Built around 1680, the Paul Revere House is the oldest building in downtown Boston.

I walked over there, to the North End, past many Italian restaurants and early evening nightlife. I stood in front of this house and breathed in the history.

Then back to Quincy Market, watching a few street performers juggle, escape from straightjackets, and do balancing tricks, before getting a Tandori dish at the food court.

Full, and happy, I walked past Faneuil Hall, up to the Old State House, where the fathers of the Constitution met and haggled out the terms of independence. I glanced up at the small balcony where they read the Declaration of Independence for the first time. I looked over to where the barracks were, the location of the Boston Massacre.

So many events occurred, so much thinking was done, so many risks were taken, right here, minutes of walking from the hotel where I am writing these lines. And  the names were Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and many others who through their initiative, conviction and courage made a difference that eventually changed the world.