City of Presidents, City of Old & New

Few people know that the tomb of Abigail Adams lies in a building nestled between a Subway sandwich shop and a nail salon. Sounds weird, right? But Oddities like these, and much more like them, are true of Quincy, Massachusetts; a metropolis of Greater Boston that constructed itself around its historical treasures over time.

Established in 1792, what began as one of the first settlements of the United States is now home to almost 90,000 people. As with any city, the sense of natural beauty gradually disappeared when never-ending construction projects transformed it into a massive concrete jungle devoid of color. Yet, Quincy’s national gems, including the United States’ first commercial railroad and Dunkin Donuts; look as pristine as ever, as if their immense value protects them from the graffiti and smog. The city's oldest graveyard lies directly in front of the Red Line Train station, which makes visiting a unique, and loud experience. A busy rotary was constructed around the saltbox houses of John Adams and his son John Quincy, and I'm sure the tour-guides have permanent sore throats from yelling over the loud honks and whizzing of traffic. It's a city of contradictions, perhaps a little odd to the tourist's eye but that is exactly what sets Quincy apart from other cities. Old and new is a theme seen everywhere, even in its demographics. Over roughly three centuries, the original population of entirely white British settlers has given way to a melting pot, in a sense. North Quincy has largely become an Asian-American neighborhood, and the shopping district there evidences as such, so much that many citizens have nicknamed it “The New Chinatown.” The many businesses cater to the Asian community, including a Chinese supermarket and a myriad of Asian influenced restaurants.

Still, Quincy has luckily retained much of its old fashioned All-American appeal. The city is still home to the nation’s longest running Flag Day Parade, and every spring children still decorate and gather round Maypole Hill, a place where pilgrims and Native Americans celebrated in drunken revelry. It’s longstanding traditions like these that make the city of Quincy truly special, and the experiences are just as sweet today as an apple pie coming out of your relative’s oven generations ago.

Photos courtesy of Google.

Here's a link to my personal Flickr with the abstract photos.