While wandering downtown to relax for the upcoming semester at the BAC, I found myself glancing at City Hall and pondering if it is truly brutalist. Moreover, I remember how brutal people’s comments are about it as some of them abhor it and others really like it. I fall in the latter group. The building has a pretty strange story as the design process had two stages and it was selected from 256 entries by a jury. To me, it is strange that selecting this kind of new design for that era and accepting it in the middle of the city -was very bold. The sketch was done from the front of the building -where Government Center station remnants are.

February is a month which I loathe as it makes me older and yet there is nothing to do except eating a mouthwatering lobster roll at Luke's Lobster in the Back Bay. Every year, while in Boston, I go there and eat this roll -a kind of a gift to myself. The funny thing is that the weather is always freezing and snowy and no one is there. It is easy to grab a bite to eat in the winter! Then, of course, going to the public library is a necessity with a double shot of espresso to wake me up. This sketch of the lobster place was done from the library. It was an enjoyable day until I caught my reflection in a window and I saw the spread of white hair. White is the color of getting old -not of happiness. lamentably!

I wish I were a student at Berkeley and yet it is too late for me to be a good musician as there are many other responsibilities. So, I do not have time to practice anything, of course, except drawing, as always. This sketch is from Boylston Street, where many wannabe musicians and real ones milling about. The new building is truly appealing due to the fact that it incorporates a very smart architectural solution for the organization of spaces, that is, putting the performance hall on the second floor and making it visible instead of hiding, as in a standard design. As such, students can see outside while hanging out or watching performances and people who walk around the building can see the space, as well. This leads individuals to become a part of the school and also the school to become a part of the environment.

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.