Boston, Massachusetts

 

“Boston is just a village, sprawling far and wide, more human than New York City.”

Frederick Engels

We were fortunate enough to take not one, or two, but three cruises this past fall between September and November that stopped in Boston. That was great as we had plenty of time to really see Boston. What a beautiful city it is. We had such a great time and would love to go back and see even more.

On our first trip to Boston, we paid for the Hop on Hop off trip. That worked out well even though we didn’t use is as much as we thought since we walked so much. On that trip, we decided to walk the historic Freedom Trail. We got on the Hop on Hop off bus just outside of the port of Boston and took it to the USS Constitution Stop but we followed the brick pathway up to our first stop, Bunker Hill. The brick path lead us to the top of Bunker Hill.

The Bunker Hill Monument is where the Freedom Trail begins. The 221 foot tall granite monument was under construction the day we were there so you could not walk up the 294 steps to the top or get any great pictures. It was built between 1825 and 1843 to honor the Battle of Bunker Hill which was one of the first major battles between the Red Coats and the Patriots.

After visiting Bunker Hill, we walked down to see the USS Constitution Museum and ship. The Museum was interesting with lots of background information on the USS Constitution and how it was built. There are lots of hands on displays to see. We kept that visit brief as we wanted to see the star of the show itself, the USS Constitution. 

We walked over to the ship, fondly referred to as Old Ironsides which is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate owned by the US Navy. The Navy assigned personnel to work on the ship and it is quite an honor to be selected to serve on her. She is the oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat and was launched on 1797. She stands at a proud 304 feet and has served our country well. She was used in the War of 1812 and during the Civil War. She is still used in tall ship parades and during your tour of the ship, you can see the entire ship. Check out how they sleep. This was a very interesting stop.

We followed the brick sidewalk to the Old North church which was built in 1723 and is the oldest church building and the longest serving Episcopal Congregation in the city. This church is most known for the night of April 18, 1775 when the church sexton, Robert Newman and vestryman Capt. John Pulling, Jr. climbed the steeple and held two lanterns as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were coming from land and sea.

The outside farmers market was fascinating with some of the most beautiful fruits and vegetables on display for sale. It was hopping that day and we found some great deals. This seemed to be the place to be that day.

We saw but didn’t stop at Faneul Hall on this trip but on another visit a month later we stopped to check out the markets local fair. Quincy Hall has a great food section if you are looking for some “Chowda and Lobsta”. Instead, on that first trip, we headed to to Ye Olde Union Oyster House for lunch. This is America’s Oldest Restaurant and is a National Historic Landmark and treasure. I wanted to go there as my dad proposed to my mom there many years ago. I just had to go and see what it was like. We went in and got a large bowl of clam “chowda” and it was excellent. What a unique place to visit.

Then we stopped to take pictures of the three story wooden home of Paul Revere that was built in 1680. It is surrounded by modern buildings in the oldest area in the North End of Boston. This is the oldest remaining structure in downtown Boston and was the home of the American Patriot and Founding Father, Paul Revere during the time of the American Revolution.

We walked passed the Old Granary Burying Ground, Kings Chapel and the site of the first public School.

The Old State House was nice to see also being surrounded by modern buildings. This brick building was built in 1713 and was used as a merchants exchange on the first floor. The second floor was used as a seat of colonial and later state government through the 1700’s. This is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States.

We walked under the trees with their beautiful fall foliage on the way to our next historic site. The leaves were beginning to fall and were being carried away in the wind. The Massachusetts State House is the state capital and is a beautiful brick building on 6.7 acres built in the Federal Style with a gold domed roof. This dome leaked and was covered with copper in 1802 by Paul Revere’s Revere Copper Company. Paul Revere was the first American to roll copper in sheets for sheathing in a commercial way. In 1997, the dome was once again gilded in 23K gold. This building was built between 1795 and 1798 on top of Beacon Hill opposite the Boston Common. This huge stately building was built on the land was once owned by John Hancock who was Massachusetts’s first elected governor.

Across from the State House is the Boston Common which is a public park and is the oldest city park in the United States. It has 50 acres of land and was established in 1830. Over the years this land was used for a variety of purposes from pastureland for the cows, drilling field for the military, execution grounds, public gather place, and finally park land. In 1987, the park was declared a National Historic Landmark. There are ponds, statues, and the park has many events and markets over the year. There are even Swan Boats you can rent to go out on the lake but not for us that day. By the time we got here, we were pooped. So we hopped on the Hop on Hop off bus and headed back to the cruise port.

The next time we went to Boston, we decided to walk to the Prudential Center, ride the elevator up to the top and see the great views. We were blessed with a great day, so we made it a walking day. We enjoyed walking through China Town and passed the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Then we saw Boston Public library which is an impressive building built in 1852 and was the first free, publicly funded municipal library in the US. We passed the impressive Old South Church. That is a gorgeous brick ornate church and as we walked by the church bells were ringing. What a glorious sound. We also passed Trinity Church which is an ornate Episcopal Church that was founded in 1733. It was constructed in 1735 but destroyed in the Great Boston Fire in 1872. The current church was built between 1872 to 1877 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. What beautiful architecture. We enjoyed looking at all the potted plants full of colorful fall plants displayed on the sidewalk. That really brightened up the city.

When we arrived at the Prudential Tower aka the Prudential Building, we walked inside we found there was a shopping center with high end stores. We walked around and then got our tickets to go up to the top. This building was built in 1964 and is 749 feet tall with 52 floors. It is the second tallest building in Boston. We bought our tickets to ride to the top. We were lead down a fancy hallway to a super fast elevator that would take us to the top.

On the 50th floor there is an observation deck. On the 51st floor there is a bar and al freso observation deck with tables, chairs, and some couches. On the 52nd floor is an enclosed observation deck and gift shop. The views were amazing. We could see our cruise ship, Fenway Park, all the homes in the city, many churches, and mountains off in the distance. We enjoyed watching the crew races on the Charles River. It was just stunning. If you ever get a chance, go up and take time to take in the views. After we spent a good amount of time there, we slowly walked back enjoying the beautiful fall weather.

Then on our last day in Boston which was only about 10 days later, we decided to just walk around the Seaport District which is not far from the port in the south part of Boston. We enjoyed walking along the harbor watching the ferries leaving and seeing planes taking off from the airport. We crossed over the Seaport Boulevard Bridge and saw the Boston Tea Party building off in the distance. We continued up towards the New England Aquarium and had some great views of the Custom House. This was another great area to walk. We ended up walking around till we got tired and headed back towards the ship. 

We ate lunch that day at Rosa Mexicano which was close to the port. The food was great and so was the service. Our waitress ended up living near where Joe and I were raised. What a small world we live in. That was nice. We ended up that day at Harpoon Brewery for a drink before getting on the ship.

It was another great day in Boston. How we love that city. We hope to get back often.

Till next time. Bye for now.