Martin Luther King Jr Boston Home

                      https://boston.curbed.com/2016/1/11/10848190/martin-luther-king-jr-boston

Martin Luther King Jr was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. King stayed in Atlanta until he graduated from Morehouse College in 1948. He then attended Boston University from 1951-1955. While studying at Boston University, King lived at this home (pictured above). I have driven by this building many, many times and did not know of its historical background until I actually walked by it when I exited the subway located next door. There is an official plague commemorating his tenancy. In the Spring of 1954, King was invited to become the new minister in Alabama and although his classes in Boston had ended he was still writing his dissertation so he traveled back and forth from Boston to Alabama. He received his degree on June 5, 1955. Six months later the Montgomery bus boycott ended.

Irzyk Park - M60 Tank

Every morning and evening as I travel to and from work, I pass by a tank sitting idle in a park. Even though this tank catches my eye every time I pass by, I had no clue as to why it is there and what it represents. I didn't even know the name of the park, to be honest. I do now.

The park is called Irzyk Park. It is located in Salem Massachusetts  at 17 Fort Avenue. "The park is named in honor of Brigadier General Albin F. Irzyk, a Salem native who served in World War II, the Berlin Crisis of 1961, and the Vietnam War. Initially joining the United States Army in 1940, he gave a total of 31 years in its service." (1) 

To amplify the parks meaning, an M60 tank is on public display. "The M60 Patton is a main battle tank (MBT) introduced in December 1960. With the United States Army's deactivation of their last heavy tank battalion in 1963, the M60 became the Army's primary tank during the Cold War. (2)

The tank on display is easily accessible. Anyone can walk right up to it. 

(1) https://www.salem.com/veterans-services/pages/irzyk-park
(2) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M60_Patton

On a more solemn note...

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

A place that pleads to the world a simple notion: "never again".

I first visited this museum during a middle-school trip to D.C., and I still remember how deeply it impacted me. The museum's goal is to show the world as much personal testimony and artifacts of the Holocaust as possible, creating a more personal and emotional view of it. Here, those affected by the Holocaust will never be forgotten.

The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, came into power in Germany in January of 1933 and later that year established the first concentration camps. Before this, over nine million Jews lived in Europe.

What I also found very interesting and important is the museum's newest exhibit, called "Syria: Please Don't Forget Us". This exhibit gives a voice to those currently being persecuted under the Syrian government and compares the imprisonment, torture and killing to that of the Holocaust. Most importantly, it puts it into a perspective and asks us why we care so much about the Holocaust if we cannot accept and aid those fleeing from the same thing happening in Syria?

~
All information comes from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Official Website

National Cherry Blossom Festival

Today I want to share with you all the beauty of our nation's very own Cherry Blossom Festival!

In 1912, Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo, Japan gifted the city of Washington, D.C. 3000 cherry trees in celebration and honor of the two countries' friendship. Through mutual effort from both American and Japanese agriculturists, the voyage of the trees was successful. Then, "in a simple ceremony on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees from Japan on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park."

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

I had the pleasure of visiting Washington D.C. earlier this March where we saw a few early blooms, like the one above. Cherry Blossoms themselves come in different shades, from bright pink to white. In Japan, celebrating the bloom of the cherry blossom trees is a Spring tradition, called "hanami". It often involves picnics, outdoor markets and lots of picture taking!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

In the United States, the tradition began in 1927 when schoolchildren would reenact the gift-giving. In 1935, Civic groups expanded the notion into festivities. 2012 marked the 100 year anniversary of the gift, and the capital celebrated with a 5 week long festival. Today, the festival spans 4 weeks and welcomes more then 1.5 million eager visitors to usher in the Spring season!

