Traveling to....

How often do you see a road like this?

On a recent trip to an old, historic, east coast city I suddenly found myself crossing this unique road. I don't even know what to call it...it's not really cobblestone, is it? It's more like big rocks thrown together. I'm not quite sure how old this particular road is, but the building that it surrounds is hundreds of years old! Once I started pondering the road's age, a flood of other questions came to mind.

Since I was in an historic city, I wondered who else may have crossed this road - certainly some heroes of the American Revolution: George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson.

What did the area look like when the road was first built? On land that is now occupied by tall skyscrapers were probably colonial homes and churches, where the local citizens met to discuss all of the changes occurring around them.

How has transportation changed since this road was built? Carriages could have very well traveled this road when it was first constructed, followed by cars, and now simply pedestrians. Imagine how the conversations have changed over time: originally passersby may have been discussing the war while walking to a local tavern, and now people may be discussing stocks and investments over their lunch break; or tourists may be questioning the best place in the neighbor to grab some lunch.

I love how this little road, for a moment, enabled my mind to wander through history and imagine all that has happened since it was first built. Old architecture and historic sites have witnessed so many events and they willingly share that history with everyone who walks by - as long as the people take time to notice.

Maybe this road was not built in the 18th century...perhaps it was constructed when the local buildings were renovated, possibly sometime in the 20th century. If that is the case, it most likely does not carry the stories that I figured it would. Either way I don't mind - this little stone road provided me the opportunity, for a few moments, to journey through history and imagine a time when horses and buggies traveled the country.

That's the Golden Perspective...what's yours?