Posted 12:13 AM by Luke
Bean Town Brewings

I must confess...I have been home since Friday. I know there must be some out there waiting on the edge of their seat to hear about Boston, but I had to build the suspense. Ok, I probably kid myslelf - no one is on the edge of their seat are they? Well, nonetheless, we can wobble through my Boston trip together. I have decided to just post some excerpts from my journal entries that I wrote while I was in Boston, rather than trying to recount it all. You can have it as if it were just happening on your computer screen!

Tuesday, May 27 (we arrived on the 25th)
.....I am greatly impressed with what I have seen of the city. It's definetly a BIG town, yet it is incredibly nice and homey. It has this old feel to it that St. Louis obviously lacks. From the Skyview tonight, I was startled to see so many older-looking but well-kept nieghborhoods with so many lush green trees. I'm not sure I have ever seen a big city in such good shape, AND it still holds on to much of its tradition. The American history here is endlessly deep - it all started here, really. It makes me wish I'd stayed awake more in Mr. Walls' history class in high school.

Today we walked a huge section of the freedom trail, and we the first public park - Boston Commons, the site of the first public school, the state house from which the Declaration of Independence was originally read, Paul Revere's house, old churches, a famous graveyard, the site of the Boston Massacre, and much more. We also walked along Beacon Hill and Charles Street - two incredibly nice streets the likes of which I have never seen back home. Beacon Hill has the bar that originally inspired Cheers, even though the inside looks nothing like the TV set. Charles Street has lots of cool shops, but the greatest thing about it was just the old fashioned feel. There is a city ordinance prohibitting neon signs on the street, so it has a lot of modern stores, but they are all fitted into older-looking buildings. Very cool, and somewhat British. Another thing that caught my eye were the cloping streets from downtown. I loved looking up a quiet, neighborhood street to see the grand buildings of downtown looming just behind. Yeah....I could live here. :)

Later in the afternoon, we went to Harvard to check out just how high the people over in Cambridge hold their noses. Ok, we wanted to see the campus, too. It was awesome, of course. So old school, so traditional, so consistent. None of ridiculous juxtaposing of old red brick next to grey square crap like at MU. The whole town was consistent. I could see myself there, too. Going for runs by the Charles River, enjoying music on Harvard square, perhaps sharing my dreams with a girl on late-night walks through the beautiful campus. You just never know....

Yesterday was met with hideous weather, the one detterent that could keep me from living here if all else fell into place. It rained non-stop all day. But we made the most of it with a trolley tour through town and a visit to the aquarium. When I saw all the unbeleivable colors on the fish in that aquraium, I really wondered how people can doubt the existence of a creator. But I did too, at one point.... Anywho, later that night we chilled in the hotel bar, listened to jazz and had a beer. It was my first beer that I kind of enjoyed and got all the way through. The taste was actually enjoyable for once. Sunday night we went to North End, the Italian area of town, and had some great home-cooked Italian food.

....But I have saved the best for last. Today, after lunch, we stopped some street performers doing tricks and such. Five minutes later, they had pulled me from the crowd to join in their games. Now, I am not typically comfortable in front of crowds, especially when I get singled out to "show my feminine side" as I did today (pink frills around neck, girly walk, blowing kisses to crowd, butt slap). But I was surprised I didn't get overwhelmed. I was odd, and I was self-conscious to be sure, but it was sort of fun! I can't wait to see the pictures :)

Thursday, May 29
The song on my headphones right now fits today quite nicely. "It was a beautiful day...." Our first truly sunny day in Boston was a great one. We had come to think the sun only makes a once-a-week cameo here, but we awoke to a clear blue sky. It provided a nice lift from the wet, dank finish of yesterday. We were finally able to take a Harbor Cruise after trying a few times only to be thwarted by the weather. Seeing Boston's skyline from the harbor was great - it truly is impressive. And it REALLY comes right up to the water! It's amazing to think that most of the area here is man-made land. All in all, the cruise was very relaxing, a good start to our day before we made our way to Salem.

The town of Salem was quaint and historical. Many of the houses were built in the late 1700s or early 1800s, and all show that style. Some of it reminded me of Webster back home - that movie-set quality. The harbor there was also beautiful, and sat where Salem used to be such a major sea port in its maritime days. Once again we were right in the middle of history. We even went past the "House of the Seven Gables" from Nathaniel Hawthorne's famous novel.

But of course, a trip to Salem would be incomplete without learning about the witch trials of 1692. We passed by several witch-related tourist attractions and a memorial site, and we toured the Witch Museum. It basically told the story in a creepified version. Not that the story isn't creepy, but this was certainly dramatized by the spooky narrator. In any case, it was good to get a refresher on the whole witch spaz-out. A whole town went crazy for a few months accusing and killing people. It's hard to know what really went on. I beleiev in witch craft, but it seems little or none actually was going on. Most or all of those hanged were likely innocent, and that's tragic. Satan certainly had an influence, though, whther in witchcraft or just driving a town nuts enough to kill 20 people.

Yesterday, dad and I finished off the Freedom Trail without mom, who stayed back to rest her aching back. We toured the U.S.S. Constitution, one of the first ships of the U.S. Navy.......It's come to represent the Navy as a symbol these days. Next, we ventured over to see the Bunker Hill monument on Breeds Hill, where the battle was actually fought.....Dad and I climbed the monument of 300 steps, and we were exhausted by the time we hit the top.......The whole area was cool around here - Charlestown. Very old, with that historical feel to it......Other highlights of yesterday: Fenway Park, the oldest baseball stadium in the U.S.,; cd shops on Newbury Street, Quincy Market........

Friday, May 30
I sit patiently on the flight home, tired and satisfied from a tiring and satisfying vacation. Boston was a lovely city, one that fulfilled me expectations with both its size and its worn-in homeyness. I enjoyed seeing the city side as much as the quaint, historical towns. It was as I'd always pictured it - a big, romantic city where I could envision raising a family. That's in God's hands, though :)

I enjoyed almost everything we did, from exploring the hisory along the Freedom Trail to simple eating some Ben and Jerry's on Newbury Street last night. We capped of the trip with visits to the Science and Fine Arts Museums this morning. The Monet exhibit at the Fine Arts was tight. The Science one was too overwhelming, seeing as there were elementary kids EVERYWHERE! AGGGGH! But it was a nice, low-key end to it all. My point, anyway, is that I don't think I could pick a favorite. All the history we soaked in was amazing, but so was the modern side of the city. It's just a cool town and that's all there is to it. ............

And so the journal went on with more, in various places where you see ellipses. But I figure you just want to know about Boston, not about all the other stuff. So there you have it. Whew.....I can't type any more. Quick synopsis: I am of to Vail for project on Wednesday to stop in KC and get to Vail Thurs. God has so much planned for it, and I can't wait to write about all he does out there. I am on the brink of something big, I can tell. And by the way, God faithfully pulled all my support together, and I am still expecting a bit more. Praise be to Him! And with that, I bid you ado again for another indefinite time. We shall speak again, in time. In time.