Boston

This post is so long overdue!  Last November Nathan had a conference in Boston and I went with him, just for fun!  And it was very fun.  Unfortunately we missed our connecting flight in Denver so had to wait around 6 hours for the next flight, so we missed the whole afternoon we were going to spend in Boston proper.  But the next morning (Friday) while Nathan was in meetings, I took the subway across the Boston Harbor and did so many fun things!  First I went to the New England Aquarium, which was full of amazing and beautiful creatures.  Then I decided to walk to the Public Gardens and the Boston Common, and along the way I stumbled across two incredible cemeteries and several historic churches and buildings (I didn't realize my route to the Public Gardens was part of the Freedom Trail).  At the Boston Common I saw the Statehouse (although the grounds were closed, unfortunately) and in the Public Gardens I saw all the Make Way for Duckling spots.  So fun!

The day was very wet and rainy, but not too cold.  I felt a little bad about the rain, until I realized it meant I had most of these wonderful spots all to myself.  On Saturday Nathan and I went back to the cemeteries and the Public Gardens, and they were so crowded on a sunny Saturday morning.

View of the Boston Harbor from our hotel room.

Seal at the Aquarium.

Myrtle the Turtle.  She is at least 70 years old.

After the Aquarium I had a delicious seafood lunch.

The original Boston statehouse, now surrounded by skyscrapers.

The first cemetery I stumbled across.  I teach a class called Christianity in America and we do a role-playing game of the trial of Anne Hutchinson, which took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony under Winthrop's leadership.  Finding this cemetery was absolutely thrilling.

It's a little hard to read, but this is the grave of Mary Dyer, a Quaker who advocated for religious freedom and was executed for it.  Coincidentally, Anne Hutchinson delivered at least one of Dyer's babies.

One of the oldest European style cemeteries on the continent -- surrounded by apartments and businesses.  I loved how Boston preserved these sites by incorporating them into the modern city.

A church right next door to the cemetery.

Inside King's Chapel

The second cemetery.  This one housed many famous people from the Revolutionary War era.

I think this one was John Hancock

Park Street Church, on the edge of the Boston Common.

The Boston Common, a parcel of land set apart for the purpose of communal gatherings by John Winthrop.  So amazing that Boston has preserved this site for its original purpose for almost 400 years.  Good job, Boston!  

Boston State House

I thought the stairway connecting the two rooms was very funny.  Maybe it made possible some inter-room shenanigans?  This house is on Beacon Hill.

The ducklings!  All dressed up for Thanksgiving!

The island the Mallards end up on.  So many things here perfectly represented in the book!

I was intrigued by this inscription on the statue you can see in the next picture.

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard

Statue of Anne Hutchinson.  It was on the closed State House grounds and I couldn't get any closer.

Memorial to the 54th regiment, an all black regiment from Massachusetts during the Civil War.

Nathan and I took the ferry across the harbor the next day.

That's Winthrop behind us.

Louisburg Square, which was nice, but didn't have any water.

John Cotton!!

We loved these little tiny alleyways filled with little tiny doors.

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