Location

Culture

Fall River has a largely Portuguese population. Because of this, a commonly-found meat is chourico¹, which is almost (but not quite) entirely unlike hot Italian sausage. It is spicy, but it it doesn't look exactly like other sausages, nor does it taste like other sausages.

There are other cultural influences, such as French-Canadian, in the local food that comes about from the rich history of this area. One can go to bakeries and find meat pie, which is a favorite of this writer.

Bits of History

Around 1898, Fall River had the attention of the nation with the trial of Lizzie Borden. Lizzie Borden was tried for the murder of her father and stepmother, but was aquited because of a technicality. The trial was made famous by the rather gruesome children's rhyme, "Lizzie Borden had an axe/Gave her mother forty whacks/When her Pa saw what she'd done/She gave her father forty one". The Borden House still stands today as (of all things) a Bed-n-Breakfast.

Sights

Fall River is the home of Battleship Cove.  It is open for people that are interested in seeing the Battleship USS Massachusetts and several other ships.

Fall river City Hall has an interesting distinction: you can drive beneath it. Moreover, the road you drive on to go beneath the City Hall (Interstate 195) is a bridge; you could also take a boat beneath the City Hall.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, otherwise known as the MBTA, has re-opened the Old Colony Line of the T (the commuter rail system for Greater Boston) and they are extending it into Fall River. It is expected to open in 2006!

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¹ Pronounced shaDEES