The Fourth of July feels different when you stand where so much of it began. I have a long tradition of spending holiday mornings exploring a city — especially when I’m traveling. Places that are usually crowded feel empty, a little hushed, since most people had a late night. It gives me the chance to see and photograph things without feeling rushed.

This Fourth, I wandered around Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market while the city was still waking up. Sunlight caught on old bricks and bright domes, the Old State House standing quietly among glass towers. Just a few blocks away, the New State House gleamed like a promise that some ideas — freedom, independence — can keep growing if we let them.

Happy Fourth of July, Boston — may we keep finding ways to live up to those old ideals.