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

All information in this post comes from the National Cherry Blossom Festival Official Website 😊

The Lincoln Memorial (1922)

This year, from March 15th to March 18th, I took another trip down to Washington D.C. This time for pleasure rather than all that climate march business in my previous post. Last time was fun and all, but there wasn't nearly enough time to wander around and see the sights before being packed into a hot bus. I took a 10 hour bus ride to get there and I was determined to take in all I could squeeze into a weekend trip to the nation's capitol. Originally I went for the Cherry Blossom Festival, but it was too cold for the blossoms to bloom, so the festival was delayed for a month! Found my way back to the mall to start. Easiest place since all the museums are located on one convenient strip

But my main topic of this post, like my last, is a specific attraction. This being the great Lincoln Memorial. You'd know coming into this what it's all about from the title. After my trek all around the city, the walk up to the monument and the steep steps going up are pretty daunting. The monument covered up the sun on my way up. It's much larger being there than the way that it looks than you'd see it on television. The steps and inside were flooded with people taking pictures and reading the inscriptions on the wall

"The Lincoln Memorial is an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., across from the Washington Monument. Dedicated in 1922, it is one of several monuments built to honor an American president. It has always been a major tourist attraction and since the 1930s has been a symbolic center focused on race relations."

"Below the quote sits a 19-foot tall, 175-ton statue of President Lincoln, himself looking out over the Mall of the country that he fought so hard to preserve and unite. The statue was designed by Daniel Chester French, who worked to depict Lincoln during the Civil War, stately and dignified. Interestingly, though the memorial was approved decades earlier, construction did not begin until 1914, and the memorial opened to the public in 1922."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Memorial
https://washington.org/DC-guide-to/lincoln-memorial

Washington Monument/ Washington D.C.

On April 29th, 2017, I went to Washington D.C to participate in the Climate march on Washington. The trip was really fun as well as rewarding. To be able to bring awareness to the rising temperatures of the globe is important for all to recognize. I, along with others, Journeyed from the national mall all around the area with signs and chants to spread. We passed by all the museums, passed by the White House and rounded the Washington Monument.

What I focus on, however, is the Washington Monument. "The Washington Monument was built between 1848 and 1884 as a tribute to George Washington's military leadership from 1775-1783 during the American Revolution. Its construction took place in two major phases, 1848-56, and 1876-84--a lack of funds, political turmoil, and uncertainty about the survival of the American Union caused the intermittent hiatus. Plans for a national monument began as early as 1783 when Congress proposed that an equestrian statue of George Washington be erected" (1). Its really a marvel to be in the presence of something so large and monumental (haha). Without prior knowledge, it boggles the mind to try to imagine the construction of such a thing. I thought it was really cool to just be able to go see it (even if it was closed to the public at the time).

Bibliography:

https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc72.htm (1)

2 15th St NW, Washington, DC 20024 (address)

Tour De Beverly Public Library. 32 Essex Street | Beverly, MA 01915

Hello All!

I will be your host on your wonderful journey around Beverly Public Library(Biblioteca de Beverly)! I hope y'all enjoy, we will begin with the outskirts of this Wunderbar(wonderful) resort.  

Here is the front side of Beverly library. It has 6 pillars(three on each side) with names of renowned American artists. Inside the dome, official dates of the library's history are engraved into its marble walls. 

Hawthorne is the first on the right side of the building to have his name engraved on the marble and on the left is Whitter.

Inside the dome contains these reminders of Beverly Public Library's history. 

Let's take a look at the rest of the building's perimeter. 

The Left Entrance. 

The Buildings Back. 

                                                                                                              The Buildings Right

Now, let's dissect this building. 

Walking in from the main entrance up the stairs, you will sight this large appealing oil canvas.

By: Paul Van Ness

Title: Emily Reading

Continuing up the stairs you will reach their end and begin a look at the buildings top floor. Books are on the left of where I took the photo and right. Usually, I study at the right desk behind the blue chairs because it's cozy and large. 

 This is the main entrance from the front. The checkout people are really stubborn sometimes except for one man who plays the piano.

 This is the bottom floor only directly accessible from the left entrance, but coming down from the main entrance on swirling stars will lead  to this destination aswell.

This Dinosaur, Rex, and I wish you a goofy goober day and hope you mildly(at least) enjoyed Tour De Beverly Public Library.

Μπορείτε να ανακαλύψετε περισσότερα για ένα άτομο σε μια ώρα παιχνιδιού παρά ένα χρόνο συνομιλίας -Plato.

Bibliography:

Beverly Public Library | 32 Essex Street | Beverly, MA ... 2018, beverlypubliclibrary.org.

Composed by: Rex & Jacob.