It takes nearly one hour to leave Manhattan, and it is not long before our Mexican driver, who is delightful, thinks she is driving in Mexico City. With her thumb hovering above the horn, well, not exactly hovering, but certainly relaxing on the horn often, we slowly make our way out of the city, over the bridge and onto the freeway. From this point it will take about four hours to drive to Boston, including a stop for lunch.
We arrive at one of the gates to the hallowed halls that is Boston’s most famous centre of learning, Harvard University. Our local guide meets us and wastes no time in shepherding us into the shady gardens, where he starts his bi-lingual commentary. It is not my first time at Harvard, and I enjoy listening to another guide’s perspective. After the antics of activists that started after 7 October 2023, and the problems that Harvard University had in particular, I am not only surprised but happy to see a sign at the gate that prohibits camps that have sprung up globally on university campuses. We had already seen the Dean, Claudine Gay resign after criticism of her handling of the protests that support the terrorist group, Hamas. I ask the guide whether this is the result of Jewish benefactors threatening to withdraw their financial support to the university. There was much mumbling and a non-coherent response, which I assumed meant yes. On this mid-June day, standing next to the largest academic and largest public library in the world, we learn about the history of this magnificent university.
Back on the bus, as we head towards the Back Bay area, I see a nuclear reactor laboratory at MIT. I do not see any three-eyed people walking around, so there is an assumption that the reactor is safe. I would like to see members of the Australian Labor Party visit this place just to experience what it is like to be among academics who do not fear nuclear energy.
We alight at Copley Square, where I take photos of the magnificent Trinity Church reflected on a nearby high rise, the contrast between the old church dating from 1893 with modern architecture may be stark, but somehow, they blend in beautifully.
I had stayed in Boston for a week just two years ago and I surprise myself at how familiar this part of the city is to me. After travelling a short distance, just literally around the corner to Huntington Avenue, we stop opposite the Colonnade Hotel, where I stayed in 2022. Surely this is not our Boston accommodation, although I am secretly hoping it is.
It is not.
It is at this point that I need to point out that tourists can miss out on very beautiful sights when they do not think to walk in the opposite direction or look the other way. I am guilty of this type of tunnel vision as I soon find out.
I am gobsmacked when I find myself standing in the Christian Science Plaza, a huge 5.5 hectare public space that includes a fountain and a long reflective pool surrounded by several buildings. It is virtually opposite the hotel I stayed at, and I had not bothered crossing the road to see what was behind those buildings. I feel as if I have stepped into a void or a passage between two worlds as the water features, the dancing fountain and the stillness of the reflection pool bear no resemblance to the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Every city needs a place of tranquillity such as this.
We rejoin the hubbub as we make our way through heavy traffic to a large city park not too far from the Back Bay area. Boston’s Victorian-era with the unique name of ‘Public Garden’ is green and shady and is a relief after the walking in the open and almost-vegetation-free Christian Science Plaza. It is, after all, summer and it is hot. Not too far from the entrance we used is the Nancy Schon's ‘Make Way for Ducklings’ sculpture, which was inspired by Robert McClosky’s children’s picture book of the same name. Today Mrs Mallard and her eight ducks are dressed in green Boston Celtics jumpers. Obviously, there is an important match soon to be played. I walk towards the lake, amused by the antics of the grey squirrels of which there is an abundance, and enjoy the summer floral displays. Oftentimes, tour buses skip the parks to show other ‘more important’ attractions, and I think that this tour has clearly decided to balance the stops between historic attractions and others that are not often on the tour itineraries. It is a refreshing change.
At our last stop, we say goodbye to our guide and walk into the magnificent hall where the 1826 two-storey Greek Revival style Quincy Market is located. We are given a return time with instructions that this is our dinner stop and are set free from the bus. The busy market is filled with food of all types and ethnicities, but since I am in Boston, I select a bowl of clam chowder and fight my way through crowds to find a quiet place to sit and enjoy the city’s iconic dish.
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