My mother has literally travelled around the world. She has visited countless major cities.
And yet today was the very first time she has ever entered a subway station. Here is everyone descending down the long escaltor into the center of the earth...
Okay, maybe it's not that dramatic, but it's still way down below ground.
Here are Cari, my mom, and Alyssa posing on the platform withOUT the subway train...
Notice how much the cling to the wall when the subway train actually arrived...
Of course, if you're going to ride a subway for the first time, what better place to begin than in the place where it all began.
It was from the Park Street Station, at 6 a.m. in 1897 that 100 people crowded onto the first train to travel through a tunnel under downtown Boston...
It's really amazing to think of the history in of this place until you realize that the tunnel you are standing in was excavated over a century ago.
Then you pretty much want to get out of it as soon as humanly possible.
You emerge from the Park Street Station in the middle of the famous Boston Common. The Common is one of the oldest parks in America, comprising some 50 acres in the middle of downtown.
And so begins the famous Freedom Trail - the walking tour of many of our nation's greatest historic sites. It begins with the Massachusetts State House...
...which is across the street from the Shaw Monument.
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. You probably know it from the movie with Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman - "Glory." The Massachusetts 54th was the first regiment comprised completely of free black men. One of its soldiers was the first African American to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Here is the back of my mom's head as she looks up at the monument (and sun)...
And here is the back of my mom's head looking at a headstone (how's that for a weird twist of fate)...
The Freedom Trail takes you into two different churches and cementaries which now rest in the middle of towering skyscrapers.
The King's Chapel and Burying Ground was the first cemetary in Boston.
The Park Street Church is home to what some still refer to the "New Burying Ground."
Here's one of the headstones (see, another head reference)...
The "New Burying Ground" is home to the remains of Samuel Adams (died 1803), Paul Revere (1818), and John Hancock (1793). Okay, maybe it's not so "new" anymore. Eventually, it came to be known as the Granary Burying Ground.
It is also the final resting place of "Frank."
Yes, just Frank.
That's how you were buried when you were just a servant to someone important like John Hancock...
The Freedom Trail takes you past the Old City Hall, which is also the site of our nation's first public school -- Boston Latin. It is no longer at this site, but Boston Latin still operates after its founding in 1635. (Yes, that is SIXTEEN thirty five).
Here's a surprising fact. Everyone thinks of Philadelphia when hearing the name Benjamin Franklin. But old Benny boy was born in the Boston area and attended Bostin Latin. His parents are even buried at the previously mentioned Granary. Hence, Benny's statue in front of the site of the original Boston Latin School...
Another interesting historical fact. Everyone knows that the symbol of the Democratic Party is a donkey or jackass.
In 1828, Andrew Jackson came up with a radical idea. Maybe our country shouldn't be run solely by a handful of wealthy elite men. He based his populist campaign under the slogan, "Let the people rule."
His Republican opponents thought that was a stupid idea. So they used the donkey to portray him in cartoons, labeling Jackson a "jackass" for his populist ideas.
Rather than reject the label, Jackson usurped the donkey and incorporated it into his own campaign materials as a sign of defiance. Of course, Andrew Jackson was elected President in 1828.
And Cari stands next to a monument to that campaign...
Speaking of monuments, here is the famous (or infamous) James Michael Curley...
James Michael Curley, another Democrat, served as Mayor, served as Governor, served in Congress, and served time in prison -- not necessarily in that order. He is also the inspiration for the greatest political novel in American literature -- the Pulitzer Prize winning The Last Hurrah by Edwin O'Connor. I have read that book probably 20 times and still enjoy reading it!
Further along is the Old State House...
Immediately to Cari's right (in the middle of the interesection not shown in the picture) is the sight of the Boston Massacre -- the incident which inflamed American passions and many point to as the spark which truly launched the American revolution. The Old State House was the seat of colonial government prior to the revolution and housed the offices of the Colonial Govenor appointed by the King of England.
Perhaps you've seen this famous print by Paul Revere of the Boston Massacre that was created shortly after the event in 1770...
Of course, in what might be a bit of foreshadowing for our current political climate, the print was far more propaganda than fact. In any case, Paul Revere holds a special place in Boston's heart for many reasons, and here on the Freedom Trail you can find his home...
