Sensational and Seedy Side of Boston History

By Doug

Jul

31

One of the interesting perspectives in deciding how to explore the city of Boston is to look at some of the more obscure historic personalities and events. And for some reason that is not quite known but continues to be studied, people always seem to be captivated by the gruesome and spooky and sensational social elements. And whenever a potential haunted location comes up, the guests in many of the Boston hotels will immediately want to run and investigate. Perhaps it’s just human nature, but unsolved mysteries and unexplained phenomena really seem to grasp our imaginations.

The fact that Boston had its fair share of witch trails during the early development of this country may not compare to those that occurred in Salem , though they do capture the interest of many people. Meanwhile, more contemporary controversial elements like the Boston Strangler may be too close for complete sensationalized status, though the 1960s murders that occurred are certainly on their way to becoming so. This is partly due to some of the mystery that continues to surround the crimes. Several women in Boston were murdered and these were attributed to Albert DeSalvo though investigations indicate that they were not committed by only one person. And of course various stories about the mob will always be part of the lore of the underside of this incredible American city.

New York Playwright Arthur Miller

By Doug

Aug

25

There is no such thing as a small part, just small actors. Well, the small hotels New York may have there own version of this famous actors phrase, there are no small hotels in New York, just small hotel bills. While that may apply to a guest in one of New York’s finest, it certainly does not apply to the actors in one of Arthur Miller’s plays. Miller was one of The United State’s most prominent playwrights of the twentieth century. He was also a frequent figure in the public eye, which generally uncommon for playwrights.

Miller was born in New York City in October of 1915. His parents were Polish-Jewish immigrants who settled in Manhattan and owned and ran a local women’s clothing store. After graduating high school, Miller attended the University of Michigan, where he originally studied journalism. He also worked as a reported and night editor for the campus newspaper, the Michigan Daily. It was during this time that he wrote No Villain and decided to change his major to English. His first Broadway success occurred in 1948 with the production of All My Sons, this would win Miller his first Tony Award.

His next major success came with Death of a Salesman, which would win him a place in the permanent theatrical canon. This play premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre in 1949. It was directed by Elia Kazan. It would win Miller another Tony Award as well as the Pulitzer Prize and Drama Circle Critics Award. His next major work was The Crucible, which was inspired by his interactions with the House Un-American Activities Committee. The plot of this play incorporates the circumstances of the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. There have been many theories that relate the witch trials in the late 17th century to the McCarthy Communism investigations in the 1950s. More on hotels