Boston

Monday, October 26, 2009

We drove to the subway station nearby and took the train in to Boston Common where we signed up for a guided tour of the Freedom Trail. It ends at Bunker Hill in Charlestown. Red bricks are embedded in the sidewalk from historic place to the next historic place. Sometimes, the line is painted red. Our guide was dressed in a costume and he joked a lot - a little too much sometimes.

The Commons was a grassy area downtown where cows grazed in the old days. Must be an English custom. It has a reputation of being the first public park in the country.
Nearby was the State Capitol with a golden dome on Beacon Hill - the tallest hill of Boston's three hills. It is often referred to as the new State House to distinguish it from the old one on State Street. Next was Park Street Church - also known as the Brimstone Corner - probably because brimstone - an ingredient in gun powder - was stored in the church during the 1812 war. Next door, on land that was once part of Boston Common, is the Granary Burying Ground. The first burial was in 1660. This tree shaded cemetery is the final resting place for many famous people - for example all the signers of the Declaration of Independence. The head stones have been moved so many times that they do not correspond with actual graves.

The King's Chapel was built in the late 1600's when King James II ordered that there had to be an Anglican church in the colony. The Puritans were irate and refused to sell any land for this purpose. The governor then seized a portion of the adjacent burial ground and built the church. He is supposed to have stated that dead people do not complain. Most of them were Puritans and they would probably turn in their graves. Only British officers and the governor worshipped in the King's Chapel.

Talking about Puritans. They were so strict. A sea captain returned home after six months and kissed his wife. But it was Sunday and that was not allowed on a Sunday so the captain had to stand with his head and arms locked in the stockade? by the church. What is it called?

The country's first public school - Boston Latin School - opened in 1635. Samuel Adams and Benjamin Franklin were educated here. A few steps away is the Old City Hall with a statue of Franklin in front depicting all his accomplishments: printer, scientist, inventor, military officer, politician, statement and signer of Declaration of Independence.

The Old South Meeting House was actually a church but it was the largest building in Boston so it was frequently used as a town meeting place when crowds were too big for Faneuil Hall. There were many heated gatherings here before the revolution. The Boston Tea Party happened immediately after a meeting here.

The Old State House had a balcony where the royal officials announced their decrees to the colonists. However, on July 18, 1776, the tables were turned, when the Declaration of Independence was first read publicly from there.The Boston massacre occurred below this balcony in 1770. A circle of stones marks the site of the massacre. Our guide told us a story about it, but I only remember that the cause of the shooting was that there was a fire nearby and somebody yelled "fire" and the shots were fired that killed five persons.

This was the end of the guide's tour but not of the Freedom Trail. First we wanted to have lunch so we checked out Quincy Market. The building was full of food stalls and restaurants. I still had never had a lobster roll so I had to have one. It actually is a hot dog bun filled with lobster. There were counter stools there so I wanted to sit there as there were few places to sit in the whole place. But Jalil did not want seafood. I asked if Jalil could sit there and eat something else. They graciously agreed. He had a glass of wine to give them some business.

The Faneuil Hall was under repair but we walked around inside and bought a history book.

The trail now took us - without a guide - to a small island between the streets called Carmen Park where the Holocaust Memorial was. The Monument consisted of six etched glass towers dedicated to the jews who lost their lives in Nazi death camps. I especially liked that the other groups (gays, gypsies, mentally sick, etc.) who were not jews, who also were killed, were mentioned in the memorial. You seldom hear about them.

Nearby was the city's old business district the Blackstone Block with narrow, winding streets. The Union Oyster House was built around 1713 and is one of the oldest restaurants in the city. I snuck in to look around and took my no flash pictures. A woman by the counter asked if I ever had eaten there. "It is the best!" Too, bad I was not hungry.

I took a picture at the Ebenezer Hancock House, where John Hancock's brother lived.

The Haymarket was not open but we saw a sign advertising Halal meat. We crossed the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. In the crosswalks near the Haymarket there were
metal artwork embedded in the street like banana peel, etc. It caught your attention.
This area was developed after they buried the freeway underground - the Big Dig.
In the background of the Greenway you could see a modern bridge but I cannot find the name on the map. Hwy 93 crosses it. Does anybody know the name?

On the other side of the Greenway is the North End, the Italian district - the heart of Boston's first neighborhood. There were Narrow streets winding around the area with many Italian restaurants. It used to be a very poor neighborhood. Here the trail took us to Paul Revere's house - a two story clapboard structure overlooking North Square. It was built in 1680 and is a rare example of early Colonial urban architecture and is said to be Boston's oldest building. Paul Revere was a silversmith, who also did copper plating, engraving and worked as an express rider delivering messages for the patriots. The most famous ride was at midnight April 18, 1775, which was made famous by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, warning the patriots that the British were coming. According to our guide, Revere was not the only one bringing this message to the patriots but because of Longfellow's poem, people believe he was the only one. Supposedly, Revere's wife was unhappy with the living he made, so she encouraged Longfellow to write the poem.

Nearby is the brick walled Paul Revere Mall which is lined with trees and must be an
oasis in the summer. In the middle there was a statue of Paul Revere on a horse. Near the brick wall was a display of military dog tags hanging belonging to soldiers who had died in Afghanistan.

At the other end of the Mall was the Old North Church - probably Boston's most revered landmark - built in 1723, the oldest church in Boston. It played a role in the American Revolution. Lights were hung in the belfry arch of the church as a signal from Paul Revere that the British were about to march - one if by land and two if by sea. The steeple has blown off two times by hurricanes.

Just up the hill from the church is an old cemetery from 1660 on Copp's Hill. During the revolution the British troups camped and supposedly used the head stones for target practice.

We now returned on our own back to the Visitor Center. Jalil asked what we could do at this time of day. It was getting dark. We were recommended to take the subway to
the Prudential Center. Nearby was the huge First Church of Christ, Scientist. It was so beautiful in the sunset. We wondered if Chuck and Janet Grant had been there.

At the Prudential Center we took the elevator up to the top, where we could see all of Boston in the sunset. Very beautiful. I tried to photograph it. Right then Dylan called very excited. He had lost a front tooth!!!! He is so wonderful! I had a hard time hearing him as there were so many people up there. Afterwards we had to walk in a maze through a lot of fancy stores to reach another subway station that connected to Malden without having to walk on the street. Why can we not have such a nice system in the Bay Area?