As we weren’t scheduled to arrive in Boston until 11.00am we decided to breakfast a little later than normal but apparently the whole ship had the same idea. Arriving at the buffet there was not a spare seat to be found anywhere with everyone anxious to eat before leaving the ship, we therefore decided to return once the ship had docked. Instead we attended the morning trivia, winning on a tie-break, the quiz being regularly interrupted by announcements asking people not to block passageways. With the gangways finally opened we watched a constant stream of passengers leave the ship from our balcony, they looked like an army of ants following their leader. Meanwhile we took a leisurely breakfast/brunch before departing for a visit to the J F Kennedy Library.
The John F Kennedy Presidential Library is situated across the bay from the cruise-port on Columbia Point and we planned to get a taxi there. When we came off the ship the line for the taxis was very long and slow moving so I called for an Uber instead. Our car was with us in minutes and after a short ride we were at the library.
After a short movie that told the story of JFK’s early life, his education, navy service and early political career up to the Democratic Convention of 1960, we entered the museum proper. Exhibits showed what life was like in these times in the USA with kitchen gadgets…
….and other memorabilia from the time.
Various exhibits took us through the election campaign such as posters.
And even park benches.
The election was notable for several things such as the first televised Presidential debate. A video of this was on view and it was remarkable how civilised the two candidates, JFK & Nikon, were to each other. It was also a very close run race with Kennedy winning by less than 120,000 votes of the nearly 69m total votes cast in the popular vote. It however more importantly won 303 of the 522 electoral college votes. This was aided by around 80% of the African American vote after Martin Luther King Jnr added his endorsement to the campaign.
Various exhibits highlighted key events in his Presidential life such as his involvement in the space race and putting the first Americans into space.
There was also a large space dedicated to his wife Jackie and how she influenced many parts of his Presidency. A number of these showed various dresses that the First Lady wore.
The area that most interested me was the relationship with the USSR and the Cuban revolution leading to the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. A short film told the story day by day of the events leading up to the point where global nuclear war was nearly upon us. The film was made using actual tape recordings from the Oval Office as meetings took place between the President and his advisers, Common sense seemed to prevail in the end which is a lesson that today’s politicians would do well to remember.
In the final darkened corridor the events of November 22nd 1963 were replayed on various news reports, bringing the visit to a rather poignant end.
We have visited a number of Presidential libraries during various trips to the USA but this is the first where the history took place in our lifetime which made it more thoughtful. The museum showed all the positive sides of Kennedy’s life as you would expect with no mention of the dark side of his private life. Overall a very moving experience.
The museum itself sits on the banks of the bay with views across to the city.
The architecture is modern with a tall glass and steel pavilion on the side.
Taking advantage of the wonderful sunny afternoon we had a short walk along the coast path.
Returning to the ship we cooled down with an ice cream dessert. The package we are on allows us two of these per day, Yes PER DAY! This was the first I have had all cruise and it may be my last.
Tomorrow is a sea day before we visit our last North American port of St John New Brunswick on Monday.