Boston

Our recent cruise to Bermuda started and ended in Boston, one of my favorite US cities. Though we’ve gone on many cruises, this was the first time we’d left out of Boston. We flew in a couple days early to have time to explore.

If you have any interest at all in American history, a visit to Boston is a must. Everywhere you turn there’s more to see and learn- Barry said he felt like he was walking through a history book. Our hotel was right on the Freedom Trail so we set out early in the morning to walk this path. The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile trail marked by red brick that winds throughout the city and passes by many important historical sites, particularly related to the American Revolution.

First stop was the Granary Burial Ground with tombstones dating from the 1600s. Graves include John Hancock, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin’s Parents, the victims of the Boston Massacre, and Samuel Adams. Across the street is the Beantown Pub, and Bostonians love to tell you it’s the only place in the world you can have a cold Sam Adams across the street from… a cold Sam Adams.

Another block further is Boston Common, a really pretty green space in the middle of the city. You can also see the Massachusetts State House from here with its signature gold dome, and the Park Street Church, built in 1809. It was the tallest building in the US from 1810-1828 and was the first landmark seen by travelers to Boston in much of the early 19th century. It also stored gunpowder during the War of 1812, so it wasn’t just fiery preaching that let it be known as “Brimstone Corner.”

We continued our walk, coming to the Old South Meeting House. This was the site of many meetings, including one in 1773 where colonists gathered to hear Samuel Adams give the signal that started the Boston Tea Party. Across the street is the Old Corner Bookstore. It was first built in the 1600s and has been a home, bookstore, publishing company, and meeting space for authors such as Longfellow, Emerson, Hawthorne, and Dickens. Sadly (to me) it’s now a Chipotle, but I guess at least it’s been preserved.

Next up was the Old State House, which is the site of the Boston Massacre, and a little bit further is Faneuil Hall. This is a historic marketplace and assembly hall opened in the 1700s that was also the site of many famous speeches.

We continued along the trail from here passing too many beautiful old buildings to name. We stopped for lunch in Little Italy, and somehow I didn’t get a picture of our amazing meal. Then we got dessert at a famous cannoli spot I remembered from previous visits. We made it to the Old North Church before turning around and heading back to the hotel to get ready for our cruise departure the next morning. After over 21,000 steps we were ready for some rest.

When we returned from our cruise the next week, we had another day to explore. We dropped off our luggage at our same hotel, and decided to check out the Hop On/Hop Off Trolley Tour. We really like doing these tours in lots of places we visit because they give you transportation and touring together. Though we had explored a lot of Boston walking the week before, this allowed us to go a little further. We passed by Bunker Hill, the Cheers bar/restaurant, and Boston’s own Holcaust memorial. The great thing about these tours is you can hop off if you want to explore a site a little further, then hop back on to continue seeing more. You can do this as many times as you want.

And finally, what’s a trip to Boston without a Red Sox game? We rode the subway to Fenway Park. We almost missed our stop, but fortunately, a very helpful and friendly local noticed our touristy Boston outfits and not only told us where to get off, but walked us all the way to Fenway, which was several blocks away. I hope I can be helpful like that to tourists in my town.