After lunch we toured Harvard University, which is something I definitely wanted to do before I left Boston. While I definitely applaud Harvard's academic integrity and its "ivy" label, I was more consumed by the history. Harvard has been around longer than the United States has been a country; Harvard was chartered in 1636. The campus is amazing and I have to give them immense credit and applause for keeping the "colonial" feeling around. What is this "colonialness" I speak of? Well if you think about it, naturally old institutions look old. The buildings are brick, they reflect a colonial architecture, the campus has a lot of gardens, and the technology is well hidden (also no huge glass skyscrapers, etc...). It actually reminded me a lot of W&J because, for the most part, W&J has done the same, which the exception of a few buildings. Here are some pictures from Harvard:
After Harvard we took the subway back across the Charles River to the Beacon Hill area. In this area, as well as, when we were around Harvard, they are many little "mom & pop" shops on the streets. The town houses, or brownstones, line the streets as well and it's absolutely beautiful. For someone who loves the "colonial" look, I was in heaven. It was also much more quiet than Fenway, where I am staying. Even some of the old streetlights are still run by gas! That's pretty impressive and really cool. Here is a picture of that area:
My Bostonian friend also taught me some of the ins-and-outs of the city. I would say they are tricks to navigate the area. The streets after the huge park, so the Back Bay, in the city of Boston are in alphabetical order, so starting with Arlington, then Berkeley, Clarendon, etc. Also Com Ave (Commonwealth Ave) runs right down in the middle of them all the way to Boston University and Kenmore Station. It's a great thing to know because if I ever get lost I know exactly where it goes.
Along the way we ran into a statue commemorating Phillis Wheatley- another stop on my list that I was unexpectedly able to cross off. It was really a great surprise and of course I was able to snap some pictures. On the top of the concrete desk that she is sitting at is a passage from the letter she wrote to Samson Occom! Connection! Here are some pictures:
After that we hit up a Starbucks and had some coffee and just hung out for awhile. After all that walking I definitely needed a break.
But my day was not done, by this time it was around 6pm and it started to rain. I was going to take the subway to the Boston Library to get some research in but...it was rush hour so the station was packed and the trains going inbound were horrible. I opted instead to walk...in the rain. It wasn't too bad, yet it wasn't too great. By the time I got to the library I was soaked. I stayed here until about 8 and took the subway back.
Overall it was a great day, and it was definitely nice to see someone you know and be able to talk to someone. Also, now that I know how to travel across the Charles, maybe I'll have to stop by and see the Adams' houses (as in John Adams, second president and John Quincy, the sixth president).
Lesson of the day: Exploration is great, but don't forget about the natives. They know the tricks of the trade!
