On the Trail

Another day in Boston! We didn't drive in since that would be suicidal, but drove over to the Wellington station to take the orange line in. A nice woman gave us a TIP that I'm going to give to you: If you go in by train (which may be your best option), then buy the Charlie card. You can put the amount you need for everyone that day and it's $1.75 compared to the $2.00 of regular tickets. I know this doesn't seem much, but if you're a family of four like us, you save a whole regular ticket price for a round trip.

We got off at State Street, which put us near the Old South Church. Nearby is the Visitor Center, where you can pick up a 90-minute tour given by a park ranger. It's free and full of good information. Our guide took us to five different locations. First, we went back to the Old South Church where she talked about the Boston Tea Party. It was from this meeting house that Sam Adams gave the signal for the other Sons of Liberty to board the ship and throw it over board. We next went to the site of the Boston Massace and heard the story. A good visual is the start of HBO's John Adams miniseries. From there, we walked over to Fanueil Hall. Our ranger guide talked about how it was an important meeting hall, but I'll admit I was distracted. There was a performance artist pretending to be a statue as tourists stopped to watch her. Unfortunately, none of them freaked out when she moved like I had seen in Disney and Stratford-Upon-Avon. Now that's funny. As security moved the artist, I returned my attention to the guide, who explained Fanueil Hall was still an important meeting place even with City Hall across the street. We walked from Fanueil Hall to Paul Revere's house, which is the only wood house amongst a bunch of brick ones. And now located in the heart of Boston's Little Italy. Afterwards, we ended at the back of the Old North Church by a statue of Paul Revere. He faces St. Stephen's Church, which was once Puritan and his place of worship. Now, it's Catholic and the Kennedy's.

After we finished with the Old North Church, we crossed a bridge to the Charleston Navy Yard to revisit the USS Constitution. Though first we needed to find something to eat--and lo and behold, there is a place to eat at the Yard. I had a BLT (without tomatoes) and it was pretty good. Maybe not the best I've ever eaten, but filling then. We finished and past through security to visit the ship. There were two options: a thirty-minute guided tour or a ten-minute self-guided tour. If you want to go below decks and hear the history of the ship, go on the guided tour. If not, if you just want to go on the ship, then take the self-guided tour. Either way, it's free. There is a new visitor's center, which traces the ship's history through the 19th and 20th Centuries. We finished off at the museum, going through all of the War of 1812 exhibit. A must-see there is a short video where they recreate the USS Constitution's most famous victory, against the British ship the Guerriere, using the words of the sailors present on both sides.

After our visit to the Constitution, we went back over the bridge where now people had gathered to go fishing in the Charles River. As I walked past, one guy was looking for a measuring tape to measure the striped bass he had caught. And trust me, it was pretty big. We returned to Fanueil Hall so my sister could get some shirts she had seen the day before while my dad got some more ice cream. I got a book about the ghosts of Boston because I couldn't go on a haunted tour.

And then it rained. So we hung out with everyone in the marketplace under the awnings as a thunderstorm rolled through. Three little kids next to us were enjoying themselves, using the storm as a giant sprinkler. As the rain died down, they started chanting, "We want rain!" over and over.

Once the storm passed, we went to two of Boston's cemetaries. The second one, Granary Burying Ground, is a must see for the people buried there. The tomb for Benjamin Franklin's parents sits prominently in the middle of the cemetary so you can't miss that. My dad and I couldn't find Mother Goose's (yes, the Mother Goose) grave, but we found Paul Revere's. He has a big headstone though next to it is a weather-worn, small stone which reads "Revere's Tomb." What it means, I don't know. Hancock's grave is in it's own nook and the second tallest after the Franklin tomb. It is also surrounded by some grave's which read "Servant of Hancock." We found the grave stone for the five victims of the Boston Massacre, including a child whose death started to fan the flames that lead to the night of March 5, 1770. Right next door is Sam Adams' grave. It is surrounded by American flags, marks him as a signer of the Declaration of Independence as well as a Son of Liberty. And sitting on top of his tomb--a bottle of Sam Adams beer. TRIVIA (courtesy of Neil from the tour yesterday): The picture on Sam Adams bottles isn't of Samuel Adams. It's Paul Revere!

We returned to our hotel and boy was that train CROWDED! We were packed in, reminding me of my days on the London tube. Now, we're just sore and resting up.

Tomorrow: Salem, Massacusetts! And my camera's dead, so I need to change the batteries to upload the pictures I took. Also, I need to send the pictures I took on my phone to myself as well. I may post them tomorrow or do a whole post of just pictures. We'll see.