More Freedom Trail...

Built in 1729, the Old South Meeting House was the largest building in colonial Boston. Citizens gathered here to challenge British rule and the tax on tea. Today the building is still an active meeting place and haven for free speech.

Thought this Little Free Library was too cute not to include.

Built in 1713, the Town House was the center of royal government in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the site of the 1770 Boston Massacre when British soldiers fired upon a crowd of Bostonians, killing five.

The building was renamed the Old State House after the Revolution and now serves as a museum of Boston history.

What was once one of the largest buildings in Boston, is now completely dwarfed by high-rises.

Built about 1680, Paul Revere lived in this house in the North End, Boston’s oldest residential neighborhood, from 1770 to 1800. Over the years it has been used as a cigar factory and bank, but is now a museum.

There were some cool art deco buildings in the North End.

The Statue of Paul Revere stands in front of the Old North Church...

...which is where two lanterns were hung to warn patriots of advancing British soldiers: the British are coming, the British are coming! Paul Revere never actually said that phrase that was later attributed to him when he made his famous midnight ride on April 18, 1775.

Next we made our way across the North Washington Street Bridge and saw some colorful views.

It was quite dramatic seeing the Bunker Hill Monument lit up at night. Built in 1842, this 221-foot obelisk commemorates the Revolution’s first major battle.

The Freedom Trail ended at the USS Constitution, nicknamed Old Ironsides during the War of 1812. Launched in 1797, it is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat. After seeing the big crowds of tourists in the North End, we searched for a restaurant in Bunker Hill and were happy to find a Legal Seafood where we enjoyed some incredible New England clam chowder with dinner.

Freedom Trail...

Following the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail allowed us to travel back to Revolutionary Boston of the 1700s, although our starting point of the Park Street Church only dates back to 1809.

While there are 16 official historical sites on the route, there were many unofficial stops along the route such as this life-sized Edgar Allen Poe statue created in 2014.

Several times we crisscrossed Boston Common, America’s oldest public park which was established in 1634. I was sad that the infamous swan boats were already put away for the fall, but Make Way for Ducks, created in 1987, provided some entertainment as we watched some families try getting their kids to cooperate for photos.

The Founders Memorial was unveiled in 1930 to commemorate the 300th founding of the city.

I’ve included this building for its beauty rather than for any historical significance.

In 1795, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere laid the cornerstone for the Massachusetts State House, which overlooks Boston Common. It has served as the seat of Massachusetts government since it opened in 1798.

Across from the State House is the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial from 1897 to commemorate the first all-black volunteer regiment in the Civil War.

The Tremont Temple Baptist Church was founded in 1839 as the first integrated church in America, while this building opened in 1896.

John Hancock, Paul Revere and Samuel Adams were all buried at the Granary Burying Ground.

Established by Puritan settlers in 1635, the Latin School was the first public school in America, offering free education to boys—rich or poor—while girls attended private schools at home. It was attended by Samuel Adams, John Hancock...

....and Benjamin Franklin, who stands proudly overlooking the site. 

When I posed with this Democratic Donkey statue, I had no idea about the backstory, but it’s pretty funny. The short version is that a man bought the statue in Florence for under $10,000 as a gift to the city of Boston because he thought it was cute, but the city wasn’t thrilled with the idea. He eventually came up with a story that they could agree with: the donkey represented the Democratic Party, an affiliation long-held by Boston’s mayors.

When asked where the Republican Elephant was, he decided to place two footsteps in front of the donkey so those who disagreed with the Democratic Party could stand in opposition. 

Art, Protests and Vegans...

That first day, we caught a tram to Northeastern University, where my mother went for three years before quitting to get her Mrs. instead.

From there we walked past some very cool street art...

...and this very powerful protest against guns which apparently kill eight children daily in the US...

...on our way to a vegan festival, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch.

Back to My Roots...

When I found out that Sally was going to visit Andrew in Boston, where he was doing a year-long chemistry internship at Harvard Medical School, I boldly invited myself to tag along to keep her company while he was at work and she agreed. Before meeting up with her, I flew to California to spend a relaxing week with my family. Jimmy joined me there for the first few days, before flying to San Diego and New York for a bunch of meetings. Sadly, these are the only two photos from our visit: trying on Leigh’s taco costume...

...and lunch with Leigh and Ann on my last day before catching an overnight flight to Boston. 

Andrew lived in Cambridge with three other British students doing a variety of internships. He was working in a lab researching cures for degenerative neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s; unlike his housemates, his internship didn’t pay, which was unfortunate. Housing prices in Boston are crazy high and his place was definitely in need of a major overhaul, but it was in a nice and convenient neighborhood...

...with lots of cool urban art.

Sustainable Fashion Week...

Ashlynn’s final modeling job in 2019 was a fashion show on October 3 for stylist Tommy Driessen as part of Amsterdam’s Sustainable Fashion Week. 

Apparently all of the outfits were secondhand clothes that had been redesigned. Once again, Ashlynn was dressed in trousers.

The show took place at the NH Krasnapolsky Hotel and was not open to the public.

Many of the other models were also from her Dutch agency: It’s Me Model Management. Ironically, later that month It’s Me contacted Ashlynn to say that she was being considered for jobs with Bijenkorf, the Netherlands’ most upscale department store, and Hema, the Netherlands’ least upscale department store. While it was flattering to be considered, she didn’t get either job.