Harvard Hall 2008

     July 2008: The next day, after my visit to Harvard, I saw the sights along Boston's Freedom Trail. My favorites included the Old State House, Washington St. and State St. (617-720-1713) and nearby Faneuil Hall. First, I found that Boston seemed to differ from Philadelphia concerning its historic buildings. Whereas Philly in most cases put some distance between many of their historical buildings and more modern buildings, Boston in many cases had skyscrapers build very close to their historical buildings. I also found this true with the Old State House. Inside, however, the building contained a museum of Boston history. They especially included exhibit items and multi-media presentations about Boston just before and during the American Revolutionary War. Later, I entered Faneuil Hall and at first, I wasn't very impressed with the ground floor; it looked like a tourist-trap shopping center. Then, as I walked through, I saw a closed-circuit video showing the floor above. Therefore, I walked upstairs and stepped into their 18th-century-interior meeting hall. Here, a National Park Ranger told the story of the events that happened in this room, especially in the 1700s.

Massachusetts Hall 2008

   July 2008: I can finally say that I've been to Harvard! To tell the truth, I spent three nights in Boston, Massachusetts, and I rode their subway, that the locals call the T, across the river to Cambridge, MA. Once there, I made a beeline to Harvard Yard long enough to take pictures of the two oldest buildings at Harvard University: Massachusetts Hall (1720) and Harvard Hall (1765). Then, I visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St. (617-495-3045). Although the museum offered its share of the history of Earth via floral, fauna, and minerals, the one area that made this museum unique was the display of about 3,000 realistic glass flowers and plants. This was no guidebook hype. They looked so much like real plants, but they couldn't be because real plants would have dried up in those glass display cases long ago. In the area displaying rocks, minerals, and meteorites, I found it interesting to note that the museum still used old-fashioned, wood-and-glass cases. Admission also included the adjoining Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. This place had a sizable collection of exhibit items as well as texts and pictures covering past civilizations and the Peabody showed exhibits areas about more recent groups of people, especially Native Americans.

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Space Farms Zoo and Museum

Batsto Mansion

Edison's House

Zimmerli Art Museum

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 Decatur House

Naval Heritage Center

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MY CAPITAL TIME:
A yearly column about my trips to Washington, DC
⤓  2008

(1) The Supreme Court of the United States--Inside this Neoclassical building, you can learn about the history and purpose of the third branch of the US government.

(2) The Hirshhorn Museum--Although this may not be the first Smithsonian museum that most people visit, once they see the modern art inside, their opinions range from "interesting" to "bizarre."

(3) The Naval Heritage Center--While it's not the first attraction on most people's "places-to-see" list, this center offers a look at the history of the US Navy and explains its function in today's world.

(4) The Decatur House--Once again, it's not a major attraction. But after looking at the outside of the nearby White House, it's worth a visit here to see how some people lived in the US Capital in the early 19th century.

END OF SERIES

Closer to Home

 

DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS: CLOSER TO HOME
(or within 150 miles from where I live)

Because most of my travels have been within 150 miles from home,
and I’ve received more than a few letters and e-mails asking about my favorite local attractions,
I wrote this supplement guide.
Most of the places that I’ve listed are in New York City, especially Manhattan,
and a sizeable number are in Philadelphia, especially Central Philly.
In addition, I have a few places listed in Washington, DC,
as well as a listing for New Jersey in this 16-page publication.

⤓  Closer To Home (2008)

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THE STATE I’M IN is a yearly column about my once-a-month New Jersey trips.

⤓ Issue #3:
1. ATLANTIC CITY-This seaside-resort city is the first place most people think of when they hear about New Jersey. I, a non-gambler, had as much fun (maybe more so) than most people who came to gamble.
2. BRANCH BROOK PARK, Newark-This was a day of surprises for me as I walked through a park that looked like an enchanted land during cherry blossom time.
3. DEY MANSION, Wayne-George Washington slept here in 1780. Here, he used this solidly built, Georgian house as his headquarters.
4. OCEAN CITY-This family oriented, shore-resort town offered a more relaxing atmosphere along its boardwalk compared to Atlantic City.
5. KEYPORT-Located along New Jersey’s third coast, the Raritan Bay, Keyport included a downtown with retail stores and restaurants in different price ranges—not just upscale.
6. MOUNTAIN CREEK WATER PARK, Vernon-Between the water slides and tube rides as well as the wave pool and other water amusements, there is something for almost everybody to feel refreshed about here.
7. SPACE FARMS ZOO & MUSEUM, Beemerville-Although the combination of a zoo and museum of old-time Americana sounds unorthodox, it does work to entertain and enlighten visitors of several ages from toddler to elderly.
8. BATSTO-Because of its somewhat isolated location in a wooded area, this former iron- and glass-making town made me feel like I traveled past a few centuries.
9. EDISON NATIONAL HISTORIC SIGHT, West Orange-Despite the park officials closing the labs and the Black Maria replica for restoration, I could still tour the 19th-century mansion of Thomas Edison and get a look at how he lived.
10.JANE VOORHEES ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM, New Brunswick-Here, located on the campus of Rutgers University, this mid-sized museum included art from around the world from ancient times through the 21st century. It is most famous for displaying non-conformist art from the former Soviet Union.
11. JERSEY GARDENS OUTLET MALL, Elizabeth-The state’s largest outlet mall, located off Exit 13A of the NJ Turnpike, included stores that offered discounts of around 20 to 50% off the ticketed prices.
12. NEW JERSEY NAVAL MUSEUM, Hackensack-Once you tour the main feature of this museum, the submarine USS Ling, you will wonder how the naval personnel served in such a claustrophobic area. Then, you can look at the exhibits both outside on the museum grounds and inside the main building.