Three Presidents Weekend

Begin your visit at the Adams National Historic Park Visitor Center in Quincy. It is located at 1250 Hancock Street and there is a parking garage behind the visitor center which has free parking on the weekends. You can watch a video there "The American President". This is where you buy your ticket for the Tour of the Presidential Houses. You are assigned to a trolley tour, they leave the Visitor center at quarter of and quarter past the hour.

Adams family homes You take the trolley to visit the birthplace of John and John Quincy Adams and also Old House where the Adams returned after John’s time as an Ambassador. This also includes John Q Adams library and the Carriage House.

Hancock Cemeterysome of the earliest residents of Quincy are buried here as well as the father of John Hancock.

United First Parish Churchyou can take a docent guided tour of the church which includes the graves of the second and sixth presidents and their wives.

John F. Kennedy Birthplacethough this is in Brookline it is close enough to make a perfect addition to a weekend visit.

Quick Tips:

I began by buying a sharply discounted hotel room on a web auction site. It was in Brookline which made it perfect for the visit to the JFK Birth Place.

I used the website www.spnea.org for information on the National Park Department. If you are 62 or older you can purchase a Lifetime Golden Pass for .

Another very useful site is www.discoverquincy For tips on what to see, what to do, and where to eat in Quincy.


The Adams Houses are only open seasonally from April to October so be sure to check if they are open when you plan to visit.

I am going to suggest that you read Those Who Love by Irving Stone if you have the time. This really set the stage for understanding and getting the most out of what you will see. Dearest Friend : A Life of Abigail Adamsby Lynne Withey was another book I read before my visit.

Best Way To Get Around:

Quincy can be reached by the T from Boston. The nearest airport is Boston’s Logan. If you have a car it is the easiest way to get around in Quincy itself. The Holiday Inn Brookline is also on the T, as a matter of fact there is a station right along side the hotel. Getting to JFK’s birthplace could be done on foot, with a cab or with a car.

Parking in Quincy is easy, there is a large public parking garage near the visitor center. The Park department Trolley will take you to all the Adams family homes. The United First Parish Church and the Hancock Cemetery are an easy walk from the Visitor Center.

Parking at John F Kennedy's Birthplace is on the street if you are lucky.

Located just one mile from the Boston Fine Arts Museum, The Holiday Inn Brookline is the perfect location, just outside the center city and easily accessible from the Mass. Turnpike. The hotel provides very good directions on their website. The T runs right up Beacon Street with a stop directly in front of the hotel. The hotel has its own parking garage with a cost of $15 per night with in and out privilege.

I have to admit I had serious doubts after I booked this hotel for a ridiculously low price on one of the discount sites. Trip Advisor had some scathing reviews, which only deepened my doubt. Relax, this hotel is just fine and an excellent bargain to boot.

One of the complaints was about the smell of chlorine from the pool. We had room 189, which was located right next to the hot tub and adjacent to the pool. No problem whatsoever. Yes you can smell chlorine when you walk by the pool, that is a good thing. In our room nothing. If you want to use them you call the front desk and it is then unlocked. I loved that because we had the hot tub all to ourselves.

Our room had a king size bed, very comfortable, and with feather pillows optional. It was a very good size room with a desk, chair, table, and good lighting. Everything was very clean and in good repair. I have not one disparaging thing to say. No we didn’t have a view from our window (another Trip Advisor complaint) but there was a flower box to compensate. Do I wish they had a deeper tub, you bet but I can live with just taking a shower.

The small gym is located right behind the pool area, which you can access with your room key card. They had cardio and weight machines.

You can choose to eat in the hotel, there is a restaurant and a lounge. We stopped at the lounge Saturday evening for a drink Our bartender was a charming Irishman who gave us good service but did fail to offer us a bowl of pretzels. Just as well, I suppose, since we shouldn’t be eating them anyway.

The breakfast buffet that the hotel offers is quite good and has an omelet bar. There was a variety of cereal, breads, fruit, yogurt, bacon, and sausage, pancakes, and potatoes offered. Your waiter will deliver your juice and coffee. For $12.95, it was a bargain in a city hotel.

