Saturday, May 1, 2010
Harbor clean-up continues with Battery Wharf
By Ben Austin
NORTH END -- On a recent afternoon, Stavros Krinizas walked along the Battery Wharf, holding his wife's hand while they admired the scenic view of Boston Harbor.
"It appears to be quite clean and accessible," said Krinizas, 38, who has seen waterfronts from Athens, Greece to Monterey, Cal. "I can't tell [anything] about the sanitation of the water, but it all looks pretty nice."
Two decades ago, Krinizas would have had a less desirable view. In the 1980s scientific studies and the press declared the harbor was among the filthiest in the nation.
Since then, the state has cleaned up the harbor. Taking a lead role in the clean up has been the Boston Harbor Association. Funded by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Boston Harbor Association is responsible for, among other things, a decade of debris clean up, the distribution of a Boaters' Guide, and accessibility to areas surrounding the harbor.
"The harbor is really enjoying a renaissance," said Vivien Li, of the Boston Harbor Association. "When we talk about the renaissance of the harbor, it's not just the water, it's the land side as well that draws tourists to the area. If it was a dirty, smelly waterfront, you wouldn't have that."
Li points to the improvements over the last two decades as evidence that the organization is making a difference. Harbor seals and jellyfish have begun to return to the area, and 90 percent of the harbor is now clean enough to swim in 90 percent of the year, she said.
Some visitors are not as enthusiastic about the cleanliness of the harbor.
"Clean doesn't really come to mind," said Dave Kallay, 38, of Edmonton, Canada, while looking out across the harbor from the Battery Wharf.
Still, Kallay couldn't argue with the price and accessibility that the Boston Harbor Association sets for it's designated locations along the Harborwalk tour. At the Battery Wharf, which is the newest location for the Harborwalk tour, there are free binoculars, public restrooms, a maritime museum and a 24-hour observation deck.
While it may be difficult for visitors to appreciate the improvements to the once dirty water of Boston Harbor, those who grew up in the North End have witnessed the changes first hand.
"I would say the area in and around the harbor is much cleaner. The water is much healthier," said Stephen Passacantilli, a member of the North End/Waterfront neighborhood council, who lives on the harbor. "Just from my perspective, from the human eye, it looks much better than it did [a decade ago]."
NORTH END -- On a recent afternoon, Stavros Krinizas walked along the Battery Wharf, holding his wife's hand while they admired the scenic view of Boston Harbor.
"It appears to be quite clean and accessible," said Krinizas, 38, who has seen waterfronts from Athens, Greece to Monterey, Cal. "I can't tell [anything] about the sanitation of the water, but it all looks pretty nice."
Two decades ago, Krinizas would have had a less desirable view. In the 1980s scientific studies and the press declared the harbor was among the filthiest in the nation.
Since then, the state has cleaned up the harbor. Taking a lead role in the clean up has been the Boston Harbor Association. Funded by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the Boston Harbor Association is responsible for, among other things, a decade of debris clean up, the distribution of a Boaters' Guide, and accessibility to areas surrounding the harbor.
"The harbor is really enjoying a renaissance," said Vivien Li, of the Boston Harbor Association. "When we talk about the renaissance of the harbor, it's not just the water, it's the land side as well that draws tourists to the area. If it was a dirty, smelly waterfront, you wouldn't have that."
Li points to the improvements over the last two decades as evidence that the organization is making a difference. Harbor seals and jellyfish have begun to return to the area, and 90 percent of the harbor is now clean enough to swim in 90 percent of the year, she said.
Some visitors are not as enthusiastic about the cleanliness of the harbor.
"Clean doesn't really come to mind," said Dave Kallay, 38, of Edmonton, Canada, while looking out across the harbor from the Battery Wharf.
Still, Kallay couldn't argue with the price and accessibility that the Boston Harbor Association sets for it's designated locations along the Harborwalk tour. At the Battery Wharf, which is the newest location for the Harborwalk tour, there are free binoculars, public restrooms, a maritime museum and a 24-hour observation deck.
