JFK Library - A Step back in Time

Dateline: Boston, MA
Time: 17:00 hours

A glorious day in Boston, MA… We got up early and for the first time since the cruise began we were one of the first people out through the gangway! We were third in line for the taxi and were at the Kennedy Library at 9:00 a.m. on the dot! This was the day I have been waiting for and I was not disappointed.

When I was young, one of my very first memories was of Walter Cronkite announcing to the world that JFK was dead. I remember my mother ironing and crying and telling me to go tell my aunt that JFK had been shot and killed. I thought he was a relative and I have been fascinated by the Kennedy family since. In preparation for this cruise I have been reading everything I could get my hands on about JFK, RFK and the Kennedy family so when I found out this cruise went to Boston, I was all over it.

Steve went to graduate school at Harvard so he was very familiar with Boston, the library, Boston Common and most of the touristy spots so having him as a personal tour guide was wonderful. We spent three hours at the Kennedy Library and when we walked in I was in tears. What a wonderful place to spend time learning about John Kennedy and what he tried to accomplish during his short time in history. It was a dream come true for me and made me believe in the United States of America again, if only the current resident of the White House could adopt some of the same values that John and Bobby had during the Cuban Missile Crisis, I believe we would not be where we are with respect the animosity we have experienced as we have traveled around the world.

For those of you who haven’t been to the library check out http://www.jfklibrary.org/. This site will give you information about the library including President Kennedy’s diary, a reference desk, virtual library tour and the information about the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is a fascinating tour and one everyone who is thinking about politics should be required to attend. There were tons of school children and high school kids at the library.. It was like being on a field trip with the kids again. I had to tell one kid not to touch the video screen because I was watching the video. Steve kept telling me “You’re not in Canada anymore matey!” I just wanted to grab the kid’s arm and ask him where was his mother? But Steve made me be good!!!

Steve is outside the cabin yelling at the locals who are saying “Go Sox” again for those of you who know us; you know we are BIG SOX fans!! Go Sox! We met this guy today who said he was going on five days with three hours of sleep because of the series. Steve made me go hang out at Snookers (a cigar bar) and watch the game…we finally left when the score was 6-1 and we understand they won 2-1 last night. Too bad we aren’t in Boston for a couple of more days.. We would have been definitely at the game. As it stands we are listening to Eric Clapton (Cocaine) and Steve is taking pictures of big airplanes flying into Logan airport. They look like they are going to land right on the ship. It is pretty cool. You’ll get to see them on the blog at our Google Picasa Photo Album.

We took the tube to Boston Common…and participated in an anti-war rally right in the middle of Boston Common Square…Makes you really think about it when you realize you are standing on the same ground that the Boston Massacre occurred. Really gives you a sense of history and a sense of awe. We still have the right to voice our opinions and a right to protest against our government… that is what democracy is all about. I only wish we could have someone in the Oval Office who would listen to the people!

Boston is a wonderful place, I think we will come back and spend a few days here. Steve wants to take me to Harvard and we just ran out of time today. We have decided that a cruise is like the samplers we saw in Halifax, a taste of the City. It is up to you to decide where you want to spend more time and to make that happen. I definitely want to come back to Boston, take in a Sox game and spend time just exploring the city. What a wonderful place.

We will dock in Newport, RI tomorrow morning, so we have a chance to be in the smallest state in the U.S. Until then….