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The ‘54 Class Events

 

Welcome Dinner:  The Downtown Harvard Club offers panoramic views of the Charles River Basin from the Lounge and Boston Harbor from the Dining Room.

 

Cruise and Clambake:  Within 10 miles of downtown Boston there are 34 Harbor Islands with 35 miles of underdeveloped coastline.  One of these, Thompson Island , is operated by Outward Bound, the leadership training program. This is the location of our Clambake.

 

Symposia:  You may choose two of four lecturers from Boston ’s academic community, followed by luncheon with Michael J. Sandel, Bass Professor of Government at Harvard and author of Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?

 Dinner Dance:  The granite house (1819) overlooking the Boston Common was designed by Alexander Parris, the architect of Quincy Market.  It was built for David Sears, only child of the richest man in New England .  Upon his death in 1872, it was purchased by the Somerset Club.  Completely renovated in 2007, the period rooms, walled garden, and fine service make this Boston ’s best private club.

Farewell Brunch:   The Palm Garden is in the atrium of the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel.

The Tours

  Boston Duck Tour:  Boston seen from a World War II amphibious landing craft which navigates narrow streets and the Charles River for a duck’s-eye view.

History

Adams National Historical Park:  Two Presidential Birthplaces and the Old House (1731) where four generations of the Adams family lived – John and Abigail, John Quincy, Charles Fran cis, and Henry.  Part of the HBO mini-series John Adams, based on David McCulloch’s book and starring Paul Giamatti, was filmed here.

John F. Kennedy Library & Museum:  This presidential library overlooking Boston Harbor is dedicated to the memory of our 35th president.  The introductory film and extensive exhibits poignantly recapture Camelot.

Art

Museum of Fine Arts , Boston :  One of the most comprehensive art museums in the world.  The collection has nearly 450,000 works of art.  The original building (1909) was designed by Guy Lowell and decorated by John Singer Sargent.  Special Exhibitions will include Albrecht Durer: Virtuoso Printmaker and Toulouse-Lautrec’s Paris.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum :  Works by Titian, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Manet, Degas, and Sargent hang in a 15th-century Venetian-style palace with galleries surrounding a flower-filled courtyard.  The architecture, the personal nature of Mrs. Gardner’s collection, and the courtyard in full bloom are magical.

Harvard Art Museum/Sackler:  The Fogg and Busch-Reisinger Museums are closed for renovations.  Selected works from Harvard’s art collections have been temporarily reinstalled in the Sackler Museum .

Architecture

Beacon Hill:  The oldest building on Beacon Hill is the Massachusetts State House (1795), designed by Charles Bulfinch when he was 24.  The Nichols House Museum (1804) is also by Bulfinch.  We will visit cobblestoned Acorn Street and Louisburg Square , and go inside several private houses.

Books

Boston Athenaeum:  This membership library was founded in 1807.  The present brownstone building was opened in 1849.  With windows facing the Granary Burying Ground and terraces in the tree-tops, it is one of the most romantic buildings in New England .  This will be an after-hours visit.

On Your Own

If you prefer touring on your own or intend to stay longer, most Boston and Harvard museums are within ½ hour on the ‘T’.  Faneuil Hall, the Freedom Trail, and the New England Aquarium are within walking distance.  Frequent high-speed ferry service runs from Long Wharf to Charlestown for a visit to Old Ironsides and Bunker Hill, and to Salem for a visit to the Peabody-Essex Museum .  Starting in January, tickets to the Boston Pops Orchestra and the Boston Red Sox may be ordered by telephone or on the internet.

 

Schedule of Events

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

 4:30 p.m.              Boston Duck Tour (55 minutes)

Introduction       Board at the New England Aquarium in front of the Hotel

To Boston             Boston Duck Tours , 3 Copley Place , Boston 02116    Tel. 617.267.3825

 6:00 p.m.              Downtown Harvard Club

Welcome              Meet under the hotel marquee for a walk or the bus.

Dinner                  Photo ID may be required to enter the building.

                              6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.        Walk or Bus Shuttle from Hotel to Harvard Club

                              6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.        Cocktail Reception with String Quartet

                              7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.        Welcoming Remarks followed by Dinner

                              9:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.        Walk or Bus Shuttle from Harvard Club to Hotel

                              Downtown Harvard Club, 38th Floor, One Federal Street , Boston , MA 02110    Tel. 617.542.2070

 Wednesday, June 2, 2010

 Day Tours             The Welcome Desk will be open from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m.  Meet 10 minutes before departure

Indicate 1st &      under the hotel marquee.  ( ) Length of tour shown does not include bus trips. 

2nd Choice            * Tours marked thus will be led by a Guide and may be split into small groups. 

