Yesterday at about 3pm we caught the train to Harvard. As soon as we came up for air, it was apparent that we were there. We entered via the main front gates, and went first to Harvard Yard. It was pleasant, but my first impressions were much less 'wow' than I would have anticipated. It's a surprisingly approachable place, at least until you attempt to enter any of the buildings...
There was no signage for anything, no 'you are here' maps and no information officers. From 3.15pm onwards we started asking security staff at the various entrances to discipline buildings, because they seemed the only human faces we could find, yet of course none of them knew anything at all about guided tours, despite the fact that the University offers four to five free guided group tours every day of the year, except Christmas Day... So we dashed from building to building, hoping for a clue or a sign of where this tour started. It was all confirmed as real online, but on the ground, there was no sign of it at all, and certainly no knowledge or awareness of it.
On the steps of a building near an exit by the rear road, we came across a slightly distressed British woman in the same situation, though she'd been circling the joint for over 45 mins already. We joined forces with her and together we went beyond the old walls of the University, down a non-descript private enterprise style street, and at the very end, opposite a fast food mall we made a lucky find: the Harvard University Information Office, barely signed at all. I only recognised it because I've worked in the Higher Education industry for 18 years, and know how strangely bureaucratic these institutions can be, and how they completely lose sight of the obvious, some of the time, so I was alert to all possibilities, however unlikely. So anyway...
We did the one hour tour, with a lovely Afro-American performing arts student, Genevieve. It was really interesting, and our 12 year old was at the front of the tour group, along with three adolescent boys, the whole time - It was sweet to see how tremendously engaged they were. They were all so keen to learn. There was a hint of Harry Potter about it all, which added to the charm. We thoroughly enjoyed learning all about Harvard and it's history.
Afterwards we walked over to one of the main external plaza areas, as we'd made a reservation for dinner at a very cool, experimental 'food as art' sort of restaurant called Alden & Harlow. It was located in the raised basement of Brattle Hall. I had a 'Fashionably Late', stirred, and J had a 'Strawberry Fields' Mocktail. In the U.S. they do non-alcoholic bevvies terrifically well. The service was excellent, ambience perfect and the food was very high quality, of course, but particularly the buckwheat pasta. That just rocked. It was a very pleasant dining experience.
We caught the train home, and popped up out of the oldest subway station in America, the Parks station, on Boston Common, and walked up the hill to our hot little condo. We really love the way Boston Common is a smaller and more intimate version of Central Park in NYC. It's so great staying in this part of the city; the heart of Boston. Having wanted to come here all of my conscious life, it does not disappoint. It's such a walkable city and very manageable for visitors. I think we need one more day here than we actually have, but never mind...
America's first city is a very special place to be, despite the incredibly uneven and dangerous paving all across the city, and the inexplicable proliferation of Dunkin' Donut stores in all sorts of otherwise pristine heritage places...
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