While it may be difficult for visitors to appreciate the improvements to the once dirty water of Boston Harbor, those who grew up in the North End have witnessed the changes first hand.
"I would say the area in and around the harbor is much cleaner. The water is much healthier," said Stephen Passacantilli, a member of the North End/Waterfront neighborhood council, who lives on the harbor. "Just from my perspective, from the human eye, it looks much better than it did [a decade ago]."
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Italian population dwindling in North End
by Ben Austin
NORTH END -- As Victor Brogna sat outside Caffe Pompei on Hanover Street writing Thursday night, he watched waves of noisy twenty-somethings flood the streets, restaurants and bars.
"I wish that bars didn't stay open so late, because some of them take the drinkers who have left Fanneul Hall market place," said Brogna, 74, a member of the North End/Waterfront Resident's Association. "I really wouldn't want to live on Hanover Street."
Brogna, who has lived in the North End for nearly two decades, said that the bustling streets and more than 90 liquor licenses of the North End are signs of the demographic changes in the neighborhood.
The Italian population of the North End now makes up about 40 percent of the 10,000 people in the neighborhood, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority. This is a substantial drop from 70 percent four decades ago.
As the Italian population declines, the number of college students and young professionals in Boston's "Little Italy" is rising. In what was once family-based neighborhood, non-family households make up 75 percent of the residents, according to data provided by OnBoard LLC in 2007.
The surge of younger residents as result of expanding colleges in downtown Boston, and the completion of the Big Dig, which previously separated the neighborhood from the city.
"I remember coming down here when I was growing up and the North End was so cut off by the highway," said Jeff Black, 36, a commercial real estate agent who lives in the North End. "I think that kept a lot of the old people in and kept the new people out."
With the new population of young people moving into the neighborhood, the lifestyles of neighbors can clash.
"I was young and I know what it's like to have fun and party, but you've got to respect your surroundings. You're not in a college dormitory. You're not on campus," said Sal Bartolo, 62, who has lived in the North End his whole life. "It's all about respecting the people who live around you."
Not all young people moving into the North End are rowdy college kids. For some, traditional Italian-American culture lures them to the neighborhood.
"The North End is one of the areas that made me fall in love with Boston," said Yelana Loiselle, 20, an Emerson College sophomore who will be moving to the North End next fall. "My Grandfather was Italian and it's just in my blood to love everything Italian, especially the food!"
State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, who grew up in the North End, has watched the neighborhood change around him, but says it remains a community-based neighborhood.
"A lot has changed, some for the better and some for the worse," said Michlewitz, who grew up in the North End. "Even though it has changed from being an italian neighborhood, it's still a very community oriented neighborhood. That's the great thing about the North End."
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Raw food sparks interest in North End
By Ben Austin
NORTH END -- Anita Grille finished searching the menu at Grezzo and glanced around for the waitress, anxiously hoping to order her third meal of the week from the raw restaurant on Prince Street.
"It's unique to the area for sure," said Grille, 49, of East Hampton, N.Y. "I think it's a nice change, a nice option for people to have."
In a neighborhood with more than 100 restaurants, nearly all of which are Italian, Grezzo stands out like sushi in a pastry shop.
"It's good. It's a different thing in the North End, showing people how to eat healthy," said Roseanne, a waitress at Pushcart Pizza just down the street from Grezzo. "I think the new generation will accept it."
The term "raw and living food" refers to food cooked below 112 degrees. As a vegan restaurant, Grezzo avoids the use of all animal and processed products, including honey, canned food and maple syrup. Most of the meals are based on seasonal fruits, vegitables, nuts and seeds.
Grezzo, which means raw in Italian, is a small candle-lit raw and living vegan restaurant in the middle of the North End. While it does stand out to those who know what it is, it can appear to be just another Italian restaurant to others.
