Discovering Boston

I went to Boston last weekend. I had every intention of writing about this weekend right when I got back, but I fell behind with grading papers and then every night I was up late with my graduate classes. So the fun things got put aside. But I don't want my weekend in Boston to be forgotten. I loved it. I LOVE BOSTON!

Is it appropriate to say I felt like I was in a mini European city? During the fall of '99 I spent a semester in London. I loved living in the city. It was the first time I had really spent extensive time in a city. I enjoyed shopping, theater, art, and even the tube. I would spend the morning taking classes then after lunch I would experience the city. I loved how London had many different sections, Notting Hill, Camden, Greenwich, Westminster, Southwark, and so forth. I lived in Notting Hill and when the weather was good, I would walk over to Portebello Market. I would meander through all the street vendors looking for something unique to buy. On rainy days I might take the tube to a different borough in search of a new adventure. I became a fan of public transportation. Even though I was still a tourist in many ways, I became very familiar with the tube, bus, and streets of London. I could get anywhere! That was my favorite part...

Okay, I have rambled enough about London. I should probably write about my experiences in another post...I was writing all that because I wanted to express how Boston seemed like London to me (only a lot smaller). I arrived late on Thursday night and was able to take the T (Boston's subway system) to the house I was staying at. I was staying with a girl from church (whom I hadn't even met yet). You see, I decided to go on this trip because there was a Latter-day Saint conference at Harvard. Part of the arrangement meant that I would be staying with a local. I really lucked out, because I stayed with a girl who lived right in the heart of the city. I was literally right next to Beacon Hill (an area still lite up by gas powered streetlamps). Since we got in late, we went to bed right after we got there.

I should mention there were five of us girls staying together. We all knew each other and decided to sight see together on Friday. Because I'm a History teacher, I naturally wanted to see all the Historical sites. Unfortunately, not all the girls were as interested. This created the first conflict. Five girls with five opinions. We started our morning disagreeing how to spend our day when we finally decided to take a duck tour. In addition to that, we walked around the financial part of the city. I was able to stand on the very spot of the Boston Massacre. We also went on top of a large skyscraper and got a bird's eye view of the city.

After lunch we jumped on the duck tour (a WWII vehicle that can go in the water). I learned a lot from the tour, even though it wasn't all historical. Did you know there are about 27 universities and colleges in Boston and 70 in the metropolitan area? Or that the tv show Cheers is based in Boston? Did you know that Benjamin Franklin was from Boston? He actually ran away when he was 13 to Philadelphia. I also found that by taking this tour I was more familiar with the city (which helped when I was walking around on Monday). I guess it was good to do on the first day. Friday night, Saturday, and most of Sunday was spent on Harvard Campus for the religious conference.

I don't really want to talk about the conference in this post, but I will admit that I really enjoyed it. Each speaker had insightful things to share and I realized a lot of things personally. In the process I felt at peace with going to graduate school next year, even though that means I will have to leave my current job. I know it will be the best for me.

Sunday night I decided to walk off my dinner by strolling around Beacon Hill area. I learned that this was the area where most wealthy people lived. It has a traditional look, with cobble stones, narrow windy roads and alleys, and flower boxes in the windows. It was a cute area. I started on Charles Street which had a lot of night life for a Sunday night. I looked in all the windows of the small shops. I especially enjoyed an evening without rain (since it was raining practically the whole time we were there).

Since Monday was a holiday and I didn't have to work, I spent the day sight seeing on my own. Since I still had a lot of historical places I still wanted to see, I decided to explore on mine own. I jumped on the T and landed in the heart of the Boston in no time. I found Park Street Church and headed for the cemetery. While there I looked at several old tombs from the 1700s, and stopped at the tomb of a famous person of the Revolutionary War, Paul Revere. I guess I was expecting a really large tomb, because he is so famous in our History, but it was simple. It just goes to show how different our political leaders were of that day to what we have today. He was just an ordinary man who wanted the best for our country.

I found the Old North Church and learned more about the Boston Tea Party, which are important because of the U.S. Revolutionary. Did you know that the harbor where the Sons of Liberty threw tea overboard no longer exists? I didn't know that until I made my trip to Boston. Even though it is an important event in History, it didn't factor in much when Bostonians decided to expand the city. They filled the water in with sand so they could create more space for people to live! I had all these plans to bring my own bag of tea and dump it into the harbor! Oh well. Instead I found a large H&M and bought a bunch of cute clothes. It think it was a good substitute! Then I went into a museum shop and bought items for my classroom. After all of that, I dropped my stuff off and went on a date. That's right a date. I met a local guy from the conference. He asked me out, and although I was hesitant, because I knew I didn't have an interest in him, he was very persistent. So I agreed and we went for lunch and then to the Boston Aquarium. I actually enjoyed the date. It was good to see something different (aka not historical). Although, I had a good time with him, there was no spark and as I'm learning about myself, I just won't settle for something less then I deserve.

As with all trips there seems to be at least one unexpected experience. Or maybe it is just me and bad luck. I always have bad luck with airports. This trip was no different. I got a call around 4pm on Monday afternoon (while on my date) that my flight had been cancelled and I was reschedule for a flight on Tuesday morning. I was thinking, "No! I have to be a work on Tuesday!" But apparently the airport was having radar problems, so all flights had been cancelled. I called for a sub in my class and decided, this is not worth worrying about. I wasn't going to stress out about missing another day of work. So after I told myself that, it wasn't such a bad thing and I spent the evening wandering the streets again for another night. It was a blessing. I got to have a short work week. Okay, I had a lot of catching up to do, but I'm fine with that.
I also went to the LDS temple in Boston.

I just want to say this. I LOVE BOSTON. Did I write that already? Well, it is true. I was able to walk around the city and know that I wouldn't get lost. I loved that I didn't have to have a car to get where I wanted to go. Plus, there are so many universities that it is a "young" city. I think I could live there and be happy. So now I'm looking at graduate schools there. Overall it was a great trip where I took my adventurous spirit and put it into the city.