The end of May, Bob and I went to Cambridge MA for Bob’s graduation from Harvard. He received his Master of Liberal Arts, Sustainability degree, the culmination of three years of intense hard work and effort. Not only did he get the degree and a separate certificate, he also made the Dean’s List.

Tuesday, May 28

We started the trip with an early morning Delta flight from Detroit to Boston, and arrived at 11:50am. It was raining when we got in. We went and dropped off our bags at the Airbnb, located at 4 Cogswell Avenue in Cambridge. It was a cute apartment and a great location.

After we dropped everything off, we went into campus to pick up Bob’s cap and gown. We had coffee at Pavement before going to dinner with Bob’s thesis adviser Henry and his wife Jane at Maharaja.

When we finished, we stopped by the Beat Brew Hall for a quick drink.

Wednesday, May 29

As the sunrises much earlier on the eastern part of the time zone than in Michigan, we were awake quite early and went to Andy’s Diner for breakfast.

Then we went to campus for Bob’s class photo.

We went back to the apartment, then stopped at Mr. Crepe for a quick bite before going back to campus.

Bob was one of just a few students from his graduating class asked to present his thesis at a symposium. He did a fantastic job. After the symposium, there was a short reception. Then we went on to dinner at Cambridge Common restaurant.

Thursday, May 30

Thursday morning came very early, as we had to be to campus early for graduation. It was an amazing ceremony. All of the classes paraded through town into campus. I was glad I got there early, as seating was very limited. Also, although it was quite cool, the rain held off.

There were speeches, and the degrees conferred on the whole class. The ceremony completed, and we grabbed a quick lunch at Felipe’s Taqueria before going to the graduation ceremony for Bob’s individual class at Christ Church, built in 1774.

After the ceremony, we went back to campus to watch the afternoon graduation ceremonies, including the keynote speaker Angela Merkel. The full version of her speech is here, in case you want to be inspired.

Next, we went to the Graffiti Alley, which was amazing.

Then we went to dinner at Viale (excellent meal),

then to Daedalus for drinks on the rooftop (it was a bit chilly)

and to the Boathouse.

Friday, May 31

Friday started early. We biked to campus and stopped at Clover for the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had, before dropping off Bob’s gown.

After dropping off the gown, we went to Zoe’s for breakfast

and then biked across the river, through the Beacon Hill area and did some shopping.

We stopped at Cheers for a quick drink as well

before walking through the downtown to get to the harbor.

Then we headed back to campus, as Bob had a meeting with a few professors and a classmate, catching a hotdog from a street vendor on the way.

When Bob was in Boston last summer, he had quite a few meals at Charlie’s Pizza and Cafe. We had dinner there, and it was excellent. Charlie remembered Bob, and it was like visiting an old friend. After dinner, we went to see the Boston Pops! It was their John Williams concert, and it was amazing.

Misc. Thoughts

Cambridge has some amazing public transportation. We used the Blue Bikes, the trains and the bus system. Still, we walked. A LOT. It felt great, actually. This was Friday’s totals:

It’s easy to get around. Our little apartment was very conveniently located near all three kinds of transportation.

I wanted to take a lot of pictures, and I did do that. This post is just a small bit of the hundreds of photos I took. There was so much to see. The streetscapes were amazing, and there were some great signs as well.

It was an amazing, inspirational trip. I could not be more proud of Bob or excited at what we might do as part of the next life adventure.