Will's World 02 12 2010

Skaters enjoy a sunny but cold day on the Frog Pond in the

Boston Commons, with Beacon Hill in the background.

Roaming through downtown Boston, I am constantly amazed at the amount of beautiful, historical sites that one encounters on most every block. A physical reminder of some of the many things others have contributed to our society. I wonder what the philosophers, patriots and political thinkers of the 1700s would think of the state of the union today.


Do our present politicians follow the same course set by our forefathers? Can they see their way clearly, or are they ignorant about history? And if they are ignorant, should we still be following them? Again, to quote from Lin Yutang’s writings: “You don’t ask a blind man’s opinion of beautiful designs, nor do you invite a deaf man to a concert. And blindness and deafness are not physical only. There is blindness and deafness of the mind.”

Boston is a beautiful city.

Traveling by subway, or the "T", is the fastest

way to get from Quincy to downtown Boston.

The Old South Meeting House, now dwarfed by high-rise

buildings, was built in 1729 by Puritans. Benjamin Franklin

and Samuel Adams were members of this church.

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston

and began his printing career here.

King's Chapel: the first permanently established Anglican Church

in New England (1686). William Dawes, known for his horse ride to

 warn patriots of the British arrival on the same night as

 Paul Revere's ride, is buried in this graveyard.

Lobby of The Parker House. Some facts according to the hotel

officials: John F. Kennedy proposed to Jacqueline Bouvier in Parker's

 restaurant; Malcolm X was a busboy in the restaurant; Ho Chi Minh

worked in the kitchen (1911- 1913); Boston Cream Pie was invented

here; The Saturday Club made this place its home; it was here that

Longfellow drafted "Paul Revere's Ride."

The Brattle Bookstore, is well-known for having

hard-to-find books at reasonable prices.

Downtown Crossing: Heading back to Quincy on the subway.