"I think that a lot of people don't know we're a raw vegan restaurant. They just assume we're Italian," said Lucy Churchill, 21, a waitress at Grezzo who previously lived in a vegan colony. "I don't think there is any animosity with other North Enders but I think we're just sort of hidden."
For some, a vegan restaurant in the North End still seems a bit out of place.
"I haven't actually been there yet; it's pretty bizarre," said Mickey Hanson, 22, who says she tried a raw diet for a month while living in Seattle two years ago. "The North End is a place where people go because they want to eat really good food. So in that regard, it does fit in, because it's a very specialty restaurant."
Cooks at the restaurant make vegan ingredients to substitute for animal products, such as using nuts to make cheese and processed vegetables to make bread.
"There's kind of an endless amount of things you can do with vegetables," Churchill said. "With the current food system a lot of food has, kind of, poison in it. The more organic you're eating the cleaner your body is."
Alissa Cohen, an internationally known author and raw food chef and consultant, opened Grezzo in the North End in January of 2008. Cohen's knowledge of raw and living food often makes it's way into the dinner conversations at her restaurant.
"What I am really impressed about it that they really take time to explain the food and educate you, as well as just providing the entrees," Grille said.
During a time when most restaurants are downsizing due to the poor economy, Grezzo has opened a new branch in Newburyport. Cohen was unavailable for comment at press time.
NORTH END -- Anita Grille finished searching the menu at Grezzo and glanced around for the waitress, anxiously hoping to order her third meal of the week from the raw restaurant on Prince Street.
"It's unique to the area for sure," said Grille, 49, of East Hampton, N.Y. "I think it's a nice change, a nice option for people to have."
In a neighborhood with more than 100 restaurants, nearly all of which are Italian, Grezzo stands out like sushi in a pastry shop.
"It's good. It's a different thing in the North End, showing people how to eat healthy," said Roseanne, a waitress at Pushcart Pizza just down the street from Grezzo. "I think the new generation will accept it."
The term "raw and living food" refers to food cooked below 112 degrees. As a vegan restaurant, Grezzo avoids the use of all animal and processed products, including honey, canned food and maple syrup. Most of the meals are based on seasonal fruits, vegitables, nuts and seeds.
Grezzo, which means raw in Italian, is a small candle-lit raw and living vegan restaurant in the middle of the North End. While it does stand out to those who know what it is, it can appear to be just another Italian restaurant to others.
"I think that a lot of people don't know we're a raw vegan restaurant. They just assume we're Italian," said Lucy Churchill, 21, a waitress at Grezzo who previously lived in a vegan colony. "I don't think there is any animosity with other North Enders but I think we're just sort of hidden."
For some, a vegan restaurant in the North End still seems a bit out of place.
"I haven't actually been there yet; it's pretty bizarre," said Mickey Hanson, 22, who says she tried a raw diet for a month while living in Seattle two years ago. "The North End is a place where people go because they want to eat really good food. So in that regard, it does fit in, because it's a very specialty restaurant."
Cooks at the restaurant make vegan ingredients to substitute for animal products, such as using nuts to make cheese and processed vegetables to make bread.
"There's kind of an endless amount of things you can do with vegetables," Churchill said. "With the current food system a lot of food has, kind of, poison in it. The more organic you're eating the cleaner your body is."
Alissa Cohen, an internationally known author and raw food chef and consultant, opened Grezzo in the North End in January of 2008. Cohen's knowledge of raw and living food often makes it's way into the dinner conversations at her restaurant.
"What I am really impressed about it that they really take time to explain the food and educate you, as well as just providing the entrees," Grille said.
During a time when most restaurants are downsizing due to the poor economy, Grezzo has opened a new branch in Newburyport. Cohen was unavailable for comment at press time.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Garrity spells way to capital
By Ben Austin
(photo by John Wilcox, Boston Herald)
NORTH END -- Last month, when the judge read the final word that Ross Garrity would have to spell to win the city spelling bee, the 13-year-old from the North End smiled confidently and spelled it back: R-A-V-I-O-L-I.
