Boston, MA. Back in the USA (briefly)

On Tuesday we turned out early for a 7:00 AM flight to Ottawa, where we caught a connection to Boston. Danielle picked us up at Logan airport, then took us to Kathleen’s sister Scarlet’s house in Somerville, where our family is crashing this week. Danielle and Jay arrived late last night after a 16-hour road trip from Durham, NC, and we spent the afternoon resting and catching up. We celebrated my late-June and Scarlet’s late-August birthdays with dinner at Bartaco (which has a dragonfly theme), followed by a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, baseball’s oldest active ballpark. Opened in 1912, Fenway was built on a small, asymmetrical city block, resulting in a relatively low crowd capacity (37,755) and a quirky outfield, highlighted by the Green Monster, its 37-foot high left field wall. 

The Red Sox were hosting the Toronto Blue Jays, whose home field (Rogers Centre) we coincidentally sat outside eating ice cream the day before. Fun fact: The Red Sox and Blue Jays made baseball history on Monday, when Boston catcher Danny Jansen appeared in the lineup. The game was a continuation of a June 26 matchup that was postponed and rescheduled due to rain, and Jansen was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. In July, he was traded to the Red Sox and became the first baseball player ever to play for both teams in the same game. The Jays won that game, although the Sox prevailed last night, with the hometown fans celebrating by singing “Sweet Caroline” and “Dirty Water” at maximum volume. 

Bonus Question: Who originally recorded “Dirty Water”? (Answer at end of post).

Bonus Question Answer: The Standells first recorded “Dirty Water” in 1966. The song is a somewhat unflattering ode to Boston, with references to muggers, thieves, the Boston Strangler and a title inspired by the polluted Charles River and Boston Harbor. Nevertheless, it has become a favorite of the city’s sports fans and is played after every Red Sox and Bruins home victory. The Standells were a true one-hit wonder, and never recorded another top 40 song. Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/3NINDFPIYnyT26cWWRomOQ?si=dSO0QvR4TdiIpGhb5E_zzQ