The Cradle of Liberty

So last night in Schenectady was great. I spent time with Ryan, his sister Caroline, and his wife Susan, all friends of Ann. They were delightful people and took me down to downtown Schenectady and a tasty Indian restaurant. We shared the bottle of Chardonnay-Viognier I brought from the Jefferson Vineyards. I very much enjoyed them, and I hope I get to see them again in October.
Today, I am with Bill and Donna, Alaina's parents in Windham, NH, outside of Boston. Bill was kind enough to explore the area today. We drove down through MIT and Harvard together. I was struck by how much Cambridge is a part of the urban center of Boston. I always thought of those campuses as being spacious and broad, but they are actually quite compacted in the middle of the city.
Then we started on the Freedom Trail though downtown Boston. I am always amazed how people can create a definition of "American," which completely ignores others who have a slightly different of what patriotism or freedom means. The freedom trail was a delightful reminder that Northeastern liberals can be just as patriotic and freedom loving as much as any Southern Baptist.
Highlights of the Trail...
The Robert Gould Shaw Memorial. Seen Glory?
I actually saw Senator Ted Kennedy walking to his car surrounded by assistants near the State House (someone pointed him out to us).
The tomb of Crispus Attucks and the site of the Boston Massacre, visited by Queen Elizabeth the deuce in 1976.
Faneuil Hall, where our tour guide was quite possibly one of the most capable National Park employees I have ever met. What a tour, it made me proud to be an American again.
After that we went up to the Bunker Hill monument on Breed's Hill, but it had just closed so we didn't get to go to the top, but we did go to a tavern that had been continuously operating since 1780, where, it is claimed on the menu, both Paul Revere and George Washington did imbibe.
Now I am back in New Hampshire, and I have to try and recreate my Gettysburg post, because it was lost to the either of the internet.