Garrity, who had earned a coveted spot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, is once again preparing a trip to Washington D.C. At that time, Garrity was overwhelmed by the high level of competition he was going up against.
"I was in fifth grade and they knew how to spell words that I couldn't even pronounce," Garrity said. "It's not that bad when you're sitting down, but then you have to stand up there facing the crowd with everyone staring at you."
The National Spelling Bee began in 1925. It was initially sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal, with the E.W. Scripps Company taking over in 1941.
In 1941, Louis Sissman won the bee by spelling the word initials. Recent champions have had to spell words that not even the spell check on your computer could spell, such as ursprache, prospicience and autocthonous.
Garrity, who said he did not prepare for this year's city bee as much as for bees the past, has a distinct way of practicing his spelling. He stands on a miniature trampoline, bouncing for each letter to learn the rhythm of his words while family members quiz him.
Garrity's training helped him spell words such as souvenir, cognition, gazelle and babushka in this year's competition while he out-spelled 23 other students in this year's competition.
Garrity's mother, Ilene Gladstone, who helps him practice, said she is proud of her son for making it into the national competition again, but has realistic expectations for the weeklong national bee.
"For the kids that really excel in the nation bee, this is all they do," she said. "They spend hours a day looking these words up in the dictionary and finding their origins. My son isn't really in that class."
Garrity still has another year of eligibility in the city spelling bee, which he has won twice in its three year existence as the representative from the Boston Latin School. The school said it supports all of their students in competitions at all levels.
"We encourage our students to participate in competitions that call forth their talents and draw on their enthusiasm," said Susan Moran, the english and modern languages program director at Boston Latin School. "We're very proud of Ross and looking forward to his participation in the competition in Washington."
When Garrity is not bouncing on his trampoline and drilling lists of words, he enjoys playing football, baseball and video games, such as Call of Duty. As a sports fan, the 7th grader is very excited that the national bee is covered by one of his favorite television stations.
"I watch a lot of ESPN and now I'm going to be on it," Garrity said.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held in Washington D.C. from May 31 to June 6.
(photo by John Wilcox, Boston Herald)
NORTH END -- Last month, when the judge read the final word that Ross Garrity would have to spell to win the city spelling bee, the 13-year-old from the North End smiled confidently and spelled it back: R-A-V-I-O-L-I.
Garrity, who had earned a coveted spot at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, is once again preparing a trip to Washington D.C. At that time, Garrity was overwhelmed by the high level of competition he was going up against.
"I was in fifth grade and they knew how to spell words that I couldn't even pronounce," Garrity said. "It's not that bad when you're sitting down, but then you have to stand up there facing the crowd with everyone staring at you."
The National Spelling Bee began in 1925. It was initially sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal, with the E.W. Scripps Company taking over in 1941.
In 1941, Louis Sissman won the bee by spelling the word initials. Recent champions have had to spell words that not even the spell check on your computer could spell, such as ursprache, prospicience and autocthonous.
Garrity, who said he did not prepare for this year's city bee as much as for bees the past, has a distinct way of practicing his spelling. He stands on a miniature trampoline, bouncing for each letter to learn the rhythm of his words while family members quiz him.
Garrity's training helped him spell words such as souvenir, cognition, gazelle and babushka in this year's competition while he out-spelled 23 other students in this year's competition.
Garrity's mother, Ilene Gladstone, who helps him practice, said she is proud of her son for making it into the national competition again, but has realistic expectations for the weeklong national bee.
"For the kids that really excel in the nation bee, this is all they do," she said. "They spend hours a day looking these words up in the dictionary and finding their origins. My son isn't really in that class."
Garrity still has another year of eligibility in the city spelling bee, which he has won twice in its three year existence as the representative from the Boston Latin School. The school said it supports all of their students in competitions at all levels.
