2026 RT - Boston

Hello from Boston!

This city is on my Top 5 list, I am super excited to explore the history and food of this great city!

But first, on Saturday morning we got up super early to drive up to the Irish Center just outside of Boston to watch our son-in-law Alex and flop-house "son" Ryan play Gaelic Football. Their Houston team had beaten Baltimore on Friday to advance to the quarter finals against Denver. Sadly they lost but it was a good game - the rules are bizarre and unfamiliar but it was fun!

I love funny coincidences like this!

Carsten and I left Alex and Ryan to their morning beer and headed into town. We spent the day exploring M.I.T., Harvard and the Cambridge area.

MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Fun fact: More than one third of the United States' crewed spaceflights have included MIT-educated astronauts, a contribution exceeding that of any university excluding the United States service academies. Of the 12 people who have set foot on the Moon as of 2019, four graduated from MIT.

Harvard is the oldest university in the US. It was founded by Puritans in 1636. John Harvard donated half of his money and his 400 book library to the school, hence the name.

Among the world's universities and colleges, Harvard has the most U.S. presidents (eight), living billionaires (188), Nobel laureates (162), Pulitzer Prize winners (48), Fields Medal recipients (seven), Marshall scholars (252), and Rhodes Scholars (369) among its alumni. Harvard alumni also include nine Turing Award laureates, ten Academy Awards winners, and 110 Olympic medalists, including 46 gold medal winners.

About 50,000 apply each year for 2,000 spots in the freshman class. Pretty long odds.

We decided to explore Cambridge, there are some old houses where notable folks stayed. First up the Longfellow house, once used as George Washington's headquarters during the battles in Boston during the Revolutionary War.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American Poet, it was eventually his house.

Next up, Elmwood House. Notable residents include Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), signer of the US Declaration of Independence, Vice President of the US and eponym of the term "gerrymandering ".

Our final stop of this +14,000 step day was Mount Auburn Cemetery. We found Longfellow's grave.

This chain and lock is not going to keep anyone out...

The cemetery was idyllic.

Oliver Wendel Holmes, US Supreme Court justice.

On Sunday we tackled the Freedom Trail in downtown Boston. We figured out the subway system and made our way to Boston Common, America's oldest public park, for the first stop.

The Massachusetts State House was completed in January 1798.

Granary Burying Ground was the next stop. Samuel Adams grave.

Paul Revere and John Hancock are also buried there.

The King's Chapel was the first Anglican Church, built in 1686 on land seized by King James II.

This statue of Benjamin Franklin stands at the site of the First Public School in America. The school continues to operate at a different location.

When, in 1862, Andrew Jackson established the Democratic Party, his opponents called him silly and labeled him a jackass. Jackson turned it around, using the donkey on his campaign materials. Over the years the donkey has become accepted as the symbol of the Democratic Party.

This is the Old South Meeting House, built in 1729 it is the second oldest church in Boston.

Here we have the Old State House and site of the Boston Massacre.

This ring of cobblestones commemorates the Boston Massacre. Five men were killed in the clash between Colonists and Redcoats. Among the men killed was Crispus Attucks, the first black to die for the patriotic cause.

Faneuil Hall. This is one of the places Bostonians met to form their opposition to British authority. It is known as the Cradle of Liberty.

Paul Revere house was built around 1680 and is the oldest remaining structure in downtown. It was from here that it's famous occupant set out on his midnight ride.

Statue of Paul Revere in front of the Old North Church.

We had a great lunch at Union Oyster House (America's Oldest Restaurant). Oysters, Clam Chowder and Lobster Mac- &-cheese. Incredible!

This is the booth that JFK often sat in.

We went to see where the battle of Bunker Hill took place. This is the battle where the famous "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" comes from. The Revolutionary forces lost but the British lost many, many soldiers.

Finally we made our way to the USS Constitution. Launched in 1797, it is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world.

Hammocks for the sailors to sleep.

These cannons fired 32lb cannon balls.

I have to drive!

It was very interesting to be on board such an old war ship. This was the first ship of the US Navy.

On Monday we went to the JFK presidential library and museum. It was very interesting to learn about his life and presidency.

His boat. JFK loved to sail and be in and near the water. This led him to join the Navy and serve during WW2.

This statue is actually on the grounds of the Massachusetts State House.

The Resolute desk was actually not used in the Oval Office before Kennedy. His wife Jackie found it, had it restored and moved to the Oval Office. It was a gift from the British and was made from the hull of a ship. This tied in with his love of sailing, etc.