Boston, MA

We’re visiting Danielle and Jay in Boston, staying for a week over Easter. Jay picked us up at Logan Airport, named after Edward Lawrence Logan, a military officer, judge and politician from South Boston. After a late breakfast, we relaxed, dozed and then walked to lunch at Ziggy’s when Danielle got home from school—she is a grad student at Boston University’s School of Public Health. They live in Brighton, a western suburb of Boston. Map Link: Brighton, MA

On Friday, we woke up early—quickly reminded of how loud Canty, our family cat who now lives with Danielle and Jay, can be in the morning. After a family trip to the neighborhood YMCA, Jay got to work, Danielle went to school, and Kathleen and I went sightseeing. Our first stop was Fairsted, the home and office of Frederick Law Olmsted, considered to be the father of American landscape architecture. Olmsted—and later his two sons—designed and oversaw major projects such as New York’s Central Park, the U.S. Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C., Prospect Park in Brooklyn, North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate, and public parks and university campuses in practically every U.S. state. 

Next we visited the John F. Kennedy Birthplace National Historic Site in Brookline, a southwest suburb of Boston. Joseph and Rose Kennedy, grandchildren of Irish immigrants, lived in this modest Colonial Revival house from 1914 to 1920 and four of their nine children were born here. Jack, the second son, was born in the second floor master bedroom of 83 Beals Street on May 29, 1917, and would become our 35th president and the first Catholic president. 

Bonus Question: You must be born in the United States to serve in which of these federal offices? (Answer at end of post)

A. President

B. Congress

C. Supreme Court

D. All of the above

We traveled around Boston on foot, by bus and by train and had a great experience on the city’s public transportation. It was a beautiful day; sunny with temperatures in the 60s and a moderate wind. Spring is in bloom here, with trees and flowers showing off their colors everywhere.

Our last stop of the day was at the central branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square. The city was busy with preparations for the 129th running of the Boston Marathon on Monday, and we walked out of the subway to throngs of runners picking up race packets, spectators milling about, workers setting up the finish line and bleachers, and police officers keeping everything secure and safe. Map Link: Copley Square, Boston, MA

We enjoyed the people-watching, then toured the beautiful library before relaxing in the Bates Hall reading room on the second floor, where Danielle met us after classes. The BU medical campus is about a mile away in South Boston. We crammed onto a crowded Green Line subway train, then met Jay at Cafe Landwer in Chestnut Hill for a nice meal of Israeli food, then home for UK Jeopardy, hosted by Stephen Fry.

Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston St.

Boston Public Library

Bates Hall, Boston Public Library

Courtyard, Boston Public Library

Bonus Question Answer: A—only the President must be born in the United States. One can become a U.S. Senator after nine years of citizenship and a Representative after seven years. Fun Fact: There are no specific qualifications to be a Supreme Court Justice. You don’t need to have been lawyer or even have graduated from law school, only have “training in the law.”