Bet You Didn't Know (about Boston)

Samuel Adams is not the one pictured on the bottle of Samuel Adams. It is Paul Revere. Apparently, the founder of the Samuel Adams Brewing Co. decided that Mr. Adams was too ugly to have his mug pictured on the label. They instead chose Paul Revere, whom they uh, revered because he was quite the looker as compared to Sammy. How come I never see a picture of Stella when I drink Artois?

Paul Revere's family name was not originally Revere. It was originally Revoire (sp?). Also, Paul Revere never said, "one if by land, two if by sea". He said, "one if by land, and two if by Charles", in reference to the Charles River. This is because the British weren't coming...they were all here, living among Bostonians already. They wouldn't have to come by sea, they only had to come across the river or, if a bunch of them were already across the way in Charlestown, then they'd be traveling by land. Of course that was all before the Big Dig, so traveling via that old central artery must have been murder.

In old Colonial days, the Boston Common was where you would be hanged for certain crimes. It was also used as a place for the militia to practice their drills and to graze cattle. It is the oldest public park in the United States. The Boston Public Gardens are adjacent to the Common. The TD Banknorth Garden however, is where many fans would love to hang their crap basketball and hockey teams.

Mother Goose, Paul Revere, John Hancock, and Benjamin Franklin's father are all buried in the Old Granary Burying Grounds. My question is: why isn't the Granary buried there?

Crispus Attucks was the one black man who was killed in the Boston Massacre. He is also buried in the Old Granary Burying Grounds. Coco Crisp though, is not the only black man on the Red Sox, but he helps to massacre any Boston rallies by striking out in the clutch.

Boston used to be known as Tremontaine, named after the three hills it encompassed. One of those hills really doesn't exist anymore. This is where we got Tremont Street. It was also once known as Shawmut. When it was named Boston, it was named after the same town in England many of the settlers were from. It's a good thing the settlers didn't come from Lake Titicaca.

The famous painting of the Boston Massacre is one of the first bits of good propaganda used in the Americas. The Boston Massacre started because a number of colonists thought it would be funny to annoy many of the British soldiers holding down various posts downtown. They would taunt them, throw rocks at them, etc. This escalated quickly and the Brits were getting a bit cross, but they tried to exercise restraint. Ultimately, due to some miscommunication or something mistaken as a gunshot, the Brits decided to open fire upon the pesky colonists. In the grand scheme of things, not many were killed. Also, believe it or not, there were colonists who served as the Brits' defense attorneys in the court proceedings that followed the incident. It was in their best interest to clear them of any wrongdoing. However, other colonists saw an opportunity to turn things around to their advantage. The famous painting clearly makes it look like a bunch of brutish Brits fired upon an innocent group of men, women, and children without cause. This was of course distributed to the masses and this helped create the rallying cry that would lead to the Revolution. Even before radio and TV, propaganda were being put to good effect long ago. Would have put poor Karl Rove to shame.

Queen Elizabeth II came to visit many years ago and she gave her speech from the balcony of the Old State House. There, she asked Bostonians if they would like to be her subjects again. They politely declined the offer. However, the City of Boston paid the Queen some $30,000 or so, which happened to be the value of the tea dumped in Boston Harbor back before the Revolution. While the amount was not quite on par with today's dollar value, the Queen accepted the recompense. According to some sources, the Queen used that money to purchase stock in Twinings.

The Old State House still bears the symbols of the old British monarchy; the lion and the unicorn. The Old State House, many years ago, was actually considered for demolition. However, the City of Chicago stepped in and said, "if you are going to tear down that wonderful piece of history, then we will take it apart brick by brick and reassemble it here in Chicago". Not thrilled with the prospect of letting Chicago have the building, plans to tear down the Old State House were halted. Unfortunately, plans to tear down the monstrosity that is Boston City Hall have not been given serious thought.

Parker House rolls and Boston Creme Pie found their origin at the Parker House Hotel, which is also, according to legend, believed to be haunted. Many a famous guest has slept at the Parker House. They also apparently knew upon which side their bread was buttered.

King's Chapel does not have a steeple or cupola because when they were building it, they ran out of money. Since then, they decided not to build one.

The City of Portland, Oregon was named after Portland, Maine. The two guys who went out there and established the city hailed from Portland, Maine and Boston, Massachusetts, respectively. They both wanted to name it after their own hometown. They settled the matter through a bet or a coin toss, and as we now know, the guy from Portland evidently won. How odd that would have been. "I'm going to Boston"..."But you're in Boston..." "Not this Boston, the other Boston..." "Boston, Mass, or Boston, Oregon?" "You came here for an argument!" "No I didn't..." "Yes you did..."

John Hancock helped fund the Revolution on the promise that he would be made the new nation's first president. Bottom line, someone lied. But thanks for the money, John.

Mayor Josiah Quincy established Quincy Market as the central marketplace where Boston could get their fresh cuts of meat, fish, and vegetables. It was also convenient for the sea trade, as a place where traders could buy and sell consumables.

Peter Fanuiel conceived of Fanuiel Hall, which still today is used for a variety of functions, meetings, etc. Presidential speeches were given there, television debates, etc. Also, the hall is open to the public and anyone can reserve it for a nominal fee or none at all. However, the waiting list is evidently very long. Fanuiel is not supposed to be pronounced Fan-you-el. It is actually fan-el. Fennel? Funnel? Manual? Manuel? Manny Ramirez?

Northeastern University was built atop the old Huntington Avenue Grounds, the former home of the Boston Red Sox. In fact, I had my physics class this past semester in a building that overlooked the old pitcher's mound and home plate. The old home plate is still marked with a plate and the mound is represented by a statue of Cy Young. It's a good statue of that guy.

Trying to find the Kendall Square Cinema is in a word, difficult. If you are under the false impression that disembarking from the Kendall/MIT T stop will in fact put you within a stone's throw of the Kendall Square Cinema, then you need to be disabused of that notion. This task, I have found, is all the more difficult when bracing yourself against a veritable hurricane, or at least conditions that are consistent with hurricane-type rain and winds.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City is originally from Medford, Massachusetts, which is literally a stone's throw from where I'm currently living. Word is he might run for president as an independent - but in Mayor Mike's own words, his concern is, "will anybody vote for a five-foot, seven inch Jew?" I'd vote for a 5'7" Jew if it meant stopping Giuliani.

Barack Obama lived in Somerville, Massachusetts (actually on the same street I live on now) and while here attending Harvard Law School, he actually accumulated far more parking tickets than I have. Mr. Obama just recently paid off the more than $300 in parking tickets. Fortunately for him, he has raised over $32 Million this past quarter, so that should offset those fines.

I have a friend, whose brother lives in Cambridge. John Malkovich is his neighbor. Malkovich...Malkovich Malkovich!!!

Nothing tastes better than a quarter-pounder with cheese at the McDonald's walk-up window near Fanueil Hall at 12:30 in the morning, after a night of drinking at the Kinsale and Jose McIntyre's.

Trying to get to King's (the bowling alley, restaurant and bar) in Back Bay is much easier if you take the Green Line to Prudential, not Boylston. It is also far easier if you don't have to walk half an hour in 100% humidity.

Best T-shirt in Boston..."Vodka - connecting people".

I have a friend, who shall remain anonymous, who peed on John Kerry's lawn. What should he care...he doesn't mow it!