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Stata Center
Of all the funky buildings on the MIT campus, none has received more attention than this avant-garde edifice that was designed by architectural legend Frank Gehry. Like something out of Dr Seuss, the Stata Center for Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) is composed of whimsical, colorful shapes and tilting metallic towers.
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Thompson Island
Thompson Island was settled as early as 1626 by a Scotsman, David Thompson, who set up a trading post to do business with the Neponset Indians. Today, this island is privately owned and inhabited by Thompson Island Outward Bound, a nonprofit organization that develops fun and challenging physical adventures, especially for training and developing leadership skills. As such, the public can explore its 200-plus acres only on Saturday.
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Trinity Church
A masterpiece of American architecture, Trinity Church is the country's ultimate example of Richardsonian Romanesque. The granite exterior, with a massive portico and side cloister, uses sandstone in colorful patterns. The interior is a an awe-inspiring array of vibrant murals and stained glass, most by artist John LaFarge, who cooperated closely with architect Henry Hobson Richardson to create an integrated composition of shapes, colors and textures.
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USS Cassin Young
This 376ft WWII destroyer is one of 14 Fletcher-class destroyers built at the Charlestown Navy Yard. These are the Navy's fastest, most versatile ships. Cassin Young participated in the 1944 Battle of Leyte Gulf, as well as the 1945 invasion of Okinawa. Here, the ship sustained two kamikaze hits, leaving 23 crew members dead and many more wounded.
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USS Constitution Museum
For a play-by-play of the USS Constitution's various battles, as well as her current role as the flagship of the US Navy, head indoors to the museum. More interesting is the exhibit on the Barbary War, which explains the birth of the US Navy during this relatively unknown conflict - America's first war at sea. Upstairs, kids can experience what it was like to be a sailor on the USS Constitution in 1812.
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World's End
Not exactly an island, this 251-acre peninsula was originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted for residential development in 1889. Carriage paths were laid out and trees were planted, but the houses were never built. Instead, wide grassy meadows attract butterflies and grass-nesting birds.
