AUGUST 6

The first half of the day was dreary and wet. It was actually a nice change, but would have been even better with a thick, warm coat. Dan's parents have commented that the weather around here is feeling more like October than August. Either way it's still enjoyable

We spent the majority of the day in New Bedford - a former industrial town southwest of Norwell. Dan is conducting some thesis research on live/work mixed use buildings, and happened to find a great example here. This old building was formerly a rope factory that is now being converted into living units for artists. From the outside it looked a bit shabby, but the units were actually quite nice- great natural light and airy floorplans. Unfortunately, most examples of live/work buildings are set up solely for artists, which doesn't give Dan many wide-ranging examples to go off of. Norm gave us a tour of the building and was happy to hear that these types of projects are of interest in other towns. Apparently New Bedford has over 13 million square feet of empty mill space, so there is plenty of opportunity for great projects. Due to recently imposed fishing regulations, industries are really hurting and the economy here is the worst in the state. Nonetheless, old Norm was happy and hopeful about the future of the city.Fortunately the rain stopped just as we were ready to walk around the older parts of the town. The cobblestone streets and brick buildings were very charming. I can't say there were many things to see and do, such as restaurants/museums/parks, but we may have missed those parts of the city.

For lunch we found a cute independent sandwich shop.

Following lunch we visited the Whaling Museum. At one point in time (early 1900s I believe) New Bedford was the whaling capital of the world- until the fisherman killed off most of the supply. We ended up breezing around some of the models and photos until Dan insisted we watch the whaling movie in the lobby. About 3 minutes in his head was bobbing all over the place, ready to smash into the metal railing in front of us.

After the museum we drove near the harbor for a bit and then headed back to the house. Dan, Michael (his brother) and I then quickly got ready and drove into Cambridge to have dinner with their sister Jackie and soon-to-be-husband Iggor. They live on the 5th floor of a condo building with their dog Malinknovich (or something like that...Link for short...he's the type of dog Toto is from Oz). We all went out for Afghani food (delicious) and then came back to their place and played tennis, bowling and boxing on their Wii.

Now, somehow, it is 3am and I seem to be the only one awake, though not tired. I guess I'll do a little relaxing and head to bed.