My trip-a-month goal continued in March with a quick weekend trip to Boston. The two goals of the trip were as follows:
1. See Boston.
2. Spend time with my friend Deb (who drove down from Vermont for the weekend).
Deb's a good friend from my Bangkok days, who I see every couple of years--when we meet up in exotic locales like Philly/NYC, Waco, Texas and now Boston.
Day 1 found us wandering the streets of Cambridge and touring the Harvard campus...in the snow, sleet and slush. Despite my winter coat, gloves, scarf and multiple layers, I was freezing (this desert girl isn't used to cold weather anymore!). Thankfully there were lots of little shops and bookstores for us to stop in and warm ourselves. I especially loved the bookstore where I found these two cards.
We took a free tour of the esteemed Harvard campus (established in 1636 making it the oldest institution of higher ed). Our tour guide Adam was a hoot and the students we passed looked just like ASU students (except for the winter coats and what looked like rubber gardening boots--some sort of east coast craze that we saw everywhere we went).
Four things I learned about Harvard (but have not fact-checked):
1) The office of the Harvard president is housed in a fairly nondescript (old) building...which also houses dormitories on the top two floors.
2) The woman who donated funds for the humungo library building required that all Harvard graduates know how to swim (this has since been changed due to the ADA laws).
3) Until 1999, only men received diplomas conferred by Harvard University....women's diplomas were from Radcliffe College.
4) Only two movies have been allowed to film on-campus...The Great Debaters (yea for Denzel!), and....Love Story (what?!?!).
Day 2 found us 'following the yellow brick road' in Boston (otherwise known as The Freedom Trail). The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile walking trail through the streets of downtown Boston, marking 16 different historic sites (churches, graveyards, parks, monuments, shopping, a big ship, etc.). As long as you stick to the red brick line, you know you're headed in the right direction. It was a great way to wander and see the city (along with some more bookstores!). Also along the trail is the USS Constitution--the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. Now I can say I've been on a Navy warship, though it's hard to believe its been almost 200 years since she earned her nickname Old Ironsides.
After visiting the harbor, we decided to head 0ff-trail and made our way westward to the Boston Public Library (which is gorgeous and definitely deserves a stop if you're in the area). We even stopped at a used book sale they were having. After a quick coffee break in the library atrium, we headed out to visit the Boston Public Gardens...I was on the hunt for the 'Make Way for Ducklings' statue, but we were soon sidetracked when we realized how close we were to Cheers (or at least the spot where exterior shots of Cheers were filmed).
Day 3 found us enjoying a morning of worship at the Greater Boston Vineyard church, which just happened to be around the corner from our hotel. Check out this picture of their sanctuary--quite a traditional physical space for the significantly modern worship service! We also stopped at the church's bookstore (anyone noticing a pattern here?!) before enjoying a great service. The structure of the service was interesting as well--sermon first, then singing (which actually worked well).
I had a great time on my Boston adventure and I'll say this--among other things, Boston does four things really well: history, 'green' space, seafood and beer. And, I'm not ashamed to say, I enjoyed all 4!
This also completes #26 on my 101 list. Sort of. Given that I had crossed out 'visit Boston' (check) and replaced it with 'read Jane Eyre' (not yet started).
Here are some more pictures from along the Freedom Trail (I had this fascination with 'looking up').
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