it was even cooler hearing the sonic boom when it broke the sound barrier
That is indeed awesome. I've seen and heard many aircraft go supersonic in my short life, but nothing really compares to the impact of something as massive and powerful as the shuttle just punching through the sound barrier on its way up. My dad worked on the YF-12 (experimental fighter variant of the A-12/SR-71 spyplane) in the USAF and said that was pretty impressive, but I'd have to hear it for myself to compare the two, which is highly unlikely at this point in history to say the least. The next space transportation system probably won't be quite as stunning.
