During our first week of residency at the Mayo Clinic, (July 2009) we took the advice of the scheduling secretary and scheduled every away rotation we could possibly desire. We booked multiple months in Jacksonville, Florida, a month in Scottsdale, Arizona, and a less frequently attended month at Harvard's Brigham and Woman's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. We had no idea at the time what kind of craziness our last year of residency would end up holding, but by the time we did, it was too late to back out. As a result, we had to put our very busy life on hold for the month of November--right in the middle of negotiating both a job and a home contract--and take a month in America's historical heartland. It wasn't the most convenient time for us to go, but we never miss the opportunity to travel on the company dime, not to mention the opportunity to experience a place like Boston as a resident rather than as a tourist. Because of all of the craziness; however, it was impractical for both Nick and I too be gone for the entire month. Consequently, I held the fort down at home for the first two weeks of the Boston rotation, and then the kids and I made the long drive out and joined Nick for the last three weeks of the trip. Being on my own with all four kids was more manageable than I expected it to be, and before we knew it, we were off on an educational adventure that would be hard for anyone to duplicate. The kids and I's American History class came to life as we visited sight after sight and drank in the beauty and wonder of all that Boston has to offer. Before we arrived in Boston, however, Nick did a little sight-seeing on his own. The rest of this post contains the pictures (and memories--if he'll write any) of his time in Boston before we arrived....
During the last couple of weeks while I have been here in Boston, I have really tried to take advantage of the chance to live in what Jamie terms--America's historical heartland. My main goal was to work and study for my boards which are looming next year, but you can only spend so many hours working and reading- right?!
That's what I thought before I saw my work schedule anyway. With the way the call schedule is arranged, I am scheduled to be on call every 3rd night. It initially seemed like a lot, but after working a few shifts, I realized it was going to work out great. They have enough people on call each night to make sure that everyone gets at least 4-5 hours of protected sleep time- which means I get an entire day to explore on my post call days. I wanted to try and see as much as I could- while at the same time spending as little money as possible. Gratefully, I soon learned that as long as you don't mind doing a little walking, you can really see and do a lot without spending a dime.
I didn't do much picture taking during most of my exploring--I figured that I would re-visit a lot of the places when the rest of the family came, and I would rather have my pictures with them. I did however, take a few pictures of things that I didn't think I would have time to get back to visit with the rest of the family. Here is a run-down of a few of my adventures as well as accompanying pictures where I had them.
One day I spent walking the entire Freedom Trail and reading about each of the sites in detail. Here is a picture of the the famous Old State House,
and the Omni Parker House- home of the first Boston Creme Pie.
Another day I spend time exploring the skyscrapers in the central business district as well as the famous shopping areas so that I could experience some of the more modern aspects of Boston. These aren't the greatest pictures, but you can see the Prudential building and other skyscrapres from the Boston Common and the Charles river ferry at night.
Another day I spent wandering around all of the academic sites, even eating with the coeds on Harvard's undergrad campus.
On another I visited the important sites in medical history- including, of course, those related to the history of Anesthesia. Here is a picture of the Ether Dome at Mass General where Dr. Morton gave the first public demonstration of Ether and the field of Anesthesia was born- "Gentleman, this is no humbug!"
That event was memorialized with this Ether Monument in Boston's Public Garden represented by a "Good Samaritan" providing anesthesia with ether to a wounded traveler. "Neither shall there be any more pain."
These are some other pictures of the Harvard medical campus: The Peter Bent Brigham Hospital- the site of the first kidney transplant.
The Harvard Medical School Campus
The Brigham, or The Brigham and Women's Hospital- the place where I have been working this month.
One day I spent time at the Boston Temple- which apparently is not exactly in Boston, and is a longer walk than I first anticipated.
One day I spent time going to some of the sports venues in this huge sports town, and on yet another day I went exploring to some the culturally historic areas, such as the Italian North End, the old school West End, Chinatown, and yes- even the demonstrators of Occupy Boston. They definitely count as cultural anomalies.
This is a picture of Charles street in the West End with the classic propane lit street lanterns.
The first day, which was Halloween, I even spent some time among the witches in Salem, MA. (Someday I may have to include detailed accounts of each of these days in future "Flash back Friday's"- especially the voyage to Salem--but I could be in big trouble if I don't get this post up soon.) That day, and all its adventures, will surely go down in history on the list of Hoskins' infamous stories.
During my two weeks alone in Boston, my main sight-seeing goal was to become familiar with Boston so that I could navigate the family to the best places to visit and to feel comfortable without having to use a map. After wearing out at least one pair of shoes, I can say that I think I accomplished those goals. It was a great opportunity to immerse myself in the history and culture of this great city and to have the experience of being able to live like a local rather than just a visitor.
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