Pahking the cah at Hahvahd Yahd

After a lovely brunch at Annie's parents' home, we still had several hours before our Sunday night flight home. So we headed to Cambridge to scope out a college town, Harvard-style. In addition to the campus, we found a hotbed of American history.

A memorial featuring honest Abe pays tribute to veterans of the Civil War.
Three cannon(s) commemorate the British retreat from Castle William, renamed Fort Independence, in 1776. Despite a marker claiming the cannons were left by the British, historians argue the cannons were used by American troops to end the siege of Boston.
Obliviously texting a photo of the cannons to Will (cannons and a Castle William—how cool is that?), I looked up at a marker that stated I was sitting on the site where General Washington first gathered the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Seriously, you could trip over history around here...
There's even a memorial to Chicago-favorite Casimir Pulaski, documenting his Civil War contributions.
We moved along to Harvard and its famous yard, which was reminiscent of Michigan's Diag or IU's campus beyond the Sample Gates. Just older, with a lot more Chinese tourists.
We wound our way through campus, stopping to marvel at the stone Old Cambridge Baptist Church. Even the steeple is stone—and even a church built in 1868 can be made wheelchair accessible (note the orange fence around the construction of a ramp).
After checking out a few of Cambridge's many shops—including Curious George and Friends, a phenomenal children's bookstore—and eating delish veggie burgers with jalapeño relish at Flat Patties, our final stop was a historical property that was home to both George Washington and Henry Wordsworth Longfellow.
We wandered through an al fresco concert of a string trio and into the formal gardens, wondering about a poet's salary.
After nursing Andy back to sobriety, Cambridge was a fun little side trip. I'm already eager to hit the road and explore more US history!