Fire Hydrants

 

Location: Elm Creek, Manitoba, Canada
Address: Gladys Street Fire Department
Date: Oct 2014
Website: https://www.rmofgrey.ca

    You can't park in front of them. Dogs like to pee on them. In case of a fire you hope that one is nearby. We are talking about fire hydrants. Here are some of the most interesting hydrants that we have encountered.

 

    Now we could do a whole blog just on fire trucks (and maybe we will). When the fire department shows up to fight a fire, it is a hydrant they need to attach their hoses. Only then can they get the water they need to put out the flames.

USA HYDRANTS

 

    On Ditmars Blvd. in Queens, New York we found this hydrant next to Astoria Park. It was all painted like the American flag. It stood out amongst the other plain hydrants. We are uncertain if it was special for any other reasons.

 

 

  At the Irvine Spectrum Center in California we spotted this shiny, gold fire hydrant. This must be a special hydrant, but sadly it was not real gold.

 

   The New York State Museum is located in the state capital of Albany, New York. It includes an entire Fire Engine Hall. It also includes items collected from where the World Trade Center towers fell. These are two different types of hydrants (shown above) that survived the disaster.

GREECE HYDRANTS

 

 This hydrant was located near the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. It was pretty insignificant except for the tortoise right beside it. We know dogs like to pee on things to mark their territory. We don't know if this tortoise just finished marking the hydrant as his.

CANADA HYDRANTS

 

 

 On the highway towards Dildo, Newfoundland we spotted this Minion painted hydrant. In the movie Minions there is one scene where Stuart, the one eyed minion, actually hits on a fire hydrant.
 

   The world's largest fire hydrant sits next to the Elm Creek Fire Department in Manitoba. There used to be a bigger fire hydrant in South Carolina but it has since been taken down so we redeclare this the world's largest. It is about 29 feet tall and took six months to build. It was unveiled on Canada Day in 2001.

 A regular fire hydrant sits next to the giant one. You definitely would not want your fire department or your large fire hydrant to burn down.

 Dalmation dogs were used back when firefighters travelled in horse drawn fire wagons. Since then they have become beloved companions even to modern day fire fighters. At Fire Station 314 in Toronto, this hydrant dalmation keeps an eye on the street out front.

 

 

 In Scarborough, Ontario there is a sailor hydrant near the Highland Creek Royal Canadian Legion.

   In Scarborough, Ontario there is another hydrant located in Milliken Park. The only issue here is that the hydrant is all alone in the middle of a field. We are not sure when this hydrant may be called into service. Perhaps a picnic fire?

  Near Berczy Park in Toronto we saw this hydrant exposed while some construction work was taking place. You can see by this photo how big the pipes are. This helps keep a water pressure between 50 and 100 psi.

    The hydrant in the photo above was sheared off when a car drove over it and into a restaurant on Yonge Street in Toronto. A hydrant could send out as much as 5,500 litres a minute. Umbrellas are a good idea until the fire department can get the water shut off.

  Most places do not want your dog to relieve themselves against their walls etc. We have not noticed any signs near hydrants. It seems the fire fighters are fine sharing the hydrants with their four legged friends.

  In the Toronto Santa Claus Parade every dog carried its own hydrant with them. It seems marking your territory just wasn't enough.

  Our final hydrant on this list has a celebrity connection. Mr. T filmed his television show T And T in Toronto. In Season 3 Episode 12 he sits on the hydrant pictured above waiting for a limo to pull up to a hot dog stand. It is at the corner of Queen Street West and James Street. This episode was probably filmed in 1989 or 1990. Is it possible that this is still the same hydrant from 35 years ago? While hydrants can remain in service for up to 50 years, we have to report that the hydrant currently in that spot is a newer design.

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Map of Our World
World's Largest Fire Hydrant

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Post # 348

Bull & Finch Pub (Cheers)

 

Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Address: 84 Beacon Street
Date: September 2010
Website: www.cheersboston.com

    At the beginning of every episode a cast member tells us that "Cheers is filmed before a live studio audience". This is not entirely true as the cast has filmed outside of the studio from time to time. When they have, it is usually outside of the Bull & Finch pub in Boston.

