When we deboarded our red-eye flight from Seattle, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts, I was still bleary-eyed. I'd perhaps gotten 6 hours of sleep in total, which would not have been so bad if I'd been at home in my nice soft bed. But 6 hours of sleep on a plane, sitting up in a stiff vinyl chair, was hardly ideal. Still, I was excited by the thought that we'd made the journey from one coast to another. We trudged into Logan International Airport and waited for a shuttle to take us to our rental car.
When we finally stepped into the Bostonian outdoors, I had to laugh. The sky was overcast and drizzling -- as though we were... in Seattle. 'I must have a tag-along rain cloud,' I told myself. Of course, immediately the landscape signaled that we were far from our Pacific Northwestern home. Vegetation still covered the hills (though it was unlike the pine trees of Seattle), but gone were any mountain ranges.
After a brief nap and a large cup of coffee, we were off to explore! We were staying in the northern suburb of Woburn and, thus, drove south to head back to the city. We zigzagged through the streets of Cambridge where we saw several of its famous universities (Tufts, Harvard, MIT, and such). I'd recalled seeing Harvard when I was last in Boston 7 or 8 years ago, but gazing on it again made me smile. It's the iconic elite American university. For a girl who grew up in Texas and Kansas, I still half-expected to see a golden staircase leading up to the school's front doors. And, in actuality, it is a beautiful campus, well-manicured with many historic buildings. But on the outside, it was just a series of buildings -- not resembling the Mt. Olympus version of Harvard which most of us have in our heads.
Fourth of July traffic did not pose a major problem as it was only early afternoon. Still, I'd venture to say there were more people than usual for a Friday afternoon. We parked in Cambridge, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and began traipsing all over town on foot. Walking up and down the Charles River, we could see scads of people gathering for the Boston Pops concert and fireworks display that would commence in the next 6-8 hours. Families set up tents and beach towels under trees and on the sidewalk lining the river. Hot dog and slushee stands sprung up along Memorial Drive, eager to serve the gathering crowds. We followed the street curves, passing coffee shops frequented by MIT students. We stood alongside the river to look out at Boston while the sun slowly burned through the clouds.
When we finally stepped into the Bostonian outdoors, I had to laugh. The sky was overcast and drizzling -- as though we were... in Seattle. 'I must have a tag-along rain cloud,' I told myself. Of course, immediately the landscape signaled that we were far from our Pacific Northwestern home. Vegetation still covered the hills (though it was unlike the pine trees of Seattle), but gone were any mountain ranges.
After a brief nap and a large cup of coffee, we were off to explore! We were staying in the northern suburb of Woburn and, thus, drove south to head back to the city. We zigzagged through the streets of Cambridge where we saw several of its famous universities (Tufts, Harvard, MIT, and such). I'd recalled seeing Harvard when I was last in Boston 7 or 8 years ago, but gazing on it again made me smile. It's the iconic elite American university. For a girl who grew up in Texas and Kansas, I still half-expected to see a golden staircase leading up to the school's front doors. And, in actuality, it is a beautiful campus, well-manicured with many historic buildings. But on the outside, it was just a series of buildings -- not resembling the Mt. Olympus version of Harvard which most of us have in our heads.
Fourth of July traffic did not pose a major problem as it was only early afternoon. Still, I'd venture to say there were more people than usual for a Friday afternoon. We parked in Cambridge, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and began traipsing all over town on foot. Walking up and down the Charles River, we could see scads of people gathering for the Boston Pops concert and fireworks display that would commence in the next 6-8 hours. Families set up tents and beach towels under trees and on the sidewalk lining the river. Hot dog and slushee stands sprung up along Memorial Drive, eager to serve the gathering crowds. We followed the street curves, passing coffee shops frequented by MIT students. We stood alongside the river to look out at Boston while the sun slowly burned through the clouds.
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