I LOVE history. It has a way of captivating me and holding me in it's grip almost like a moth is held prisoner to light. Since middle school I have always wanted to visit Boston and see it's historical sites. Part of that is driven from where I live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Being located in a northern suburbs of Philadelphia I have grown up with visits to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Betsy Ross house, Washington's Crossing, Valley Forge and although from another period in our history Gettysburg. Getting to go to Boston and walk the Freedom Trail seems like the appropriate way of filling in the gaps to the experiences of my home city besides Boston is an awesome town. So this past week Jim and I found ourselves with some time on our hands so we made the 5 hour trip north to pound the cobblestones and drink our way through the Freedom Trail.
Map of the Boston Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail is a two and half mile walk highlighted by red bricks and red paint that snakes through the north end of Boston. It officially leads to 16 historically significant sites from the United States Revolution. Unofficially it also winds by other famous Boston landmarks, markets and bars making this an even more fun adventure. Jim and I chose to start our day by booking a two hour walking tour from the visitors center in Boston Common. The tour was given by a witty historical reenactor and took us from Boston Common to Faneuil Hall.
Freelove our awesome tour guide
Heading out of Boston Common to the Park Street Church
We spent a good portion of the beginning of our tour in the Granary Burying Ground. While there we learned about the life and death of James Otis Jr., Paul Revere's life including his two wives and his famous ride to Concord, learned about "King" John Hancock including his relationship to George Washington and his famous large signature, we also learned about the life and contributions of American patriot Sam Adams and in addition to viewing his headstone learned about the victims of the Boston Massacre whom he had interned in his family grave. Our tour guide also spoke about Phillis Wheatley who was a slave that in addition to being a poet became the first African American woman to publish a book. We also learned about Mary "Mother" Goose. Our tour guide was informative and entertaining and made us constantly laugh out loud. She did a great job keeping everyone's attention and making the time fly by.
Paul Revere's headstone is actually that little one to the right but as our tour guide pointing
out when you become famous you get a bigger headstone!
Sam Adams headstone with our tour in background
Instead of Where's Waldo...Where's Jimbo?
Our tour also stopped by the King's Chapel where we learned more about puritans, the governor who had the church built on a puritan cemetery and Jim's favorite part the cat game. Then we headed to the Old State House and the location of the infamous Boston Massacre which is memorialized on the ground by a ring of grey cobblestones. I found it hilarious to hear that the "site" has been moved several times over the years and the actual location of the massacre was across the street of the Old State House in what is now a Bank of America.
Old State House
The so called site of the Boston Massacre
The other side of the Old State House with the Massacre location
And the Bank of America across the street
We continued a bit further up the street to Faneuil Hall where we said goodbye to our tour guide Freelove and set out to explore Quincy Market and have some lunch. I was completely blown away with the amount of food and the selection at Quincy. I hate to say it but I'm pretty sure it blows away the Reading Market in Philadelphia. Jim I took a break here and stuffed our faces with food and booze before continuing on our journey to Paul Revere's House, Old North Church and Copp's Hill Burying Ground. We did make a pit stop on the way at Mike's Pastry and got some gigantic canoli's.
Paul Revere's house
Old North Church
Copp's Hill Burying Ground
We saved the north part of the Freedom Trail for the following afternoon as we already had evening dinner and theatre plans. So the next day which happened to be the hottest day of the year thus far in 2013 with temperatures over a hundred degrees we did the smartest thing any people could do....we went to the Sam Adams Brewery and drank a shit load of beer before catching a cab back to our hotel and then setting out and walking over the river and up to the monument at Bunker Hill. I pretty much thought we were gonna die so after a quick exploration of the area we set out towards the harbor and to the USS Constitution AKA Old Iron Sides. I was a little bummed they wouldn't let you get in front of the vessel to take pictures but I did the best I could with the limitations.
Pitcher per table....but there is just two of us!? No worries! We got this.
Bunker Hill
USS Constitution
Loved the rigging
I've never seen so many cannons in my life. Not even at Gettysburg! No wonder
Old Iron Sides never lost a battle!
We had an amazing time exploring the Freedom Trail and both Jim and I agreed the highlight of our entire Boston trip was the tour with Freelove. It was a blast knocking this off the list at number #75!
I also knocked off an other item on this same trip. Click the link to read about that adventure: #132 Eating Lobster in Maine.
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