Michele
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micheleinboston.bsky.social
Michele
@micheleinboston.bsky.social
Energetic enthusiastic extrovert who gives walking tours of Boston, advocates for fire safety nationally, and loves reading, learning, spin, and yoga. She/her.
The spoiler’s in the title, but just in case you have never read/watched Little Women…don’t read any further!

Everyone knows that a central drama of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel is that Beth dies. This book asks, “but what if it was foul play?”

I loved this bold contemporary take - read it!
January 23, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Michele
"ICE has made the classic Nazi mistake. They've invaded a winter people in the winter."
I came to Minneapolis to report on what's going on, and one of the main questions I showed up with is "just what is the scale of the resistance?" After all, we're all used to the news calling Portland a "war zone" or whatever when it's just some protests in one part of town.
January 22, 2026 at 6:05 AM
This rocks!
feliz aniversário, edgar allan poe! 🖤
January 22, 2026 at 3:28 AM
Reposted by Michele
At the sculpture The Embrace on Boston Common, we celebrate the life and community of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. May his words and example continue to inspire and motivate. #MLKJrDay #TheEmbrace #loveissuchapowerfulforce
January 19, 2026 at 2:36 PM
So much to learn, so little time!

A selection of art/architecture finds/history finds and favorites from the first half of 2025.

open.substack.com/pub/michele7...
History, art and tour retrospective – January – June 2025
So much to learn, so little time!
open.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 10:30 PM
Happy birthday to my #shero Mary Kenney O’Sullivan! Born on this date in 1864 in Hannibal, Missouri, she fought for women’s rights in the workplace, a woman’s right to vote, and for safer conditions for all workers. She is memorialized in Hear Us, a multimedia installation in the MA State House.
January 8, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Reposted by Michele
A Mad King has usurped the power of Congress—which represents the American people. That is, he has seized power that belongs to you and me collectively. He has declared war without consultation with or approval from Congress. And with no imminent threat. This is a profound betrayal of the republic.
January 3, 2026 at 10:11 AM
My favorite photo from yesterday. Greatest Generation meets Gen Z for an epic sweater battle (my mom and the girlfriend of her youngest grandson). Guess I best represent Gen X next year…
December 27, 2025 at 12:51 AM
I have so many thoughts about this. Excited that architects and designers are thinking about the design implications for a basic human function. And wondering why it takes our society so long to figure it out!
Today at the Historic New England Summit, we announced a design competition for a new public restroom at Gropius House in Lincoln, MA. In recognition of the Bauhaus centennial, we’re seeking site-sensitive proposals. Submissions due Feb. 6, 2026.

Learn more → gropiuscompetition.info
December 1, 2025 at 12:12 AM
My worlds collide: read my latest Woman Walking post about my deep connection with Boston and fire.
#walking #history #architecture #Boston #fire
My worlds collide: history, architecture and fire in Boston
Boston Reborn: After the Great Fire of 1872 was not made BY me, but it felt like it was made FOR me.
open.substack.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:56 PM
Eleven Boston By Foot guides conducted 20 or more tours during the 2025 season. Here are 7 of us at the lovely year-end appreciation event! bostonbyfoot.org/blog/2025-an...
November 15, 2025 at 1:08 PM
On what turned out to be a gorgeous fall day, I gave this tour for the 3rd and last time this year. Most of the people on the tour were fellow Boston By Foot guides and they burst into applause at the end. As we head into winter, accolades from other guides buoyed my spirits like nothing else could.
Boston Reborn: After the Great Fire of 1872
Sun., Nov 9, 11:30 am - 1 pm

On the 153rd anniversary of the fire, see where it started on Summer St. and where firefighters prevailed 18 hours later. Learn how Boston changed in the aftermath.

Register:
bostonbyfoot.org/tours/boston...
November 10, 2025 at 12:00 AM
I’m excited to give walking tours anytime, but especially for the Boston Book Festival! I’m leading Literary Mini-Tours starting at 1 pm and 3 pm. Meet me in front of the Palace for the People (aka the Boston Public Library) for a 45-minute stroll through writerly history!
Tomorrow, Oct. 25, join us for a Literary Mini-Tour of the Back Bay as part of the Boston Book Festival!

