Goodspeed Opera House



The Opera House was originally built by a local merchant and banker, William Goodspeed. Construction began in 1876 and finished in 1877. Despite the name, it was not in fact an opera house, but rather a venue for presenting plays. Its first play, Charles II, opened on October 24, 1877. After William Goodspeed's death, the opera house fell into disrepair, facing a series of less glamorous uses—from a militia base during World War I to a general store and a Department of Transportation storage facility.

Worcester Country Club

The Worcester Country Club clubhouse was designed by Worcester architect L.W. Briggs and constructed by the E.J. Cross Company completed in 1914. The clubhouse is reported to have cost sixty five thousand dollars, a significant but not princely sum in those days. Today’s equivalent would be just over one million dollars.

The Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans' Memorial

The Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans' Memorial was dedicated in June of 2002 and is located at Green Hill Park in Worcester. This picturesque 4-acre memorial is comprised of three distinct sections, called "Places." Amongst these three sections you will also find a pond and fountain, walking paths, 

Worcester Fire Alarm & Telegraph Building

Built in 1925 as a fire alarm and telegraph station this structure got a second chance at a new life as a branch of the SpencerBank with an extensive rehabilitation after sitting vacant for years.

Indian Princess

The Indian Princess is a modern day replica of the grand riverboats that plied the Mississippi River in the late 19th century. Cruising out of Indian Ranch, she is one of the few authentic paddle wheel riverboats still in operation in the United States today

Worcester Lunatic Asylumn Clock Tower

On a hill overlooking Lake Quinsigamond, at the site of the former Worcester Lunatic Asylum, a restored clock tower stands tall.

Picking my Drone

Several years ago I purchased a remote controlled helicopter. It was fun to fly when it was in the air but it was too easy to crash and time consuming to repair. It seemed like a light breeze would send it spiraling to the ground or into a tree. With a crash ending every flight I got bored and packed it away. Maybe I just didn't buy a good enough helicopter but at the time I wasn't willing to invest more then a couple hundred dollars.

In 2011 I watched a video of a Hexacopter in Cameroon, Africa and it piqued my interest again. The homemade hexacopter zooming around capturing the beauty of its surroundings had me wanting to get the helicopter back in the air. I did some repairs again and got it to fly only to have it crash with a small gust of wind.

Annoyed with the inferior product I started researching the different drones on the market. I decided that I would make the proper investment to get a drone that would meet all my requirements. I looked at the Yuneec Typhoon, 3DR Solo, Blade Chroma, and the DJI Phantom 4.

First I compared the Phantom 4 to the Solo. Please keep in mind that these are just a few of the many specs of each of these drones but were the ones that most interested me. This information was also what I found either on the manufacturer's websites or from popular user groups and their experiences with each drone.

	DJI Phantom 4	3DR Solo	Blade Chroma	Yuneec Q500
Flight time	28mins	20mins	30mins	25mins
Max Speed	45mph	55mph	16mph	22mph
Weight	3lbs	3.3lbs	2.9lbs	3.75lbs
Camera	4k UHD	Optional	4k	4k UHD
GPS	GPS & GLONASS	GPS	GPS	GPS & GLONASS
Range	3.1 mi	.5 mi	.5mi	.4mi
Controller	Remote+Tablet	Remote+Tablet	Built in Display	Remote+Tablet
PRICE	$1,399.99	$1,549.94*	$1,199.99	$899.99

* requires Go Pro Camera which added another $499.99 to the price

With all the specs the biggest feature that I like out of all of them was one not listed above. The Phantom 4 has an obstacle avoidance system to help prevent collisions, crashes and other accidents. Additionally the Phantom 4 also had some of the best specs across the board. It had the second lightest weight with the second fastest flight speed and the second longest battery life. It also included both GPS and GLONASS positioning and had a built in 4kUHD camera with gimbal.

In addition I had enough Apple gift cards that I had collected from Birthdays and Christmas presents to buy it from the Apple store with limited out of pocket expenses. So that is exactly what I did I finally purchased myself a drone and one that I feel good is one of the best on the market in the price range I was willing to spend.