   The Bull & Finch pub on Beacon Hill opened in 1969 and it was chosen as the location for Cheers which first aired on television in 1982. An agreement was made to use the exterior of the pub in establishing shots for the show. The Bull & Finch decked out as Cheers and Melville's has appeared in every episode.  

 

 

Later agreements were made where the pub was allowed to use the Cheers name and sell Cheers merchandise.

  The interior of the Bull & Finch looks nothing like the set from the TV show. They did build a bar on the second floor of the building. This bar looks a little closer to what the actual set looks like, but not really. The exterior of the building is what fans and tourists come to see.

 

    The very first episode opens with the Cheers sign (at the top of this post) and then the camera zooms in to show the stairwell leading down to the bar. 

  The intro to the show starts with a live shot of the bar with cars driving down Beacon Street and then switches to an illustrated version while the theme song plays.

Let's take a look at the times when the cast of Cheers visited Boston to film an opening for the show.

SEASON 9

 Episode 12: Norm parks his car out front of the bar and steals a parking ticket from a mail truck (supposedly Cliff's). He puts the ticket onto his own car and shortly after the mail truck gets another ticket.

Episode 13: Rebecca and Lilith walk in front of the bar to find people crowded around a man lying in the street. It turns out to be Woody. Woody jumps up just in time for Sam to drive in and park his car in the spot. In real life, Sam (Ted Danson) and Woody (Woody Harrelson) get up to some mischief too. At Paramount Studios in Los Angeles there is some concrete signed and dated by both actors. Ted added his handprints and Woody wrote "was here naked". 

Episode 17: Sam and Norm see Michael Dukakis outside of the bar.

SEASON 10

 

Episode 8: Frasier parks his car in front of Cheers and as he walks away the alarm goes off. This happens several times as Frasier grows increasingly frustrated. We then see Cliff and Norm sitting behind Frasier's car and setting off the alarm and giggling. Cheers was filmed on Stage 25 at Paramount Studios. After Cheers ended, Frasier had his own show which also filmed on Stage 25. Both shows ran for 11 seasons.

 

Episode 10: An Old Town Trolley drives past Cheers. Cliff comes running behind the trolley trying to correct the commentators historical facts. Old Town Trolley is just one of the hop-on, hop-off bus tours that stop in front of the Bull & Finch.

Episode 12: Woody moves a big yellow X painted on cardboard along the sidewalk. Norm and Cliff throw water balloons from the third floor of the Cheers building. Despite Woody changing the target location, they always seem to hit him.  

 

Norm suggests they need a taller building. Woody says he will meet them at the Prudential Tower. Boston's Prudential Tower is 228 metres tall and has 52 floors.

 

Episode 17: We get off track here a little bit to show you a costume from the show. Cliff gets tricked into wearing a fake postal outfit by rival mailman, Twitchell. Cliff loves it and thinks it demands respect, even though he looks ridiculous. We saw this outfit hanging in Faneuil Hall.

 

 

There used to be a replica Cheers bar at Faneuil Hall in Boston. It has since closed. It included memorabilia and photos from the show. It had a bar that looked more like the actual set, but not really.

 

 

Episode 21: Rebecca and Sam lock up for the night. Sam thinks he forgot something. Norm is still inside. Someone may think this opening scene was filmed at the Bull & Finch but it is really the studio set in California. The lights and stairwell look very different than when Norm and Cliff walk down the stairs two episodes later.

 

Episode 23: Norm and Cliff see Senator John Kerry outside of Cheers but think he is a weatherman from TV. They start to walk down the real stairwell to the bar. When we visited they had added a little door at the bottom of the stairs. This was most likely done to keep cold and wet out of the bar.

 

SEASON 11 

 

 

Episode 08: Sam walks past Cliff standing in the rain. It turns out he is tied to the railing for insulting Carla. Sam almost unties Cliff but realizes Carla would be mad with him too. Cliff says "No hard feelings" as Sam leaves him standing there.

 

 

Episode 10: Norm and Cliff spot Ethel Kennedy and Cliff tries to get a photo with her. Ethel offers to take a photo for them. Norm and Cliff pose for a photo. Ethel walks away and they realize this is not the photo they wanted.

