Demo image Demo image Demo image Demo image Demo image Demo image Demo image

USA | HI Boston & Harvard, Massachusetts

Klook.com

 
USA | Harvard, Massachusetts

After a quick Washington DC and NYC visit, we squeezed Boston in our itinerary before really exploring NYC because we could not resist to visit Boston’s rich history and Harvard. Yep, true story! So here we were very much exhausted from our continuous travel from one city to the other and greeted with the coldest temperature I have experienced in my life. In this oldest city in the United States, it is also the home of 52 institutions of higher education including several top universities and colleges like Harvard University, M.I.T., among others.

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

HI Boston Hostel is strategically located at the city center near Chinatown, Boston Common, Freedom trail, Boston Public Library, Fenway Park, Faneuil Hall, the metro subway and easy walking distance to everything you want to explore downtown including the city sights.

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

The hostel is consistent with the contemporary and industrial designs that HI USA usually has. It is probably my favorite hostel by far just because it exudes the most relaxing feel, which may have been contributed by its homey, expansive structure and area it has to offer. The place both offers dorms and private rooms, and a great range of facilities you may enjoy including spacious kitchen and dining area, free breakfast, free WIFI, 24-hour reception, free local maps, tours and activities, a common room with comfortable sofas, on-site laundry, TV room with big screen, and billiards/pool table.

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts


USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

Our room was a private one with the view of Boston’s bustling district. It also includes an en suite bath and television. Distinctly, it is on this site that their orange color is most evident.

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

On our second day we joined the free tour to Harvard. We walked together with around twenty others to the subway and took a train which stops right in front of the university. We learned a lot about the school including the fact that the founder’s statue is not actually from the actual image of John Harvard himself because remains of its images were included in the fire. Moreover, even if it states that the John Harvard statue is the founder, it is actually not true, but he was the first major benefactor to the university and donated half of his estate and library. In truth, Harvard University was officially founded in 1936 (not 1938 as per statue) by a vote by the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony which makes it as the oldest institution of highest education in the United States.

USA | Harvard, Massachusetts

Lastly, the Harvard Library is the largest academic library in the world. Since its expansion was not possible to have been done horizontally, it was done so vertically underground and it comprises 76 libraries which now houses 20.4 million volumes, 180,000 serial titles, an estimated 400 million manuscript items, 10 million photographs, 124 million archived web pages, and 5.4 terabytes of born-digital archives ad manuscripts.

USA | Harvard, Massachusetts USA | Harvard, Massachusetts

This John Harvard sculpture is not actually the likeness of him-- or he isn't even, technically, the founder of the school. And the institution was founded before 1638, contrary to what is inscribed in the figure. They call this as the "Statue of Three Lies"

Additional takeaway from the Harvard-Widener Library, “First-class Titanic passenger Harry Elkins Widener, a 27-year-old Philadelphia businessman and book collector who had graduated from Harvard College in 1907, perished in the boat's sinking along with his father, George D. Widener. His mother, Eleanor Elkins Widener, survived, floating to safety aboard lifeboat No. 4. Not long after the Titanic went down, the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library went up at Harvard from his grieving mother’s $2 million donation.”

USA | Harvard, Massachusetts

After the Harvard tour, we did not miss to attend the Halloween at famous street in Salem to have a state of the American festivities.

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

USA | HI Boston, Massachusetts

HI Washington DC Hostel is one of the 50 unique hostels in major cities, small towns, and national parks across USA. What is interesting apart from meeting international travelers, experiencing new cultures and exploring local communities is they are making a difference through their proceeds and donation support to travel scholarships and educational programs.  It is exactly located at 19 Stuart Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116. For further details, you may reach them 1 (617) 536-9455, reserve.boston@hiusa.org, or visit their website: www.hiusa.org.

 

Klook.com


Elal of The Shades of Grey Travel and Photography
Elal is a traveler, student of life and photography enthusiast who wants to experience and capture what is raved and not raved about. For more about her travels, subscribe here, email at elal.lasola@gmail.com, or visit her portfolio.

2 comments:

Post a Comment

Feel free to share your thoughts! I will be very happy to know you've dropped by. :)