New York City!

 After arriving in New York City and getting to bed around 3:00 A.M. on July 27th we slept in and then headed into time square.

 I really wanted to go to the twin towers memorial and the 9/11 Museum. Mackenzie and Briana went shopping and Kim and I enjoyed the day at the memorial.

 The memorial and new freedom tower are perfectly done. So many memories flooded in and I can hardly believe that this tragedy was almost 15 years ago.

 This tree somehow survived all the damage. It is maybe 50 feet from where one of the towers once stood and is still thriving., incredible!

 These stairs are from the actual disaster and have been maintained in the 9/11 Museum.

 This was an ad from 1968 about how tall the twin towers would be. If you look closely at the picture it has an air plane headed toward the tower and the article talks about how the height of the towers will impact flight patterns. Talk about a frightening foreshadow!

 These are beams from the actual towers and 

 One of the New York City fire trucks. There are so many amazing things in this museum and I feel so blessed that Kim and I had a few hours to spend there. One room, where pictures were not allowed are pictures of identified victims of the attack. Their names are consistently being read. This room, more than any other, made this real for me again. When you place a name with a face you truly relate.

 Kim and I then decided to go to the top of the Empire State Building.

 The views were incredible, this one reminded me of the  movie Two Weeks Notice.

 The Statute of Liberty and the One World Trade Center/Freedom Tower.

In the evening we went to Jersey Boys, the story of the Four Seasons. It was so fun and I totally recognized so much of the music. An amazing first day in New York City!

Salem, Massachusetts

 For our last day in Massachusetts, July 26th, we went to Salem. Mackenzie and Briana worked to make the experience as historical as possible for me!

Nathaniel Hawthorne's home is in Salem, but we did not have time to visit.  

 In the city an artist has built these structures as a form of art. Not sure what the purpose is, but they were cool!

 Salem is known for the witch trials in 1692-1693 where 19 people were convicted and killed for being "witches".  Above is a home from the time period.

From what I understood most of the accusations were based on people acting strangely and blaming others. We did go to a VERY weird witch museum that had no historical value, but great stories for us to talk about. Needless to say I did not take any pictures there.As another side note, Harvard graduates were in Salem during the witch trials. Harvard has been around for a long time!

 After studying "witches" we moved forward to Chestnut Street and the 1800s. We toured the Phillip's House that has been beautifully restored including the buggies and cars. 

After the trip to Salem we boarded a train to New York City for the next part of our adventure!

Harvard, Coolidge Theater, and the Boston Red Sox

 On our second day in Boston, July 25th, we decided to take a tour of Harvard. Our first stop was in the square.

 The Widener Library was in the square, it is dedicated to a former student, Harry Elkins Widener, who died on the Titanic in 1912.

 Memorial Hall was the most beautiful building on campus. Mackenzie and Briana said it reminded them of Harry Potter and I had to agree!

 On the walls of the hall were names of students who fought in the civil war on the union side. 

 Of course we had to stop at Harvard Law School, but we did not find Elle Woods.

 Our final stop at Harvard was the Wadsworth House. This was a location briefly used by George Washington as headquarters when he assumed command of the Continental Army. 

 In the afternoon we decided to get out of the heat and go to a movie in this old theater called Coolidge.

 I don't remember the movie well, but it was cool when the curtains opened and shut across the screen as the movie started and ended.

 we got some great ice cream after the movie and in the evening we headed out to the ball game at Fenway Park!

 The Red Sox ended up losing but I LOVED going to this historic park on such a beautiful evening!

Boston, Massachusetts Freedom Trail and My Trip with Mackenzie!

 I had an awesome opportunity to go on a trip with the Andersons to Boston and New York at the end of July. I will always refer to this as my trip with Mackenzie, I just love this girl!

 On July 24th we enjoyed a trip on the Freedom Trail. There are painted lines on the streets of Boston that show you the way, but we went with a great tour guide.

 Our first area was Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall. This was the market place of Boston and the Hall is where the first meetings leading to the revolution occurred.

 Next we went to the Old State House. This was the British headquarters and where the Boston Massacre occurred. The revolution started about 6 years ahead of the 1776 revolution across all the colonies. This area truly is where the Untied States began.

 During the Irish potato famine several Irish immigrants moved into Boston and out numbered the puritan people.

 The first public school was developed in Boston in 1635.

 At the Boston Cemetery we found the Franklin family plot. Benjamin Franklin is not buried there, but his extended family is. 

 This cemetery is very old, at some point a person moved all the headstones to the lawn mowing was easier, so it is not clear if the people are buried where the headstones actually are.

 We stopped at the headstone of Paul Revere and John Hancock

 Pirates even had headstones in the cemetery. We also saw Samuel Adams grave stone as well.

 We stopped at Boston Commons, the location of the first city park on land donated by William Blackstone. Protests are still held in Boston Commons today.

 We stopped at the Massachusetts State House and walked through the Beacon Hill homes.

 This house in becon hill was steps without a door. But the changing of homes is very restricted in this area due to the historical nature of the area. 

 The oldest street in America

 The front used for filming the T.V. Show Cheers. The inside does not look the same, and we did not go in.

 A statute of George Washington and Brad with his love, Alexander Hamilton!

 The place where the Boston Marathon ends and of course the Boston Public Library!

 Samuel Adams

 We decided to tour the house of Paul Revere. Very interesting!

 We stopped at the old North Church, this is where the the fire was placed in the windows to warn that the British were coming.

 We went to Bunker Hill, but we were unable to go in because someone was sick within the tower and tours were cancelled. 

 Our last stop was the U.S.S. Constitution. This famous ship was used many times, but most well known during the War of 1812. 

 It was so fun to enjoy time with Briana, Mackenzie, Kim, Brad and Jase and it is hard to believe how people in the past lived!

We enjoyed a great dinner at a place called Max Brenners in the evening and an amazing beginning to this trip!