"We encourage our students to participate in competitions that call forth their talents and draw on their enthusiasm," said Susan Moran, the english and modern languages program director at Boston Latin School. "We're very proud of Ross and looking forward to his participation in the competition in Washington."
When Garrity is not bouncing on his trampoline and drilling lists of words, he enjoys playing football, baseball and video games, such as Call of Duty. As a sports fan, the 7th grader is very excited that the national bee is covered by one of his favorite television stations.
"I watch a lot of ESPN and now I'm going to be on it," Garrity said.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee will be held in Washington D.C. from May 31 to June 6.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
North Enders unsure about Obamacare
by Ben Austin
NORTH END -- Using his left hand and 22 different pens, President Barrack Obama changed the lives of millions of Americans last Tuesday by signing the historic and controversial Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law.
The extensive bill will, in part, expand Medicaid eligibility, prohibit insurers from discriminating against customers with pre-existing conditions, and will offer tax credits to small businesses that provide health care for employees starting in 2014. For the North End, which is has more than one-hundred small businesses, this bill will affect the neighborhood.
"Because of the high unemployment rate, because of the disparity in the way that benefits are presented to employees, I think it will make things more uniform. So I think it will be good for the minority," said Jay Wisner, a 33-year-old resident, who has health insurance. "I think it's better for the employees than for the employers in the sense of money... but a lot of times that's the price you pay in business."
Although health care reform was seen as the life work of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, who died last fall in the midst of the debate, not all North End are as optimistic about the way the bill their senator fought for will affect their neighborhood. The $938 billion price tag on the bill is also a hot topic in the North End.
"The bad thing is it could lead to more taxes. That's what scares me. $940 billion is tough." said Matt Schell, 28, a graduate student at Salem State College who also teaches history in Chelsea. "In Canada ,the sales tax is 15 percent, and I think a lot of that is attributed to the health care situation. And I think that could happen in this country."
Some residents say they don't feel as though they are not yet familiar enough with the details of the bill due to the yearlong process that it took to pass through congress.
"I have no idea how it's going to affect me. I already have insurance through my employer," said Gina Cosentin, 50, of the North End. "I sound somewhat uninformed about it but it's, been going on for so long. It's a thousand pages, you know? I think a lot of people are just confused."
NORTH END -- Using his left hand and 22 different pens, President Barrack Obama changed the lives of millions of Americans last Tuesday by signing the historic and controversial Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law.
The extensive bill will, in part, expand Medicaid eligibility, prohibit insurers from discriminating against customers with pre-existing conditions, and will offer tax credits to small businesses that provide health care for employees starting in 2014. For the North End, which is has more than one-hundred small businesses, this bill will affect the neighborhood.
"Because of the high unemployment rate, because of the disparity in the way that benefits are presented to employees, I think it will make things more uniform. So I think it will be good for the minority," said Jay Wisner, a 33-year-old resident, who has health insurance. "I think it's better for the employees than for the employers in the sense of money... but a lot of times that's the price you pay in business."
Although health care reform was seen as the life work of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, who died last fall in the midst of the debate, not all North End are as optimistic about the way the bill their senator fought for will affect their neighborhood. The $938 billion price tag on the bill is also a hot topic in the North End.
"The bad thing is it could lead to more taxes. That's what scares me. $940 billion is tough." said Matt Schell, 28, a graduate student at Salem State College who also teaches history in Chelsea. "In Canada ,the sales tax is 15 percent, and I think a lot of that is attributed to the health care situation. And I think that could happen in this country."
Some residents say they don't feel as though they are not yet familiar enough with the details of the bill due to the yearlong process that it took to pass through congress.
"I have no idea how it's going to affect me. I already have insurance through my employer," said Gina Cosentin, 50, of the North End. "I sound somewhat uninformed about it but it's, been going on for so long. It's a thousand pages, you know? I think a lot of people are just confused."
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