Boston... or "Baaston"

I had the opportunity to go to a conference on "Learning and the Brain" in Boston with some of the teachers in my school. The conference was great (Yes, we actually went to the entire conference... no 'Boondoggle' here!), and we really learned a lot about how our students learn and what we can do in our classrooms to improve our instruction. We also had some time to see the sights. Our principal grew up in the area, so she gave us a list of things to do and see. The town was beautiful, clean, safe, and easy to access with the subway system. We were able to see a lot of history in a short amount of time. I was also struck by how kind and friendly all the native Bostonians were to us gals from Idaho ("Oh, the Potato State!).

Harvard University

The famous statue of John Harvard. Rub his foot for luck! Can you see how it has been polished by all the rubbings? Supposedly if you rub his foot, your children will be smart.

Harvard Yard... The buildings are all so beautiful! The school was established in the early 1600's, only 16 years after the Pilgrims landed!

The Freedom Trail

All over Boston there is a brick trail embedded in the sidewalk that you can follow to historical points of interest in the city.

The "Cradle of Liberty", Faneuil Hall

This market place was built in the early 1700s as a country market and meeting place and was named after the wealthy merchant who funded the project. It was the site of many speeches for Independence by John Adams and other Patriots. The weather vane at the top is a grasshopper, which was used as a test to determine if people were spies during the Revolution period. There is also a huge shopping area called Quincy Market.

Our group picture with Nathanial Hawthorne, author of The Scarlett Letter and who my school was named after. This was taken at the famous Parker House Hotel, where the Parker House roll was invented, as well as Boston Cream Pie. We tasted both at the restaurant. This hotel was where many famous people in history stayed, including Nathanial Hawthorne and Charles Dickens.
It rained almost the whole time we were in Boston, but it didn't take away from our experience.

The statue of Paul Revere is found in front of the Old North Church. This is the location from which the famous "One if by land, and two if by sea" signal is said to have been sent by Revere to warn the Patriots of the British invasion. It was built in the early 1700s and is the oldest active church building in Boston. We also took a tour of Paul Revere's house. It was interesting to find out that he had a total of 16 children!

The North End. This is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, and mostly Irish and Italian descendants. This is where the Paul Revere House and the Old North Church are found, as well as some of the best Lobster Ravioli (Giacamo's) and Chocolate pastries (Mike's Pastries) I've ever had!