It’s free, fun, and first-come, first-served.

Tours start outside @bpl.boston.gov - choose noon, 1, 2, or 3 pm to walk with us! Schedule here: bostonbookfest.org/schedule/
October 24, 2025 at 7:33 PM
What a hilariously stupid account. Mayor Thomas Peacock of Quincy! Ha! The multi-term mayor is Tom Koch, as any self-respecting AI bot should know.
October 23, 2025 at 1:51 AM
I was very delighted to see the Copley Square farmers market yesterday on a quick sojourn. Tuesdays and Fridays for a few more weeks!
October 23, 2025 at 1:11 AM
I'm attending the premier and panel discussion for this film about the historic Allen School in Newton. Can't wait! @hubhistory.com I think you would enjoy this!
www.westnewtoncinema.com/movie/an-unc...
www.westnewtoncinema.com
October 10, 2025 at 8:39 PM
I’m back at it! Join me tomorrow for a walk through time in Boston!
Boston Reborn: After the Great Fire of 1872
Sat., Oct. 4, 11 am

Join our walk within the 65-acre Burnt District. See where the fire started on Summer St. and where firefighters prevailed 18 hours later. Learn how Boston changed in the aftermath.

Register:
bostonbyfoot.org/tours/boston...
October 3, 2025 at 11:46 PM
I’ve been giving walking tours in Boston for 19 years (and hanging around near Faneuil Hall, the Blackstone Block, and Haymarket for a lot longer than that). And yesterday was the 1st time I noticed this 100-year-old plaque at 16 North St. about the unsung hero of 1775, William Dawes. #midnightride
October 2, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Welcome, October!
Hecate, goddess of witchcraft, to usher in October! From Valeriano's 'Hieroglyphica' printed in 1602
October 1, 2025 at 11:50 PM
Reposted by Michele
Thursday, Oct 2 at 5 pm: Boston’s Chinatown! It’s one of the city’s smallest yet most vibrant neighborhoods. Explore one of the few surviving Chinatowns on the east coast with us! Register: bostonbyfoot.org/tours/boston... #ThingsToDoInBoston #walking #history
October 1, 2025 at 12:39 AM
This a classic “only in Boston” event. Does Boston have cliffs? No, she does not. Is Boston the only North American stop on the global Red Bull Cliff Diving competition circuit ? Yes, she is. Come watch people jump off a building into the harbor! It’s amazing.
September 19, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Michele
Today, on the 85th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Old North's Congregation helped honour the 10 Americans who fought in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) forces during this battle, the first military campaign fought entirely in the air.
September 14, 2025 at 10:48 PM
This Saturday 9/13 at 1:30 pm, join me for Boston Reborn: After the Great Fire of 1872. This Boston By Foot tour is inside the 65-acre footprint of the fire. We’ll see what replaced the buildings that were destroyed. Details and tickets: bostonbyfoot.org/tours/boston...
September 11, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Tonight, I am leading Road to the Vote, a @bostonbyfoot.bsky.social walking tour about Boston women in the suffrage movement. It’s the 105th anniversary of Tennessee’s ratification of the 19th Amendment, with a little nudge from an activist mom:
www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/202...
A mother’s letter, a son’s choice and the incredible moment women won the vote
In the summer of 1920, the country needed one more state to ratify the 19th Amendment, and the Tennessee General Assembly was deadlocked. Then state Rep. Harry T. Burn got a letter from his mother, Fe...
www.washingtonpost.com
August 18, 2025 at 8:38 PM
I accomplished a long-time goal last week by visiting Orchard House, just a 25-minute drive from where I live. It was my first visit but won’t be my last! Seeing the place where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women was inspiring and poignant. #louisamayalcott #orchardhouse #concordma
August 18, 2025 at 2:33 PM