Blue Day - Friday
I have been reading about the Freedom Trail ever since I decided to go the Boston. Its history dates back to colonial times just before and after the American Revolutionary war. The major characters in this tale are, Samuel Adams (yes, the beer guy), John Adams (the president), John Hancock (the signature guy), and Paul Revere.
The trail starts out in Boston Common near the new state house and goes for 2.5 miles. It has several stops along the way including the Park Street Church (a.k.a Fire and Brimstone corner), Granary Graveyard, Spring Street, Old State House, The Boston Massacre, Paul Revere's House, and Old North Church. It was an interesting trek, but at 90+ degree heat, it became a bit hard to keep interested. We lost some people along the way.
There were two interesting things of note for the Freedom Trail.
1. If you go, you have to know that you will most likely start in Boston Common, which is the main (central) park in Boston. Now there may be people randomly lying in the grass asleep...Some are hobos and some aren't don't be alarmed, just keep walking.
2. If you wear a backpack and look young, you may get a student discount. They may or may not ask for your ID. They took me for my word, which was good because I think my ID card was expired.
After the Freedom Trail, I went to Harvard University, "There is no substitute!" (From the movie, Soul Man). Harvard's Museum of Natural History has some exhibits that are similar to the Museum of Science. But they did have some cultural exhibits, like art and artifacts from central and south america. It was great to see artifacts from the Aztec and Mayan people and to see Teotihucan represented as well.
In another room, there were photos by Anne Winston Spirn. Her photos were mostly rural, but very powerful, capturing nature's beauty. After seeing Winston Spirn's and Laura McPhee's photos, I have a new respect for the art of photography. Photographers capture life as it is, but they bring things to our attention that we may both have noticed on our own.
As fascinating as the exhibits were, I was getting restless. I was really excited to be on the campus of Harvard. I felt like I was in the episode of the Gilmore Girls when Lorelei and Rory went to visit Harvard. I walked around Harvard Yard, desperately wanting to see a dorm, a classroom, and then I saw the library. I didn't go for fear of incurring yet another library fine. I have incurred fines in libraries all over the place.
After exploring campus a bit, I walked around cambridge for a while. I found a Harvard souvenir shop and bought a Harvard shirt and cap. I grabbed lunch, listened to three guys play some music in the town square and then headed for the subway...Next stop, JFK Presidential Library at UMass.
The JFK Library was interesting because it detailed John F. Kennedy's days as a senator, his presidential campaign, inauguration, highlights of his term and his family life. There were videos of actual events (presidential debates and the "ask not what you can do for your country" speech, replicas of actual furniture pieces from the oval office, and real hand written notes for speeches. In one hallway there was a video of Bill Clinton talking about meeting JFK when he was a teenager. It was funny to see the video of that meeting.
The JFK Library closed at 5 pm and I decided to head to Fanuiel Hall to get some dinner. I read about a restaurant called Durgin-Park, so I decided to look for it. It is right near Cheers, which was jammed packed. I ordered the seafood platter and tried to recover from the day. It was really hot and I was thoroughly exhausted. Heat stroke did cross my mind, but since I was drinking lots of water, I thought I was fine.
I made it back to the hotel at 8 pm in need of a shower and lots of sleep. I got both :)