Overall I was very impressed with everything here and I have actually bought another visit. Where else could I stay for under $100?

After our day touring the Adams sites we were ready to get some grub. We walked down the street past the United First Parish Church looking for something to interest us. It was warm, we were tired, and frankly nothing looked that great. (sorry restaurant owners in that area). Fine, we thought, we will just find something on the way to the hotel. Now I have to admit when I get hungry I am not a pretty sight and I was getting peckish in the extreme.

Luckily for us we spotted the Fowler House Café about a mile after we left the parking lot. We found a parking spot across the street and ran over. There is seating in both the bar area and the dining room. It’s hard to tell what to expect from the outside, we almost expected a neighborhood bar. We were half right, this is definitely a neighborhood place but it is a family restaurant to be sure.

The menu has lots of choices from appetizers, the "drunken mussels" sounded great to me, to soups and chili. They have individual pizza from as simple a plain cheese to as exotic as eggplant and roasted red pepper. Lots of salad choices, burgers, and sandwiches. I however was warm and tired and I wanted something frosty cold. Nope not a beer, a Pina Colada, and a beauty it was. Just what I needed to perk me up.

I, however, was ready for some serious eating. I ordered the Seafood baked trio, a combination of scrod , scallops, and stuffed shrimp cooked in a casserole, lightly buttered, and seasoned. Al chose the shrooms and tips. Both of our orders came with a basic green salad to start. It was a very basic green salad iceburg lettuce, onion, tomato, croutons, and one piece of cucumber. It was however huge.

My fish dish was delicious, I had it served with butternut squash as my side. It was served steaming hot. Al’s plate was loaded with perfectly cooked tips and shrooms and butternut squash. So much food, unfortunately we had no room for dessert.

We were seated in a very comfortable and private booth. Around us there were families , children, and seniors. A little bit of everything. There was a lot of bang for your buck here and most people were taking away doggy bags.

Service was friendly and efficient. I would come here again if I was in the neighborhood.

After visiting the John F. Kennedy Birthplace in Brookline I had to figure out how to get back to I-90. With my own sense of logic, following Harvard Avenue north seemed like a good idea. As it turned out eventually I was right but in the mean time I was getting a little peckish. We began looking for somewhere to get lunch. Once we spotted the deli, it seemed like the perfect place for a nosh.

Since I have never eaten in an authentic New York Deli I can only surmise that this is indeed what the typical deli looks like, with booths, and large cases full of meets and knishes. The menu here however had a lot to offer beyond the typical corned beef and pastrami sandwiches.

The specials on this Sunday ran the gamut from crepes with portobello to chicken and asparagus served with red pepper coulis. I was intrigued by the curried duck salad with grapes, mandarin oranges, and pineapple on a green mix and tempted by the sesame salmon salad with peanut ginger dressing. I debated weather I should live on the wild side and have a Middle Eastern Wrap, humus, tabouli, and eggplant salad or try the BBQ brisket with tarragon mayo. While I was mulling over the choices, a large bowl of the most delicious pickles was delivered to the table for us to snack on.

True to form, I settled on a corned beef sandwich on rye with a side of coleslaw. Al opted for the Romanian pastrami also with coleslaw. Our reaction to our choices was quite different. I loved my corned beef, though it wasn’t as lean as I prefer. The sandwich was a behemoth of outrageous proportion; I was lucky to eat half of it. The other half made an excellent dinner. Al found his pastrami dry and the addition of mustard wasn’t enough to please him. He wanted cheese!! I know, this is a Kosher Deli, it wasn’t going to happen but trying to convince Mr.. I’m a Portuguese Catholic, what do I know about dietary restrictions is always interesting. Anyway, we brought half of his sandwich home as well and I was able to make it to his specifications.

This is a regular stop for some Jewish friends of ours so I know that the food is good here. I think that next time we will bring them along to help us to make better choices. The help here was very helpful and certainly gave us as much assistance as they could.

I usually don’t write about the bathrooms in the restaurants that we visit but I have to comment on these because this was the best smelling bathroom I have ever been in, hands down. That alone impressed me.