 

 

Episode 11: Sam sees a Salvation Army canvasser outside of the bar. When Sam realizes he has no change he starts telling his life story to the canvasser. Frasier enters the bar and Sam is still there when Frasier leaves for the night. Frasier gives a big donation as the canvasser has earned it.

 

 

Episode 13: A car pulls up to Melville's. The owner mistakes Cliff for the valet and hands over his car keys. Cliff and Norm go for a joy ride.

 

 

Episode 14: Woody rides his bike up to the bar. He locks it to a parking meter. Before going inside he feeds the meter.

 

Episode 20: Norm rushes up the stairs and bumps into Sam. Norm is in a rush because it is his 15th wedding anniversary. His wife Vera honks and waves as she drives past. "Happy Anniversary Honey". We never see the character of Vera on the show. Just an arm here or a pair of legs there.

Episode 28: The final shot of the show is the Bull & Finch pub exterior at night.

  Cheers is a show that takes place mainly inside a bar. If you visit Boston it's the outside you want to see.

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Map of Our World
Bull & Finch Pub

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Post # 347

La Boule d'Or Centenaire

 

Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Address: Bahnhofplatz 15, CH-8001
Date: April 2025
Website: https://www.dietermeier.com

    Zurich Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest train stations in Europe. The main hall of the station was rebuilt in 1871 and has a grand entrance. Today you will find some interesting art inside, if you know where to look.

 

    If you look up you will be able to spot L‘Ange Protecteur. This giant purple guardian angel hangs from the roof of the main hall. It was painted by Niki de Saint Phalle. Niki painted the bright colours using watercolour so the whole thing needs to be cleaned using compressed air to prevent fading.

 

    If you look down you may see La Boule d'Or Centenaire (The Gold-Plated Centenary Ball). This ball will stay in the floor for 100 years and only be taken out 8 times. This project is presented by the Association Des Maitres De Rien or the Association Of The Masters Of Nothing.

 

  The ball is stored in the floor of the main hall protected behind bulletproof glass. The president of the Association Des Maitres De Rein is Dieter Meier. Dieter is the vocalist in electronic band Yello. Yello is best known for the hit song "Oh Yeah", but as huge fans of the band we enjoy their entire catalogue.  

 

   Back in 1977, Dieter had an art studio at Rote Fabrik. This former factory on the west side of Lake Zurich had become a creative hub for many artists. It was here that Boris Blank spent many late nights creating the sounds that would become the music of Yello. The first Yello album, Solid Pleasure, was released in 1980.

 Besides working with his partner Boris Blank, Dieter enjoys performance and conceptual art. In 1972 he installed a plaque at a German train station that stated "On 23 March 1994, from 3 to 4 pm, Dieter Meier will stand on this plaque".  True to his word he was there for the whole hour. The gold plated ball at Zurich HB also has specific dates where it will be rolled along a wooden gangway and then placed back into its glass case. This is known as the Bois du Voyage d'Or and can be seen in the photo above.

 

 The ball has been rolled three times already along the 12 metre wooden gangway.  All of the rolling dates are carved into the ball. The very first was May 9th 2008 and the last will be May 9th 2108. The next time will be August 28th 2033 and Dieter Meier will be 88 years old. What is the point of it all?  The point is that there is no point. It is all insignificant nonsense.
 

   The ball is located in the floor of the main hall.  In this photo (above) it is located on the far left hand side just visible behind a tent that was set up by Flora plant based butter. We feared that the ball may have been covered by the tent when we arrived.

 In a presentation that Dieter might have enjoyed, we were allowed to ride on the back of a cow while holding a cake in order to promote plant based butter. We had to climb a little step ladder to get up onto the cow which was also quite wide and on wheels. Most people took one look and just stood beside the cow.

 Speaking of cows, Dieter Meier owns a steakhouse in Zurich called Ojo Du Agua. Dieter owns a ranch in Argentina and also makes his own wine and chocolate. On the roof of Ojo Du Agua was a cow from Zurich's Cow Parade. During the Cow Parade back in 1998, different artists painted cow sculptures and they were placed around the city.

 

  

 Dieter Meier is involved in many different ventures. Is he truly the master of nothing? Is he the Father of Excess? Take a train into Zurich and decide for yourself. And for me, it's Claro que si.

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Map of Our World
La Boule d'Or Centenaire , L'Ange Protecteur

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Post # 346