 

9:00 a.m.               Adams National Historical Park & JFK Library & Museum (4 hours)

History                 9:00 a.m. –  9:30 a.m.        Bus from Hotel to Adams National Historical Park, Quincy

                              9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.       Visit * Adams Birthplaces, *Old House, and Stone Library

                              11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.    Bus from National Park to JFK Library & Museum

                              12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.      Introductory Film and self-guided tour of Museum

                                                                        Lunch on your own at Museum Café

                              2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.        Bus from JFK Library & Museum to Hotel

                              Adams National Historical Park, 1250 Hancock Street , Quincy , MA 02160    Tel.617.770.1175

                              John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, 0 Columbia Point, Boston , MA 02125    Tel. 617.514.1600

OR

9:30 a.m.               Museum of Fine Arts & Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (4 ½ hours)

Art I                  9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.       Bus from Hotel to Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)

                              10:15 a.m. – 11:15 p.m.    *Docent Tour of MFA Highlights

                              11:15 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.      Exploring, museum shopping, and lunch on your own

                              1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.        Short walk between Museums

                              1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.        *Docent Tour of Gardner Museum Highlights

                              2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.        Museum shopping

                              2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.        Bus from Gardner Museum to Hotel

                        Museum of Fine Arts , Boston , 465 Huntington Avenue , Boston , MA 02115    Tel. 617.267.9300 

                              Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum , 280 The Fenway, Boston , MA 02115    Tel. 617.566.1401

OR

9:00 a.m.               Beacon Hill (3 ¼ hours) This is a strenuous walk.

Architecture        9:00 p.m. – 9:30 a.m.        Bus from Hotel to Charles & Mount Vernon Streets

                              9:30 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.       *Visit Private Houses and Nichols House Museum

                              12::00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.   * Visit Massachusetts State House

                                                                        Continue on your own

                              Nichols House Museum , 55 Mount Vernon Street , Boston , MA 02108    Tel. 617.227.6993

                              Massachusetts State House, Beacon Street , Boston , MA 02108    Tel. 617.727.3676

 

5:30 p.m.           Thompson Island Outward Bound

Harbor Cruise    Board at Boston Harbor Cruises in front of Hotel.  Be prepared for weather.    

& Island               5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.        Narrated Harbor Cruise to Thompson Island , Cash Bar

Clambake          6:00 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.        Clambake, Branches Steel Orchestra, Beer & Wine

                              8:15 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.        Return Cruise to Hotel

                              Boston Harbor Cruises, One Long Wharf , Boston , MA 02110    Tel. 617.227.4321

                              Thompson Island Conference Center , P.O. Box 127 , Boston , MA 02127    Tel. 617.328.3900 x 102

Thursday, June 3, 2010

 9:00 a.m.            Harvard Club, Back Bay (5 hours)

Symposia              9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.         Bus from Hotel to Harvard Club

                              9:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.      Symposia:  ‘You Took the Course…It’s Changed’

                              12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.      Luncheon with Professor Michael J. Sandel

                              2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.        Bus from Harvard Club to Hotel

                              Harvard Club, 374 Commonwealth Avenue , Boston , MA 02215    Tel. 617.536.1260

OR

9:30 a.m.               Harvard Art Museum/Arthur M. Sackler Museum (2 hours)

Art II                9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.       Bus from Hotel to Sackler Museum

                              10:15 a.m. – 11:15 p.m.    *Docent Tour of Harvard Art Museum Highlights

                              11:15 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.    Exploration on your own

                              12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.    Bus from Sackler Museum to Harvard Club for Luncheon

                              Albert M. Sackler Museum , 485 Broadway, Cambridge , MA 02138    Tel. 617.495.9400

 

5:00 p.m.           Boston Athenaeum (45 minutes)

Books, Art &        5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.      Bus from Hotel to Athenaeum

Architecture        5:30 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.        *Visit Athenaeum

                              6:15 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.        Short walk to Somerset Club pausing at the Shaw Monument

                                                                         (Bus available if raining or requested in advance)

                              Boston Athenaeum, 10 ½ Beacon Street , Boston , MA 02108    Tel. 617.227.0270

 6:00 p.m.           Somerset Club

Dinner &           6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.        Bus from Hotel to Somerset Club

Dancing            6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.        Cocktail Reception

                              7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.      Dinner and Dancing to the Music of Bob Kovner’s Orchestra

                              9:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.      Bus Shuttle from Somerset Club to Hotel

                              Somerset Club, 42 Beacon Street , Boston , MA 02108    Tel. 617.227.1731      

 Friday, June 4, 2010

 Farewell            Marriott Long Wharf Hotel

Brunch                 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.       Palm Garden

 

Check in time at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel is 4:00 p.m.  Some rooms may be available earlier.

Checkout time is noon.

On Tuesday, June 1st, the Welcome Desk will be open from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. in the 2nd Floor Lobby.

Marriott Long Wharf Hotel, 296 State Street , Boston MA 02109    Tel. 617.227.0800 or 800.228.9290