Friday, September 19, 2008

2009 Ferry Service Planned from Squantum to Boston Tourist Sites

There was an interesting article in Wednesday's edition of The Boston Globe about a new ferry service that will be launched next years from Squantum Point Park in Quincy. According to the article, the ferry will run to the Boston Harbor Islands, John F. Kennedy Library, Adams National Historical Park, and Cape Cod National Seashore. I'm guessing that's a separate ferry to go all the way out to Cape Cod, and I'm not quite sure how a ferry is going to get people to Adams National Historical Park since it's not along the water. 

With a ferry to the Boston Harbor Islands leaving from Squantum Point Park, the plan is to shift the ferry service away from the Fore River Shipyard, where it's been for a few years. One advantage of the new location is that it's adjacent to Marina Bay, which has a number of restaurants at which to grab a bite to eat after a day of exploration. Another is that transit time to the islands would be cut almost in half to 13 minutes. 

I'm all for more ferry service in and around Boston Harbor. I think it's a tremendously underutilized resource. If you've ever been fortunate enough to visit Sydney, Australia, and see the constant flow of ferries coming in and out of Circular Quay, you'll appreciate a city that has taken advantage of its blessed harbor. Hopefully, this will increase visitation and help generate money to help with some badly needed projects on the islands: an upgrade to the dock at Georges Island, the reopening of Gallops Island, the renovation of Fort Andrews on Peddocks Island into an eco-camp, etc., etc. 

Squantum Point Park has some history in its own right as the former site of the Squantum Airfield. The decrepit runways are still there and are flanked with stone markers explaining some of the historical aviation events that took place there such as the Harvard-Boston Aero Meet of 1910, which marked the first time that most Bostonians saw these strange "flying machines" known as airplanes. 

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