Patriots' Day

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We have a holiday in Massachusetts that no one else gets! We celebrate the day that the local Minutemen Militia fought with the British Redcoats at Concord and Lexington. Other skirmishes poke-a-dotted the so-called Battle Road as well.

One can walk or bike ride from the city along the Minuteman Bike Path which parallels and often coincides with the old Battle Road. Along the way there are markers commemorating the various skirmishes. Also to be seen are old colonial buildings which have been restored and serve as museums. Dasha and I (and maybe others) have photos and stories about this historical way....

Some photos from today's Patriots' Day Reenactment:

boston.com

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the most important aspects of patriot's day are (of course!) the Bahstin Marathon and the morning red sawx game (scheduled early so fans can catch the leaders cross the finish line on their way out of the ballpark)...

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Ah yes, of course! The Boston Marathon!

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Plus I love this day - I drive to work in about 15 minutes which on other days takes me an hour.

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the lunch crowds downtown were a lot smaller today...

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I used to work a block from the finish line on Bolyston St. In some ways it was cool - we used to watch the race from a corner conference room. In other ways it was horrible - forget about going out for lunch it was wall to wall people. The company actually started having lunch brought in, it was so bad. Then going home, it was packed on the T and walking to the T.

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BBB
The HBO John Adams series is a wonderful background of these patriots.

BBB

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Don't drive on Patriots' Day.
Don't drive on Patriots' Day.
Don't drive on Patriots' Day.

I went to get my car serviced in Norwood. That took from 9 to 11. Coming home took another 2 1/2 hours. Normally it's half that. All because I could not cross Beacon Street. Ended up doubling back, getting on 128 and taking that to the Pike.

So I'm in a less than festive mood, although the Sox did win, yay!

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jespah wrote:

Don't drive on Patriots' Day.
Don't drive on Patriots' Day.
Don't drive on Patriots' Day.

I went to get my car serviced in Norwood. That took from 9 to 11. Coming home took another 2 1/2 hours. Normally it's half that. All because I could not cross Beacon Street. Ended up doubling back, getting on 128 and taking that to the Pike.

So I'm in a less than festive mood, although the Sox did win, yay!

Really - hopefully traffic going home isn't bad - took me 15 minutes to work this morning.

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The Marathon!

Darn, I forgot to train for it. Oh, well. Next year.

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I'm jealous. Is this a real holiday? That is, do schools and businesses close?

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Quote:

Traditionally it was designated as April 19 in observance of the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. Since 1969, however, the holiday has been observed on the third Monday in April, providing a three-day long weekend. It is also a school holiday for many local colleges and universities, both public and private.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriots'_Day

some businesses offer it as a paid holiday...

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Wow! I didn't know that. I've learned something new today. Thanks, RP!

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I've never worked anywhere here in the 'Chusetts that gave it as a
holiday. Where's that patriotism when it counts?

It used to be that this was the one day I would absolutely never jog.
Cars would slow down and the clown driving yell some variation of
the "You're going the wrong way" joke. Har har HARDY har har.

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Used to get it off when I worked on Berkeley Street as there was really no good way to get to work on that day.

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Eva wrote:

I'm jealous. Is this a real holiday? That is, do schools and businesses close?

This is generally spring vacation week for schools any way - my kiddies are off. Depending on where you work it is a real holiday - state offices are closed. Since I work stock market hours/days, I have to work.

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jespah wrote:

Used to get it off when I worked on Berkeley Street as there was really no good way to get to work on that day.

Ha! I worked right on Boylston St, a block from the finish line and I still had to work. Had to push right through the crowds to get there too. You can get to work - you must have worked with a bunch of wimps.

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Yep, that's the insurance industry ... :wink:

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Re: Patriots' Day

littlek wrote:

We have a holiday in Massachusetts that no one else gets! We celebrate the day that the local Minutemen Militia fought with the British Redcoats at Concord and Lexington. Other skirmishes poke-a-dotted the so-called Battle Road as well.

Hmmm ... sounds familiar. At our get-together in February, Dasha mentioned several memorials around Boston, each devoted to a Massachusetts patriot who did things like "heroically hiding in the bushes until a British soldier passed by and he shot him", or something like that. Unpatriotic foreignervanian that she is, Dasha seemed insufficiently impressed by the heroes' courgage.

Are these the heroes Patriots' Day is devoted to?

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Yes! It's devoted to those devious heroes and lame-ass vilians themselves!

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Patriots' Day

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