Final Night in Boston...

That evening I took Sally and Andrew out to dinner to thank them for putting me up and for putting up with me. We passed Trinity Church, built in 1870, along our way to the Prudential Tower for dinner.

It was nice to finally have a chance to have dinner with Andrew. Although I thought perhaps he’d booked a spot at the restaurant on the 50th floor, he chose a nice place on the 2nd floor that a colleague had recommended and was delicious. We made our way up to the observation deck after dinner and the view was completely obscured by rain, so it’s just as well that he opted for quality over height.

Afterwards we went across the street to Max Brenner Chocolate Bar for dessert.

I had a chocolate cocktail and we shared these two truly decadent concoctions.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum....

The following day, Sally and I took a long walk from a subway station...

...to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, which was dedicated in 1979 to commemorate the 35th President’s life and accomplishments during his short presidency.

Designed by the architect behind the pyramid at the Louvre, I.M. Pei apparently considered this library “the most important commission” in his life.

While the outside was boxy and unremarkable, the huge windows soaring up 115 feet while overlooking Dorchester Bay were incredible.

It was crazy to realize that I wasn’t that far away from this spot when my parents first learned that Kennedy had been assassinated on November 22, 1963. I was just three months old when my mother found out while ironing and watching her soap opera in our apartment in Arlington, while my father was sent home from work at the MIT Instrumentation Lab in Cambridge. 

With so much toxic rhetoric in politics in the US today, it was nice to take a step back in time to hear such inspiring words. To be honest, I was nervous about how the museum would depict the assassination, but the tragedy was handled somberly without being graphic.

The Berlin Wall was built in 1961 during Kennedy’s presidency and he visited West Berlin in June 1963. Of course, he didn’t live to see the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, but this piece of it was in his library.

While I had never learned much about Kennedy in history class and Sally isn’t even American, we both thoroughly enjoyed learning about this incredible man. While they haven’t even broken ground yet, I hope someday to be able to visit a similar library for Obama.

It was a gray day, but it was great to have a scenic walk back to the subway.

Heading Back to Boston...

The ferry going back wasn’t as crowded.

We passed Deer Island Waste Water Treatment Plant, which has been fully operational since 2000 and is the nation’s second largest sewage treatment plant.

We also passed Logan International Airport, where I had a dismal experience two nights later while trying to return to Europe.

We did some more wandering around, finally stopping at Faneuil Hall to buy a Boston Christmas ornament and then next door to Quincy Market for dinner. I enjoyed a bread bowl with New England Clam Chowder, but must confess that I prefer the sourdough version in California.

On our walk pack to Andrew’s place, I spotted this ordinary building with an awesome lit-up stairwell...

...and this view across the Charles River.

Also Spotted in The Point...

Policebots was very creative as it used the Salem Police Department’s real shield featuring a witch.

There was something eerie about this hollow Lady Liberty...

...more so even than this Lady of the Dead.

Crabs was so long that I couldn’t photograph it in one take without getting lots of cars in the photo.

Around the corner from the murals was our lunch destination: Lobstah on a Roll, per another recommendation from my New England friend. We split a lobstah roll and an order of lobster tacos; it was all delicious.

I spotted this powerful message on the way back to the ferry. 

Giant Murals...

Eternal Vibrations

Much more impressive was when we crossed into the residential blocks where we found dozens of large-scale murals within a three block radius designed to create neighborhood pride and increase economic opportunity for local businesses. One hundred percent of the murals were on or adjacent to rent restricted buildings.

This one was especially creative how the painted dripped down to the ground. 

Community Mural from 1997

I especially loved The Chrome Dog, which really looked 3-D.

Love Child

Super Dali

The Queen of the Block

The Farmer

I was thrilled that Sally seemed as happy as me to spend plenty of time admiring and photographing the incredible murals.

Punto Urban Art Museum...

We didn’t know what to expect when we saw that there was an urban art museum listed on the map and we were very pleasantly surprised. According to the Punto Urban Art Museum’s website: Our mission is to invest in public art to breakdown socioeconomic barriers.

The first section consisted of small murals along one industrial street...

...with a huge variety of styles.