The house was constructed about 1680 -- about 90 years BEFORE Paul Revere purchased it for his family. And you thought your house was a fixer upper.
Paul Revere, of course, is best known for his midnight ride. On April 18, 1775, Robert Newman, the church's sexton, hung two lanterns in its steeple to warn that the British troops were arriving "by sea" thereby sending Paul Revere on his famous "midnight ride" to Lexington and Concord to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British are coming...
The Freedom Trail continues on into Charlestown, but we did that yesterday.
I should disclose that this is not my first trek on the Freedom Trail.
For college students in Boston, there is the right of passage called the Drunken Freedom Trail.
The idea is to walk along the path of the Freedom Trail, competely ignore the historic sites, and opt instead to visit every pub along the way and sample a mug of their finest lager. Here is Alyssa standing in front of one of the oldest bars in America...
Of course, my first trek along the Freedom Trail involved no such thing. I just thought you might be interested in what some college students do for historical perspective.
Then again, my wife's version of the Freedom Trail has us ending the day at Filene's Basement.
Filene's Basement was originally beneath Filene's -- a very high end department store in Boston. When an item wasn't selling, it was sent down to the basement. For the first two weeks on the racks of the basement, the item was offered at 25% off. If it passed that milestone, it was marked down 50%. Then 75%. And finally it would be given to charity.
Filene's is gone -- and Filene's Basement hasn't been affiliated with Filene's for many years, but the markdown concept still is alive and well...
Needless to say, our suitcases are going to return to Las Vegas tomorrow just a wee bit heavier than how they arrived.
Here's an oddity of history. The first major battle of the revolutionary war was the Battle of Bunker Hill, but it actually occurred on Breed's Hill -- one hill over in Charlestown.
Colonel Willam Prescott was ordered to prepare a defense of the high ground at Bunker Hill, but most historians believe that Colonel Prescott concluded that Breed's Hill presented a stronger position and thus the famous Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place on Breed's Hill.
And there is where the Bunker Hill Monument sits today -- on Breed's Hill in Charlestown, just across the harbor from Boston...
The park ranger explained what a beautiful view of Boston could be had from the top of the monument. Of course, it would take 296 steps to see that view.
296 steps. Doesn't sound like much but geez, climbing them is a very draining experience!
Down the road from the Bunker Hill Monument is the U.S.S. Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides." Here's another weird historical fact. Old Ironsides doesn't have iron sides. Its hull is made of a very dense and hard form of oak wraped in a more bouyant type of oak. It was much harder than anything the British used and when a canonball bounced off it during its first battle during the War of 1812,a British sailor yelled that the American ship must be made of iron.
Thus we have "Old Ironsides."
Here is my mom, Alyssa and Cari on the deck...
You just had to love the flag that flies from this 208 year old vessel...
Our colonists didn't take any crap from anyone! Ya gotta love that.
The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest ship still commissioned by the United States Navy. A naval crew is still assigned to the ship that boasts 44 cannons, each weighing as much as a Ford Explorer...
A large fresh water container was placed in the middle of the deck where the sailors gathered around. And just like today's water coolers, the conversations around this container will mostly rumor and gossip...
The Navy called this container a "scuttlebutt" -- the same word we use today to mean rumor or gossip!
Anyway, here is Alyssa posing for picture with a mug filled with grog...
Grog was created because some sailors were getting drunk at sea. Each day a sailor was given a small allotment of rum which was supposed to be consumed that day -- far too little to get you inebriated. Unfortunately, a few of these men hid away their rum until they saved enough to get themselves rip roaring drunk.
To avoid this problem, rum was mixed with water, sugar and sometimes lemon juice to create grog. The great advantage is that grog spoils after one day so no one could save enough upon which to get drunk.
Ah, the lengths to which some people will go to get a little tipsy!
Well, after a morning of history and learning, we headed off to perhaps the most liberal city in this great nation of ours.
Welcome to the People's Republic of Cambridge.
In Cambridge, why make twine out of ordinary materials. Make it from hemp instead...
Heck, why stop with twine.
Let's make clothing from hemp and sell it in a store called, well...
In Cambridge, not only is hemp valued, but rodent life as well.
Consider the "Humane Mouse Trap"...
It uses a ping pong ball to trap a mouse inside. Go figure.
In Cambridge, folk singers entertain in the park...
And on the sidewalks...
