufts, of course, and we reminisced about snow. Well, actually, we talked about how much both of us did not miss it. She indicated interest in speaking before the Navy League (and perhaps the BC alumni chapter) about the marine mammal program.
And seeing Petco Park close up convinced me to consider going to a few games this season. The Padres are reportedly considered to be more competitive this season with some recent trades and acquisitions, and there is a Stone Brewery outpost right in the Park in the Park.
