by Kevin Cardin

Created on: April 22, 2008

HERE'S TO YOU MR. PETER LUCAS

If you're old enough to remember the infamous "Pit City" comment and the local furor derived from the city it referred to, then you are well aware that New Bedford has gotten a bad rap and tarnished reputation, both locally and nationally, for what seems like an eternity. It's tragic when a city so colored with history and culture is most recognized for crimes dating all the way back to the Lizzie Borden trial held here, to crimes of years ago such as the Big Dan's rape case and the horrific yet still unsolved highway killings. Even more recently, New Bedford once again garnered national attention for such heinous crimes as the Feb 1st, 2006 shooting and stabbings at Puzzles Lounge and the Dec. 6th, 2006 bullet barrage and double murder - suicide at the Foxy Lady nightclub in which two police officers were also wounded.

From the North shore of Boston to the southern most tip of Florida, this is the stereotypical mental portrait of New Bedford painted by many people across the nation. Equally aggravating, at least to most New Bedford residents, is that all the wonderful things and fabulous events which this city plays host to go completely unnoticed. Were all the naysayers of this fair city to oblige us with a visit on the second Thursday of every month, they would see a dramatically different city than that which is portrayed on the evening news. They would have the chance to focus on the true nature of New Bedford as they strolled our historic downtown district while taking part in the large variety of locally related activities on AHA night: admission to the Whaling Museum and the Art Museum is free.
Visitors could observe the beautiful and scenic displays as they peruse age old traditions of the city's history by visiting The New Bedford Whaling Museum. This museum is arguably the centerpiece of the Whaling National Historic Park, and without question the largest museum of its kind in the country. There they would learn of the integral part this city played in our nation during the years when the whaling industry flourished, and they would come to recognize why we are justifiably still dubbed "The Whaling City." The immense whale skeletons such as the 66 foot-long baby blue whale and that of the 45 foot humpback whale are suspended from the high ceilings of the museum. They provide visitors with a realization of the enormous size of these creatures. A tour aboard The Lagoda, a walk-on large scale model whaling ship, speaks of

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