And outside of the subway station, Zamfir has nothing on this guy and his pan flute...
In Cambridge, someone always has a petition for you to sign...
And if you don't like that issue, there is always a button to be found for your cause...
The funny part is that this particular store in Cambridge was the source of more than two dozen buttons I wore over the years.
Ah, the old college days. Speaking of which, we were joined for dinner in Harvard Square with a very good friend from the world o' Tufts, Jen Bevins.
This is the lady who almost killed me in a car accident in northern Vermont.
I'm told as payback someone filled up her car with balls of newspaper, and her house was basically wall-papered with posters of a picture of her and her totalled car with a caption of:
"This is Jen. This is Jen's car. Friends don't let Jen Drive."
Of course, I had nothing to do with that.
Here we are outside of the Border Cafe in Harvard Square after we all had dinner...
And just like Julio Iglesias who always insisted that pictures of him be taken on his best side, I asked Cari to take two because I'm still looking for mine...
Tomorrow, Boston's famous Freedom Trail.
Okay, perhaps it was only my home for 4 years -- starting almost 18 years ago -- but it feels like coming home.
Today we visited my alma mater, the beloved Tufts University...
I lived far longer in Green Bay than I ever did in on the border between Medford and Somerville (where Tufts is located, outside of Boston), but I don't think you ever know a place as well as where you spent the first four years of your adult life.
While it was only four years, it was an intense experience limited to a relatively small geographic area. We were all amazed at how much I could recall at so many different spots on the campus even though I had not walked those halls for almost 14 years.
Many things remained just the same.
The roof of the library is still covered in part with grass, and continues to present a beautiful view of Boston in the distance...
Okay, Alyssa, Cari and my mom might have thought it more beautiful if this New England winter hadn't reared its ugly head in early Spring.
The mascot of Tufts University is Jumbo the elephant -- made famous by the circus man P.T. Barnum.
Barnum was a benefactor and one of the original Trustees of Tufts. He donated the stuffed carcass of the original Jumbo the Elephant to form the basis of a natural history museum at Tufts. Eventually, the museum was converted to Barnum Hall and Jumbo was destroyed in a fire. However, recently a tribute to our mascot was erected outside of Barnum Hall...
Across the way is the infamous West Hall...
During my days, West was known for two things.
The best 'round the world party of the year and the naked quad run.
The 'round the world party was a big event in which various dorm rooms would host a different drink throughout the building. As you worked your way around West Hall, you, well, had lots of fun.
The naked quad run is when the coed residents of West Hall would strip down and run naked around the quad.
Amazingly enough, the residents of West Hall didn't have to make their way 'round the world to work up the courage to do the naked quad run. They somehow found the enthusiasm to do these things on different days.
I told you it was infamous -- at least in my day.
And it seems that the tradition of painting the canon, which started long before I got to Tufts, still is alive and well...
Yes, the canon has been painted to announce so many causes and events that the bottom parts are caked in dripping paint.
Sometimes it was even painted more than once in an evening. Apparently Tufts is a place of over-achievers.
We visited the bookstore to pick up some Tufts paraphenalia, and it was good to see that the two most common organized distractions to our education have been embraced by the bookstore...
Frisbee and whiffle ball.
I ignored many an assignment for the imperatives of frisbee and whiffle ball.
Of course, I wasn't a natural frisbee player so in my day, I had to pratice, practice and practice again.
Where, you ask, did I do all that practicing?
Well, look at the top of this fire escape...
This is Curtis Hall, the entire third floor of which is home to the mighty WMFO -- 91.5 fm.
The picture is of the side of the building and the fire escape, but it was from that top landing that many a horrible old fashioned vinyl record met its untimely demise.
Okay, more simply, it was from here that we would fling the recordings of New Kids on the Block, Menudo, Tiffany, and countless other really, really cheesy acts (they are so bad, that I can't even bring myself to call them "musicians" or "bands"). There is a railroad track immediately behind the building and it brought me great joy to toss these vinyl records and watch them get run over by the next passing train.
During my day, I served as General Manager of this student/community radio station. Amazingly, some guy who collects bumper stickers has posted one from my days at the station on the internet. I liberated it and repost it below for your viewing pleasure...
Hey, we were radio guys, not graphic design majors.
Of course, some things had to have changed.
