Only in Massachusetts
10 things unique to the Bay State
You can eat Boston Baked Beans in Ohio and Ipswich Fried Clams in L.A., but there are some things you won't find anywhere other than Massachusetts. Here are ten of them.
1 Green Monster
The thirty-seven-foot, two-inch left-field wall at historic Fenway Park is the tallest of Major League ballparks. Is it a monster? Guess that depends on whether or not it has prevented your team from batting a homerun out of the ballpark.
2 Rockport Paper House
The summer home in the North Shore town was built in 1922 with paper used as insulation against a wood frame. The newsprint was varnished over and is still visible on the walls. Even some of the furniture, including a clock and a piano, was made in part or completely of paper.
3 Plymouth Rock
It's remarkably unremarkable, and probably not even the real rock, yet thousands of tourists flock to it each year. Even the markers near the rock, which has the year 1620 engraved on it, explain that no record of the rock existed until about 100 years after the time of the Pilgrims. The rock today is sheltered by a canopy along the Plymouth waterfront. There's no charge for peering down at the stone.
4 Bunker Hill Day
It's an official holiday in parts of Massachusetts, particularly in Boston. Bunker Hill Day is celebrated on June 17 and commemorates the Battle of Bunker Hill, which was fought on Breed's Hill (don't ask). The colonists lost the battle to the British, but it caused so much damage to the British Army that the Americans eventually won the war. Most Americans may not remember the historical details of the battle, but probably would recognize this quotation: "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." Patriots' Day is another Massachusetts holiday, but is also celebrated in Maine.
5 Not one, but two "Cheers" bars
Apparently one wasn't enough, so a second "Cheers" bar was built in Faneuil Hall. The exterior of the original (known as Bull & Finch Pub in real life) on Beacon Street in Boston was shown in opening credits for the popular TV series "Cheers." The second bar was opened at Faneuil Hall in 2001 with an interior that more closely resembles the bar on the show.
6 Citgo sign as urban art
Towering above the buildings in the Kenmore Square area, the Citgo sign is one of the most recognizable icons of Boston. According to Citgo.com, the sign came close to being removed in 1983, but Bostonians who considered the sign "an excellent example of urban neon art" fought to save it. I don't know about art, but looking up and seeing it has helped me get my bearings while navigating Boston streets more than once.
7 Big Dig
Most of the digging is done, but the Big Dig of Boston stands on record as one of the biggest, most complex, most expensive, and most thoroughly botched urban construction projects in American history. Some good came out of it though. It's more enjoyable buzzing through Boston in the underground tunnels than being stuck in traffic on the former elevated freeways. Urban parks are planned. The North End and the Waterfront have been reconnected to the rest of Boston. They were formerly separated by the Central Artery. Finally, the attractive Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge was built.
8 Cape Cod sand dunes
Someone once said to me that you really can't find the beauty of Cape Cod anywhere else, and I believe that's true. Sure there are beaches just about everywhere where land meets ocean, and some have sand dunes. But they don't have acre after acre of dunes and scarps - some more than 100 feet tall - like those that exist on Cape Cod.
9 Natural Bridge
Over 13,000 years ago, water cut through marble in North Adams to create "the only naturally formed white marble arch" in North America, according to the state's website for the Natural Bridge State Park. Also at the park is a man-made white marble dam.
10 Plumbing Museum, also known as the Toilet Museum
For years it had the dubious distinction of being an attraction in Worcester that didn't always make it into the travel guides. Assembled by Worcester resident Russell Manoog, the American Sanitary Plumbing Museum included historical plumbing pieces that dated back to the 19th century. In 2008, news surfaced that the exhibit was to be dissembled as the owners had decided to retire and pursue other interests. The exhibit, however, was rescued and is being relaunched in Watertown as the Plumbing Museum. A note on the website says it will be open January 2009 by appointment only.
