A Sunday Visit to Dorchester, MA

August 29, 2007 by Chinatown Blogger.

Dorchester is a section of Boston 2 to 3 miles south of Chinatown. It is home to a large Vietnamese population as well as the City of Boston’s first elected City Councilor of Asian American descent - Sam Yoon. I had rented in Dorchester for 5 years from 2000-2005. I remember one winter when I ran into Sam in the morning and it turned out he had recently purchased a home there, a triple-decker that was condo conversion. He was gracious enough to invite me into his home and introduced me to his family. I had known Sam before when he was a community planner for the Asian Community Development Corporation in Chinatown. We chatted a bit and he mentioned about running for City Council. It was the beginning of his campaign and he asked me to help. I declined at the time because I was in sales and I had hardly anytime off.Since then I’ve moved out of the neighborhood. This past Sunday my girlfriend and I were looking for something to do so we decided to go to Dorchester and take a stroll around the UMass campus and JFK Library. You can get to the UMass campus by taking the MBTA Red Line to JFK station and a free shuttle bus that runs every 20 minutes. We drove because parking is free on Sundays.There is a walking path that wraps around the university with views of the harbor and leads up to the JFK Library. UMass Boston is a commuter school because there is no on-site housing for students. The university is known for pioneering and creating one of best Asian American Studies Program in New England. The program is currently led by director/professor Peter Kiang, who was formerly a director for a Chinatown non-profit and serves on the board of the Chinese Historical Society of New England.

While visiting the UMass campus, another attraction is the JFK Library Museum. Dedicated to the late John F. Kennedy and his family, the best attractions were the large collection of personal items used by the former President and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Even a non-politico like my girlfriend was impressed the library had an actual dress once worn by the First Lady. Next to the dress was a photo of Jackie in the dress at a function. The day being Sunday, we only encountered a few people here and there who were jogging, walking their dogs or just sitting back and watching the harbor. Along the way is a dock that offered Boston Harbor Cruises every Monday. Near the entrance of the campus is a Vietnam Veterans Memorial f acing Morrissey Boulevard. On the Memorial are inscribed the names of soldiers who died in the war and were from the Dorchester area. On the bottom are chiseled the inscription “Through us they will live forever.” There are three pillars to the memorial. It was explained to me once that it represented the former countries of Indochina: Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. (Someone please correct me if I am wrong!). Alongside are benches inscribed with the army corps and the area they served in.

After the stroll if you find yourselves hungry, head over to Dorchester Avenue near Fields Corner. There are many Vietnamese restaurants in the area. My favorite is Pho 2000, which is at the corner of Adams St. and Dorchester Ave. After this Sunday, my girlfriend and I had already decided that the next place we visit should be North Adams in Western Mass. where a group of Chinese laborers were first brought over here to Massachusetts to work in a shoe factory.

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