During my first week on campus, I found a job working at After Hours, the campus convenience store. I worked there in varying capacities all through my four years on college.
The ice cream parlor -- Jumbo Scoops -- was merged into Afterhours and it is now Jumbo Express...
And like so many other institutions of higher learning, technology has taken over.
When I arrived in Boston 18 years ago, I immediately went out and bought a Smith Corona typewriter. I thought it was the greatest thing because it had correcting tape and it would allow me to delete any letter on the current line -- as long as I deleted it before moving on to the next line.
Today, the whole campus is wired, laptops are everywhere, and even plasma screens can be found in the campus center announcing activities...
The big red object on the right side of the above picture is an automated DVD rental machine.
Long gone are the days of video.
In fact, the video store next to campus has been replaced by a Dunkin' Donuts...
Alright, I admit it. I do consider replacing the video store with a Dunkin' Donuts real progress.
Thankfully, as you can see in the picture above, Nicks is still thriving.
Here's my mom partaking of my two favorite sandwiches in the world...
Hot pastrami on the right. Very, very good.
But nothing beats the veal parmigiana sub, light on the sauce, heavy on the mozzarella.
Of course, after that stroll down memory lane, we needed to buy some Tufts junk to take home with us...
I guess the $80,000 we handed over some 14 years ago in loans and payments wasn't quite enough money to leave behind.
Even Alyssa got in the act, picking out a sweatshirt for herself...
At our expense, of course.
Oh yeah. I almost forgot.
Cari took these pictures and told me that if I didn't put them up, well, then I would be sleeping on the floor of our hotel room.
I knew after we married I'd still be getting the last word. Only I didn't know that the last word would always be, "Yes, dear."
Here's the real reason we are visiting Boston and Tufts...
Here I am spouting off some nonsense to the gathering of Tufts alumni at dinner...
And this is the medallian and other paraphenalia that they presented to the night's honorees...
It was a nice dinner, but too bad they didn't have Nicks cater it. Veal parmigiana subs. Mmmmm.
I gotta get back over there at least once more before we leave.
Tomorrow, Bunker Hill and the People's Republic of Cambridge.
Ta ta for now...
When you think music and Loggins, you think Kenny.
But what about his cousin Dave? Okay, maybe he didn't have many hits, but his song will forever be linked to great city of Boston. He said, "please come to Boston in the springtime..."
So we did.
Earlier today, our oldest daughter Alyssa and my mother Betty flew with me to visit beantown. Cari remained behind in Las Vegas until her parents arrived to watch our five younger kids and she will join us tomorrow.
But we arrived earlier this evening, and since it's three hours earlier in the pacific time zone, we did need to do some exploring.
We're staying at the Marriott Long Wharf, right on Boston Harbor, a block or so away from the famous Faneuil Hall...
Faneuil Hall has served as a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742.
Now in Las Vegas we live in a neighborhood which is considered "old" because the subdivision was built 5 years ago. So 1742 is, well, like a little bit older than that.
Faneuil Hall was once a place where "inspiring speeches by Samuel Adams and other patriots were given that eventually led to independence from the British."
Personally, I think old Sammy boy was just handing out some of his beer and that's what led to the Boston Tea Party just two blocks down the road.
Today, Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market are home to a mix of shops, restaurants, bars and food stands. I went to college at Tufts University outside of Boston and spent many an evening playing down here at the shops, restaurants and food stands.
Never the bars, of course. (Hey, I have six kids, four of whom are now old enough to read this!)
We had to stop at the soup counter and fill up a bread bowl of "chowda"...
The sad part is that when I was younger, it would have been filled with lobster bisque or real clam chowder.
Today, shellfish gives me gout so corn chowder it was.
My mom seemed to enjoy it, though...
And Alyssa loved the enormous bread bowl (which she ate, of course, not me)...
We walked around a bit and passed all of the many outdoor food carts filled with sizzling Italian sausage and loads of peppers and onions.
Of course, Alyssa just couldn't help herself...
And she wasn't just holding that for me, either.
In my younger college days Faneuil Hall was part of my regular stomping grounds. And like me, my mom and Alyssa had to pose with Samuel Adams...
Although I think they must have changed the statue of Samuel Adams.
When I was in college hanging out near Faneuil Hall, it looked like this...
Tomorrow, a visit to Tufts, my alma mater.
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