It's hard to imagine that John F. Kennedy, the epitome of endless youth, would have turned 92 this Friday. Forty-five years after his passing, memories of JFK still burn brightly, and Boston's native son remains one of the country's most beloved presidents. As another eloquent commander-in-chief and his young family evoke comparisons to the Kennedys, anyone wanting to relive the days of Camelot can still find plenty of JFK's old haunts around his hometown.
Kennedy's path to the White House started from a green clapboard house with yellow trim. The 35th president was born in a modest home on a quiet, tree-lined Brookline street on the afternoon of May 29, 1917. Visitors to the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site can walk through his boyhood home and view a short movie about the Kennedy family. The house has been restored to its 1917 appearance, right down to JFK's bassinet in the nursery, the crock of baked beans atop the kitchen range, and the miniature chairs and table in the dining room where Joseph Jr. and John ate before graduating to the grown-ups' table. Pick up a brochure with a self-guided walking tour of the Coolidge Corner neighborhood that includes other Kennedy-related sights, such as the former St. Aidan's Church where JFK was baptized and served as an altar boy. The more spacious home at the corner of Naples and Abbotsford roads, where the Kennedys moved in 1920, was the birthplace of Eunice, Patricia, and Robert. 83 Beals St., Brookline, 617-566-7937, www.nps.gov/jofi, open through Sept. 27.
