Boston has a new skyscraper, the Millennium Tower, downtown -not to be confused with Millennium Place. This new building is perhaps the most expensive estate as of writing as it commands views of Boston and is in the middle of the city, as well. However, I heard the penthouse is going for nearly 300 million dollars. I think that many have this pocket money to perch on a futuristic pedestal, in lieu of living closer to the ground and nature with the rest of us slobs. This quick sketch was from behind the building and I tried to juxtapose one of the oldest buildings downtown, Old South Meeting House, and the newest.

The Mother Church, also known as the Christian Science Church, is a tourist place in Beantown. This is because this building is the headquarters of this religion. They try to treat people’s medical conditions through prayer, shunning modern methods, such as medication. They have a prayer for every situation, in fact, even for cyber attacks. Although the sketch was across from the domed building, which is an extension.  The original church is behind this building. The funny thing is that the architect of the extended building had no architectural education and yet it is has been standing since 1906.

Wind has color at 888 Boylston. This is the most recent addition to the the growing number of green building in Boston, as of writing and has brought green to the Back Bay. The design of the building is incorporates sustainability. It is even atopped with wind turbines.This throws different colors on roof of the building. Experincering interior spaces is also exciting. In fact, I glimpsed an Anish Kapoor sculpture behind the security desk. This quick sketch was from the corner of Gloucester Street

Upon wandering through a Boston neighborhood, I found myself on the top of Bunker Hill Monument to see what the Hub looked like. Charlestown, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Boston, has a unique atmosphere, as Beacon Hill and I very much relish seeing these old settlements to envision how Boston genuinely grew out of these neighborhoods.I would say that the silhouette of Boston is truly astonishing -but not like that of the Big Apple. I wish I could say that the sketch was from top of the monument, but it was stifling. Therefore, this time I merely sketched from a photo that I took that day.

At times, I think that I am very lucky in that I have five uncles who show me around the world. Recently, I went to Ocean City, Washington with my smartest uncles. We hit the beach but it was desolate as it was the end of May and there was still a chill in the air. It was great as we did not need to wait in boring lines like on roasting  summer days. This sketch is of a building on the coastline, as seen from the boardwalk. This was truly a convoluted facade. At first glance, I could not figure it out, but, then, I understood that it was a building -an art gallery. Due to the season, it was not open. As such, I did not have a chance to look at it. But, I did remember a cup of giant fries which we wolfed down.

Venice is the best place to live for watercolor fans due to the fact that every corner of Venice is suitable for watercolor. I have never seen this city’s equal, even having lived in Istanbul. Although I adore my own city, Venice stole my artistic heart. This particular sketch was from the canal tour departure point -full of gondolas and young, doe-eyed love.

Recently, I read the Common Edge article The Unthinkable - A World Without Venice, which had deep insights into Venice. Of course, Venice is on everyone’s bucket list. After reading the article, I went to one of my old sketchbooks which I used on my Italy tour. I was a junior in college and one of my relatives gave us free tour package as she was not able to use it herself.  My sister and I jumped at the chance. This sketch was from the Piazza San Marco in Venice, with St Mark's Campanile and Basilica in the background. A very surprising thing which I learned is that St Mark’s Campanile has the bell which used to be in the Hagia Sophia in Turkey, so we waited to hear it chime, but it sounded just like all the others.