This time we had more time in Boston to see the sights we missed last fall. We had three objectives -- spend more time on the Freedom Trail, see the JFK Library, and the Aquarium. Check, check and check. And check a few more things besides.
We arrived at the end of a long day. It was warm and sultry in our 5th floor room with a rooftop view. We were pretty tired, so we decided to start off early the next day on the Freedom Trail, which most folks say takes a pretty full day. And it did.We started with fog, that burned off pretty early, turning into another unseasonably warm day, perfect for walking through town.
We had already seen the USS Constitution, and the Bunker Hill Monument, but we could see both of them in the distance.
A crane is putting the upper masts onto the USS Constitution above, while Bunker Hill memorial -- more of Bunker mound -- is across the river below.
Our approach took us on a walk to the river, through the colorful North End, a mixture of Italian and Early American. Note the brick strip in the sidewalk, which we are sure is there to keep visitors from getting lost, or worse yet, pestering locals for directions.
Our first official stop was Copely's Burial Ground. The highlight was a gravestone that had been used by the English soldiers for target practice -- the bullet holes are still there.
Below note the holes in the gravestone from British target practice.
Next was Old North Church, of Paul Revere/One If By Land fame. A replica of one of the lanterns is lit in the front of the church. This was our second visit, and it appears to have a solid stream of visitors.
Next we followed the stream of school children going to Paul Revere's House. We meant to go in, but it looked like with the hundreds of kids already waiting we might spend the whole day there, so we pass it by, in favor of "Boston's best Italian deli", where we got a sandwich to share as a morning snack. It may have just been the best Italian deli in Boston.
Next up: Past the Haymarket, the oldest continuous outdoor market in the US, which was closed -- no trace except the curious bronze fruit baskets embedded in the street.
Then to Faneuil Hall, which may be historic, but now is a series of brick buildings filled with shops and a giant food court. We fought the crowds through most of it to find lunch. I had one more serving of fried whole clams while Tom had a very over-cooked hot dog. Sigh.
After our disappointing lunch in the frenetic Fanieul Hall, we decided to take a bit of a detour. A helpful National Park guide told us about a ferry ride across the river. So we wended our way from one ferry stop to another, trying to find our ferry (included on our metro pass) and avoid paying tourist rates on other ferries. Finally we found it, and had a lovely ride across the river to the USS Constitution stop and back. Just the rest we needed.
The Old State House is in the middle of the very modern downtown, and is also the site of the Boston Massacre. The exhibit inside makes it plain that the Massacre itself was not so much a massacre, and resulted from an angry crowd armed with rocks and clubs surrounding a handful of English soldiers who fired in self-defense. But was event was repeated over and over again in speeches and pamphlets, for years until it became the rallying cry of the revolutionaries, perhaps an early example of "spin" and "talk radio."
The State House itself is beautifully restored, and contains a few treasures including the clothes and personal items of John Hancock.
The real deal -- a drum (no pipe) above, a tricorner hat below.
John Hancock may have had a big signature, but he was a tiny fellow -- but judging from the items of clothing we saw, they all were.
Then it was down the stairs to the street, and on to the next stop, the State Meeting House, where the big names of the day debated the issues of the day. While it looks small from the outside, it opened up into a large and spacious room, in this case filled with school children debating how to respond to those pesky British taxes.
After the Meeting House it was off to the Granary Burying Ground, and finally, Boston Common.
A walk down through Boston Common, and back up Beacon Hill and we're done, and done in.
So a whole day spent on the Freedom Trail. We were beat, and took the train back to our North End bird's nest.
The next day we went off to the second thing on our list, the JFK Library. It is a beautiful building designed by IM Pei of the Louvre's pyramid fame. The accessible parts of the library were interesting, larger than I expected, and more detailed.
After our visit a helpful guard suggested we go across the street to the Massachusetts Archives, to see Paul Revere's silver. It was threatening rain by then, and no phjotos were allowed inside. A helpful guard at the door cheerfully abandoned his post to give us a tour of the public displays. They included one Paul Revere bowl and some engraving plates in bronze. But what was pretty special was a display of four documents, among them one of the 17 original Declarations of Independence. The documents were found by construction workers 4 years earlier who were moving a desk out of a state office to send it to the sump. They decided on a whim to go through the drawers -- $80 million of documents -- the four now on display -- were inside. Sort of makes you wonder if those Massachusetts state workers go through their drawers very often. If you happen to drop by, give the guard our best, he really was a treat.
By now it was raining pretty hard, but when we got back to town it had slacked off just enough to allow a visit to Trinity Church, which has been renovated with untold millions. After paying our $16 -- the first time we have paid to visit a church -- we got inside only to discover that because of the rainy day, the stained glass windows for which the church is famous, were hardly remarkable. But we did notice these kneelers at every place, each one needle-pointed with a different design. Most were in memory of someone, but some were for living folk. We wondered if you can bounce someone so you can use your own kneeler.
The two above were for people who died of AIDS.
Coats of arms and remembering a wedding.
Our final day in Boston started with a quick trip to Harvard, as Tom said, the only school that ever turned him down. Yet here is is entering....
...and leaving, perhaps just a little smarter than when he walked in.
A quick tour of the aquarium, and we were off to the airport for the trip home.
The end of Tom and Susan's East Coast Adventure!
