It’s not that there is anything wrong with Boston in Lincolnshire, it’s a smashing place, but there is potential for geographic confusion. I am here in Boston for a week long course at Harvard and MIT, along with a group of Chief Executives of public sector organisations, courtesy of BT who have been running ‘Vital Vision’ each year since 2001. I feel tremendously fortunate to be here, it looks set to be an exciting week, and the challenge for me is to transfer what I learn and the relationships I form, into value for the LGiU and the local authorities I work with. But today is Sunday, so I am having fun in the sun.
It is the second hottest April day in Boston since records began, and Tuesday, at 87 degrees should be record breaking. A perfect day for a stroll around town and up to Boston Common, taking in the old state house and its monuments to Benjamin Franklin, and the site where the Boston Tea Party began. Boston is where so much of modern American history began, yet it feels like I am walking around Statford Upon Avon, not least because that too is dominated by American tourists. Later, on a cruise right through the city along the Charles River, I was struck by the quality of the built environment, how the mix of architecture through the centuries blends so well, and how they have made such a great amenity of the riverside. The many sailing boats remind me of being in the Solent. They are here to welcome back the round the world yatch race, and some of our party are heading down there this evening. But I have opted to see some all American culture at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, who tonight play the third match in their series against the Yankees. Baseball matches don’t get any bigger than this, apparently. Tomorrow we are heading down to Harvard bright and early for the start of what I am sure will be a week packed full of learning.