Check out their menu at www.rubinskosher.com

Being a cemetery lover I couldn’t wait to get into this one and look around. You can get a map of the cemetery at the First Parish Church. Make sure you get the map, even with it finding all the graves is a challenge. Looking at the map it seems so obvious, don’t let the map fool you, it is anything but obvious.

The main entrance is located on Hancock Street. If you turn left after you enter you can walk past the grave where John Quincy Adams was buried before he was moved to the United First Parish Church. Off to your right will be the Quincy family graves. Here you will find Abigail’s grandfather Col. John Quincy and other prominent members of the Quincy family. Close by is the oldest surviving gravestone, that of William Townsend who was the town’s first minister. Also Joanna Hoar who is called the "great mother" because so many prominent families descend from here including the Adams, the Quincy’s, and also Holmes, as in Oliver Wendall...

Go back to the walkway that runs along Hancock Street and turn right at the first cross street. If you continue up this walkway until it reaches the cross walkway you will find the grave of Henry Adams, the towns earliest identifiable grave. He died in 1646 and is the great great grandfather of John Adams.

One more grave of particular interest is that of Rev, John Hancock, the father of John Hancock of the Declaration of Independence fame. His is about half way down on the right on the middle walkway. Anyway be sure to have your map because this was a stubborn one to find.

This cemetery is also the final resting place of Ruth Alden who is the daughter of Priscilla and John Alden. John Adams is descended from this famous couple, I guess they all belong to the Mayflower Society.

Having spent Saturday visiting the Adams family sites in Quincy, it seemed important to add one more president to our weekend. Finding the house on Beal Street was a challenge. It is very poorly signed and we kept going around in circles. I am going to suggest you do a map quest to help because it really is difficult.

Once you are on Beal St you will be surprised by the street itself. It isn’t filled with mansions or large fancy houses. It almost looks like an urban working class neighborhood. There is a marker in front of the house and you can park along the street. This is a real neighborhood so please be aware of not blocking someone’s driveway.

What you will find most striking is that this is a real family home, you can imagine raising your own family in a very similar house. The entrance is around the back in the basement. There is an introductory film which takes between 15 to 17 minutes. The film is narrated by Rose and she talks about raising her nine children. This house is about Rose and her life as much as about jack Kennedy.

Rose Fitzgerald was the daughter of the Mayor of Boston. Her father Honey Fitz was the son of famine immigrants, and the first son of Irish Immigrants to be elected Mayor of any city. At 17 Rose wanted to attend Wesley College, but her father refused permission because it wasn’t a Catholic College.

She and Joe had a 7 year courtship. They married in 1914 and five of their children were born in this house.

Rose was very organized. She had a card file on each of her none children, this way she had all their information at her fingertips. She trained them from birth that those who had a lot owed a lot. Service was one thing that all the Kennedy children understood.

After watching the video you will be taken on a guided tour of the first and second floor of the house. It is every bit a family home with toys on display and comfortable not overly formal furniture. The Kennedy’s had money though, they had two live-in servants--a cook, and a nanny. We get to see the parlor where Rose darned socks, Joe read the newspaper, and the children played.

The children had a strict upbringing. Rose believed in healthy living and Joe expected his children to be able to participate in dinner conversation. They were encouraged to know about current events and were groomed to be articulate. It is obvious when you listen to any of them speak that they were born to public service.

You will see the room where Rose gave birth to the future president and also the room where he spent his early years. You need to be able to climb stairs to visit here. I highly recommend a visit here for anyone who remembers Camelot or who wishes they did.

Now a Unitarian Church, United First Parish Church was Congregational when John and Abigail were buried here. Like many of our early leaders, John's leanings would have fit in very nicely with the direction the church has gone. The present church was built in 1828 but it has been a congregation for over 350 years and has had several different buildings (the current is the second stone church) and at least two different locations.
Today you will find burial place of both Adams presidents and their wives in the crypt. While we were waiting for one tour to end we sat in the rear of the church. What we learned here was a little about the history of the town of Quincy, which began it’s life as the north precinct of the town of Braintree. Each of the suburban Boston towns had its own charter and by 1640 each was looking to form its own church, since attendance was mandatory in Mass. Colony.


