Charm of the Common

Though I have visited Boston Common many times before, I don't believe I had ever seen it as beautiful as I did the other day, when the winter sun shined during her brightest hour on a crisp December afternoon. In the past, I was ignorant of its long, remarkable history and took its presence for granted. Certainly I knew it occupied a special place in our colonial past, but I had no idea it was founded as early as 1634. It proudly bears the name of "America's oldest park," though it was the site of many a public hanging until the 19th century. The Common has played its part in both Revolutionary and Civil War history and continues to stage important rallies and events to this day. When I attended high school in neighboring Connecticut, I often visited Boston on school trips but never truly embraced what the city had to offer, despite what used to be a fervent obsession with colonial America. My interest mainly lied in colonial Virginia and most especially Williamsburg. Now, years later, it seems quite odd that I was so arbitrarily against what was near and available, but then the mind of a teenager is never easy to understand. So here I am, ready to embrace what lies before me and ready to absorb all the knowledge each inch of the city provides.