Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Cobble Cobble

This ain't no turkey! This is a shot of the street at Boothby Square in the heart of the Old Port. Streets in this part of the city used to be all cobblestone. Now, there are but a few remnants of this type of paving. Driving on Commercial Street, with its stones and all the railroad tracks scattered about, used to be quite a a task for the driver, but the sound of tires on the street was music to my ears as a kid. Amazing! What a job it would have been, back then, for someone to have been the official 'cobblestone counter' for the city. The Saturday night out with the kids always included a maneuver down double-wide Commercial on our way to the Maine State Pier and then up the Hill to Eastern Prom. If we were lucky, we'd see a train at the Grand Trunk Terminal. A fun-filled night out with four kids and it was free! Mom and Dad thought of everything.
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17 comments:

  1. brattcatDecember 13, 2011 at 6:19 AM

    i always paid close attention as i crossed here so as not to twist an ankle. i wonder if anyone ever does.

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  2. KathyDecember 13, 2011 at 6:21 AM

    They don't build 'em like that anymore, do they? Here we have red brick streets.

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  3. UnknownDecember 13, 2011 at 6:42 AM

    Still like the sound of tires over the stones.
    And whenever I have a chance,to drive over them, I grab it.
    Costas

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  4. OlivierDecember 13, 2011 at 7:43 AM

    cela fait penser a un labyrinthe vu d'en haut

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  5. john bainDecember 13, 2011 at 9:00 AM

    And to think that each cobble stone was individually made!

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  6. KaoriDecember 13, 2011 at 9:13 AM

    That has got to be hell on heels.

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  7. Luis GomezDecember 13, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    Wow!

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  8. Sharon CreechDecember 13, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    That makes for a beautiful photo -- think of the time and care in paving that street- and I can 'hear' the sound of those tires. I'm glad some of these streets are preserved even tho they are a challenge to drive on and to walk on.

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  9. TexWisGirlDecember 13, 2011 at 9:38 AM

    a lost artform, for sure!

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  10. SharonDecember 13, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    You've jogged another memory! We used to have some brick streets in Quincy where I grew up and I loved the sound of the tires on those brick streets. When I was very young, the school I went to had a brick street in front of it and when the teachers hearded us across the street, the sound of our shoes on those bricks was another sound that truly pleased me.

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  11. KateDecember 13, 2011 at 10:21 AM

    Fun to drive over, but hard to walk on for any length of time.

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  12. Betsy Banks AdamsDecember 13, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    Hi there, When I think of cobblestone roads, I think of Charleston, SC. I love to hear the horse drawn carriages clip clopping up and down the cobblestone roads.... SO NEAT!!!!!
    Betsy

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  13. JackDecember 13, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    I see lots of cobblestone streets, but this one might win the prize for the roughest textures and the deepest grooves. It is as if the town fathers were in cahoots with the local doctors.

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  14. Cezar and LéiaDecember 13, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    awesome texture!I think these cobblestone streets are so charming!
    Léia

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  15. RedPatDecember 13, 2011 at 1:11 PM

    You are right about the sound. We have some brick roads here that make a softer but still great rumble as you drive along them!

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  16. cieldequimperDecember 13, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    Anyone for stillettoes?!

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  17. LowellDecember 13, 2011 at 7:05 PM

    Nice concentric rings. But those things are hard to walk on and hard to drive on. Plus, they're noisy!

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