Boston - Part III

We headed down to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood to see what this Samuel Adams Brewery was all about.

The more big businesses we tour, the more complicated it seems. For example, Samuel Adams is a brand of beer distributed by The Boston Beer Company. The Boston Beer Company also brews under Hardcore Cider Company and The Twisted Tea Brewing Company.

But everyone knows the brand Samuel Adams, which was chosen in honor of the American Revolution "Patriot." (He was rumored to be a brewer, too.).


Our brewery tour guide had a Samuel Adams beer belly and a good sense humor. Here is what we learned:

• Jim Koch, Samuel Adams founder, is serious about his hops. He makes an annual trip to Bavaria, Germany to hand-pick them.
• The brewery in Boston is more for "research and development," and most beers brewed here are sent off to beer competitions.
• Most of the large-scale brewing is done in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
• The Boston Beer Company has become the largest American-owned brewery in the United States. (Anheuser-Busch formerly held this title, but it was purchased by InBev in 2008.)
• The brewery has won more awards in international beer-tasting competitions in the last five years than any other brewery in the world. In fact, Samuel Adams has won so many awards that it should have an award for having the most awards. Take a look at their award resume here.

We must admit - we're not fans of Samuel Adams. Samuel Jackson, yes, but Samuel Adams, no. Oh, and that is Samuel Adams, the beer.

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We celebrate the past to awaken the future. - JFK

The JFK Presidential Library & Museum was highly recommended by my friend's 11 year-old son, Jacob. He said it was "awesome" - and he was right!

The building was designed by I.M. Pei and funded by private donations from over 36 million people from around the world. It was dedicated on October 20, 1979, and it is the only presidential library located in New England.

Some facts:

• The Kennedy-Nixon debate was America's first televised presidential debate, September 26, 1960.
• JFK was inaugurated on January 20, 1961. He was the youngest president (34 years old) and also the first Catholic president.
• He was the first to hold live press conferences from the Oval Office.
• He established the Peace Corps in 1961, asking American volunteers to go to third world communities to help improve living standards and also understanding third world peoples and Americans. Woohoo!

Executive Order to create the Peace Corps

• The 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis was the most dangerous moment of the Cold War, and the closest approach ever to nuclear annihilation.
• JFK established the Space Program and pledged that America would land on the moon within a decade.

We thought this note, to JFK from Nikita S. Khrushchev regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis, was very precise and had an effective metaphor. It surely made us say "Whoa."

Mr. President, I appeal to you to weigh carefully what the aggressive, piratical actions which you have announced the United States intends to carry out in international waters would lead to...

If you have not lost command of yourself and realize clearly what this could lead to, then, Mr. President, you and I should not now pull on the ends of the rope in which you have tied a knot of war, because the harder you and I pull, the tighter this knot will become. And a time may come when this knot is tied so tight that the person who tied it is no longer capable of untying it, and then the knot will have to be cut. What that would mean I need not explain to you, because you yourself understand perfectly what dread forces our two countries possess.

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Overall, Boston was great. You can't help getting engrossed in the layers of history here - and The Freedom Trail was only a taste.

The MBTA (the Boston subway) was a little frustrating. It was like a wheel with spokes, which seems simple, but can get complicated when the inbound/outbound boundary changes. I knew there was some danger in having all these smart people in one place!

With so many colleges and universities, the area doesn't feel settled, and it is hard to find a true Bostonian. But we did explore the North End of the city, ate authentic Italian food, and sipped an Italiano.

The hostel could have been nicer, but we've come to expect them to have quirks. After all, we did arrive during Japanese Job Fair Week. Apparently, Japanese companies come to a major U.S. city in search of multi-lingual employees. Boston is a great place to look, especially with all the colleges and universities. But here is the funny part... residents of Japan actually fly to the U.S. to attend this job fair, so the hostel was packed with young Japanese professionals. Every time we'd go down for breakfast or dinner, the dining room would be full of people and their laptops. It was a battleship convention!


We are heading back to Connecticut via the Amtrak. We look forward to spending the week with Aunt Susan and Uncle Marshall. Aunt Susan gives the best hugs and leaves us a note every morning that says "Hello" and the forecast for the day.

Happy Thanksgiving!