No trip to Boston is complete unless you get caught in a traffic jam. This one was caused by an accident. Our 15 minute drive turned into a 40 minute drive before we even got started.
We had rented a parking place in downtown Boston so that we could walk to all our destinations today. It was a short walk from our parking garage to the State House. It is a massive complex with several floors and many interconnected buildings.
We got to see both the Senate and House Chambers. In an unusual twist, the House Chamber seemed to be more decorated than the Senate Chamber.
We were invited to visit the governor’s office. There is a beautiful balcony accessed from the governor’s office. However, the governor is not allowed to use it because of security concerns.
There are many statues throughout the State House. Some recognize individuals while others recognize groups of people.
The decor of the State House is very detailed. All aspects of the interior are works of art all by themselves. In total, it is impressive. There is so much that it almost feels overdone.
We enjoyed our tour of the State House. The people working there were very friendly and helpful. We have noticed several states where the staff were exceptional in the way they treated visitors. Massachusetts was one of the top states in their support of visitors.
The Old State House is one of many historic buildings in Boston. It predates the United States. Originally, it was the building used by the English to manage the colony of Massachusetts. Today, it is a museum that displays the stories of the Revolutionary War and the birth of our country.
Our next stop was lunch . We visited Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall. We bought our lunch from three different vendors at Quincy Market.
After lunch, we walked to the Museum of Science. It is on a bridge and dam over the Charles River. The museum has many displays spread over three large floors. There are also numerous live events, shows, talks , and demonstrations. We covered most of the museum in about four hours. The most interesting display we saw was about the different speeds at which animals move. The explanations of the pro and cons of speed versus being slow was entertaining and informative. It was weird to watch a sloth move slowly, deliberately, and upside down.
We saw one show about the development of using electricity. It was interesting to learn about tesla coils and Van de Graaff generators. The music played at the end of the show was generated by varying the current to the different devices to play a song.
After we finished at the museum, we walked back to our car and drove to Maryland for the night.