A sign outside the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester informed patrons that the building would be “closed until further notice” because of the shutdown.
For Sherry Roper, it would have been her fifth presidential museum — from a bucket list of thirteen total.
“I don’t know when we’ll fly back,” said the 69-year-old from Burleson, Texas. “This was one of our most favorite that we wanted to see.”
Roper came to visit the area on Tuesday and planned to leave Wednesday. But it was the JFK museum that drew her to Boston. Roper, a lifelong Democrat who became an Independent after she campaigned for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. last year, said she is frustrated with party politics that lead to this shutdown.
“It’s crazy that we’re played like this,” she said. “I’m tired of paying [my representatives] money to not do their job.”
Security guards standing outside the John F. Kennedy library were turning visitors away and recommending other tourist attractions around Boston.
Christine and Simon Jones are visiting New England from Southern California and said they won’t have another chance to visit the presidential library during their trip.
“I try to find the silver lining and assume that, you know, it wasn’t meant to be today,” Christine said. “But I felt very connected to this one in particular.”
Simon Jones, 57, said he is frustrated but not surprised by the shutdown.
“I mean, we clearly don’t have a functioning government right now,” he said. “It’s expected that they can’t seem to get anything right at this point.”
At the Navy shipyard in Charlestown, visitors to the USS Constitution were out of luck Tuesday morning. Visitors to the active Navy site were met with a sign reading “Ship is closed.”
Anthony Johnson, 57, is visiting Boston from Arkansas and said he was surprised to see the ship was closed but said he is still planning on visiting the museum which remains open.
“I guess it’s just part of the process, living in a democracy, that there’s inconveniences sometimes to work out the differences both parties have, and hopefully they’ll come to an agreement and it’ll open back up before long,” Johnson said.
Kathy Hollin, 65, and Peggy Chandler, 67, from Indiana, are visiting Boston on a bus tour and said they were disappointed for themselves but more frustrated with the overall shutdown.
“What I found out is the military are not getting paid for this shutdown, but people in [political] office are,” Hollin said.
Chandler said that politicians “need to learn to get along.”
During a government shutdown, all active-duty personnel, as well as National Guard who are currently deployed, must carry out their assigned duties with their pay delayed until the shutdown is over. Civilian personnel whose work the Defense Department considers essential, or “excepted,” will also continue to work, while other civilians are furloughed for the duration of the shutdown.
Staff at the Visitor Center of the ship declined to comment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.