John Hancock was born in Braintree and both he and John Adams were baptized by Rev. Hancock. In 1792 the town received it’s name of Quincy, after Abby’s grandfather. Now you starting to get a picture of just how a part of the Massachusetts fabric these two families are, think of the names of some of the towns Adams, Quincy, Boylston just to name a few.

We sat in the Adams family pew while our docent gave us our verbal tour of the church. The pews are the original ones, there is a mahogany pulpit and some of the glass is the wavy original. The ceiling is beautiful with a passion flower in the center. There are two plaques in the church dedicated to the Adams family.

One interesting fact that I took from this tour was that "It came upon the Midnight clear" was sung in this church for the first time ever in 1849. A bit of trivia that might come in useful.

What most people come here for however is to visit the graves of the second and sixth presidents and their first ladies. John and Abigail were buried first in the cemetery across the street but were later moved in to the more secure crypt of the church.

Entrance fee is $4 and the tour lasts about half an hour.

I have been fascinated by the love story of John and Abigail Adams ever since I read the book Those Who Love by Irving Stone 30 years ago. They seemed in many ways such an odd couple. John, well John was opinionated and difficult and a bit of a hypochondriac and Abby was outgoing and way too smart for a woman. Actually just how smart she was is proven by her marriage to John, who was perhaps the only man in Colonial America who was appreciative of her sound advise and financial expertise. No shrinking violet Abby, she used her very considerable skills as a business woman to keep her husbands interests from failing, and to supply him with the funds he needed to survive in Europe during his several appointments there.

There are three houses that we get to visit. The first two are the Birthplace of John Adams and John Quincy Adams. They are the two oldest presidential birthplaces in the US. The first house was purchased by John Adams's father Deacon John Adams in 1720. Originally it had six acres of land and was a two over two construction. It is furnished with period pieces, but not original Adams pieces.

We begin in Susanna Boylston Adams kitchen. They were not a wealthy family, so Susanna would have done her own cooking over an open fire in the kitchen. In order to know how long to cook certain things they would sing a song or recite a verse the right length, pretty inventive I thought. John Adams wanted to be a farmer when he was young but his love of books won out and he attended Harvard and became a lawyer,

I was much more interested in John Quincy Adams birthplace. This is the house where Abby and John lived, and had their children. But what really interested me was the parlor. There was the original desk where Abby wrote all the wonderful letters that have survived to John. While he was away on his lawyer circuit, while he was in Philadelphia, in Paris and London, their letters are one of the best historic records of the times especially at the ground level. We get her view of events as the transpired. She watched the battle of Bunker Hill from a hillside in Quincy. She was always hungry for information about what is going on in negotiations where ever John was. We also get John’s view on some of the other great figures of the time. He was not a big Ben Franklin fan. It is a simple house by today’s standards and small, the Adams were always struggling to pay their bills.

The third House called Old House is a much larger house and it was here that the Adams came after John returned from England. It is built in the Southern style, and Abby had her uncle buy it while they were still in Europe. It was not nearly as well kept as Abby remembered, and required quite a lot to get it into shape. John Quincy Adams lived here to the end of his life and changed it from a farm house to a country estate. The last Adams family members to live here were the grandchildren of John Quincy. It is furnished with original Adams furniture and that alone makes the visit worthwhile.

There is also a visit to John Quincy’s library which is fabulous. John Adams had 4,000 books when he died, 3,000 were sent to the Boston Public library, John Quincy added an additional 12,000 books. It is now managed by the National Park Service and security is very tight. All three of the houses must be visited on tours that are conducted by the park service. In 2004 230,000 people toured the houses. Visits to the house our conducted from the visitor center where a trolley provides transportation. The number of people is managed so you need to get your tickets early. Last trolley leaves the visitor center at 3pm. Allow 2 to 2 ½ hours to visit the three houses. There is also a carriage house that may be visited.