Monday in Bean Town

We had an action-packed day in Boston yesterday and we're looking forward to another one. We started out (along with everyone else) at 5:45 AM. I didn't even know that the world turned at such an hour. We hit Boston a little after 7:00 and dropped our bags off at the hostel and headed to our first learning block.

We started at the Museum of Fine Arts where there was a exhibit called "Onstage in Osaka" which was comprised of a series of 19th century prints and drawings from Japan. The kids were asked to identify trends in the works and ask questions about what the images they were seeing told them about performance art in another culture and another time. After spending a little time there, we checked out other exhibits in the museum including the Egyptian wing (love those mummies) and the Impressionists. And as much as we wanted to go to the Fashion show, there was an extra admission for the exhibit, so we didn't. Although, I did try on a gorgeous red hat in the gift shop (see photo below).

After a trip back to the hostel to check into our rooms and unpack and relax for a few minutes, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed off to our afternoon block: the Theatre District.

We first met with Michael Fennimore at the Charles Street Playhouse. Michael is the Director of the Boston production of Shear Madness and he was kind enough to show us the theatre and the backstage and dressing areas. He entertained us with stories of being involved for so many years with the show that the Guinness Book of World Records cites as the Longest Running Non-Musical Play in the American Theatre. After listening to Michael talk about the show and asking and answering questions, we headed upstairs to the theatre where Blue Man Group performs. Then Ted Sowa, the building manager, took us across the street to the Wilbur Theatre and showed us the set for "Putnam County Spelling Bee". So, in our brief visit to the district, we were able to see a small and a medium-sized theatre (both housed in the same facility) and a larger theatre across the way. As an interesting side-note, adjacent to the Charles Street Playhouse is the hotel where the 9/11 hijackers stayed the day before the attacks. A somber note in the middle of a light-hearted trip. After our interviews with Michael and Ted, we took a stroll through the theatre district and then walked over to Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall and did some shopping and grabbed some food.

We then headed back to the hostel for some downtime. On the way back, Simon made his Boston debut at the T stop! There was a guy down there playing his guitar and Simon jumped in on, I think, Stairway to Heaven. We let the next train pass so we could play with the guy a little more. Then we headed on back to the hostel. In the evening, some students chose to go to the movies and some stayed behind for some well-needed rest.