Boston is a city I've heard about my entire life. It's such a historical city for Americans; every citizen should visit at least once. Since my brother has lived there for well over 30 years and we never made it up there, a visit was well overdue.
I took a chance and booked a flight on Allegiant Airline. There are nonstop flights from my local airport and the price was right. I knew I could pack what I needed in a carry-on so I wouldn't have to pay for a checked bag, and I also knew I could go 2 hours without a snack. I had some episodes from a series downloaded onto my Kindle and my earbuds were all charged and ready to go, so I was all set. I was very pleasantly surprised. The flight attendants were very personable, the flight was very smooth, and the seats extremely comfortable. I won't hesitate to use this airline again.
My wishlist included quirky historical places, Salem, Cape Cod, and the Freedom Trail. Late May- Early June was the perfect time to be in Boston. The weather was cool and the crowds were amazingly sparse.
For a 360° view of the city, the top of the Prudential Building is the place.
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| View of the John Hancock Building, the tallest building in Boston |
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| Fenway can be seen from this view |
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| The Charles River with a view of Cambridge/Harvard |
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| Sailboats on the Charles River |
Freedom Trail
This was a long walk; if you have mobility issues you may want to think twice about attempting to walk. We did the trail in a day; however, if we went into all of the buildings we could have easily taken 2 days to complete it. We began at Boston Common but didn't go all the way to Bunker Hill, which was the end of the Trail.
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| Make Way for Ducklings Statues all dressed up for the Celtics. |
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| "Embrace": a tribute to Dr. MLK & Coretta Scott King. This is the better side; it's hard to tell what it is from the other side. |
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| Massachusetts State House from Boston Common; it opened in 1798 |
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| Boston Common (America's oldest public park) in front of Park Street Church |
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| Granary Burying Ground: Gravesites of notable people in American History such as Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin's parents, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine. |
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| Samuel Adams is also interred here. |
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| A mosaic marks the location of the original Boston Latin School which is the oldest public school in the USA (founded in 1635) |
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| The Irish Famine Memorial |
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| Old Corner Bookstore: Boston's oldest commercial building. Ticknor and Fields Publishing was housed here in the 19th century. This firm published notable works such as Walden by Henry David Thoreau, The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne), and Midnight Ride of Paul Revere (Longfellow). |
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| Old South Meeting House: Approximately 5000 people crowded inside and outside of the building before the Boston Tea Party |
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| It is well worth the admission price of $15 to tour this beautiful building. |
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| Site of the Boston Massacre |
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| Jewish Holocaust Memorial. Idenitification numbers are etched in the glass of this beautiful memorial. |
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| Paul Revere House |
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| We made a quick stop into St. Leonard's Catholic Church...the first Catholic Church built in New England by Italian Immigrants |
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| Stop into Modern Pastry Shop (and avoid the long lines at Mike's) for an incredible canoli, made just as you want it! |
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| Paul Revere Statue with Old North Church in the background |
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| Memorial to honor lives lost in the conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, and on terror |
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| Old North Church, famous for Paul Revere's ride ("2 if by sea"), is also the oldest church building in Boston |
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| Copp's Hill Burial Ground: the resting site of Robert Newman (who hung the lanterns in the Old North Church) and Edmund Hartt (builder of the USS Constitution). The British used the site during the Battle of Bunker Hill. |
Personally, my favorite area of Historic Boston was the North End, or Little Italy. Lunch was at
Ristorante Lucia, which was a good find off of Hanover Street on Harris Street. Exposed brick inside added to the charm of this Italian restaurant. There were plenty of options for anyone who is gluten free or vegetarian. Immigrants from Italy are the owners. It's website boasts that it is
the first restaurant to bring authentic Italian cuisine to Boston's oldest neighborhood.
Other Things to See in and around Boston
The Harbor (of course!), although the exact spot of the Tea Party is no longer in existence.
For something a little different (but I wouldn't call it "quirky"), visit the
James P. Kelleher Rose Garden in Fenway. It's part of the "Emerald Necklace" and is absolutely gorgeous, even when the flowers aren't out in full force.
Go across the Charles River to visit Cambridge, home to Harvard & MIT.
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| Christ Church, the oldest church building in Cambridge (1760), it was occupied by Continental Soldiers in 1775. |
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| Stone outside of the Harvard Law Building commemorating the site where Continental Soldiers gathered before the Battle of Bunker Hill |
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| Harvard Memorial Hall |
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| These 2 burying grounds are right beside each other. |
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| Inside St. Paul's Catholic Church, Cambridge |
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| There was an event happening on Harvard's campus so I wasn't able to walk around Harvard Yard. Hats off to security...I put on my thickest southern accent but they wouldn't let me in. |
Personally, I found Boston to be a wonderful city. It felt very safe, although I know there are places that are best avoided. It kind of had a European City vibe to it although the history is not as old. My visit definitely made me a fan.
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