The Other Side of Beantown

When I went to Boston, my family and I focused on the history. Sam’s weekend in Boston is entirely different.

Sam starts Friday night at an Italian festival in East Boston. She learns how to toss a pie but enjoys chowing down more. She joins a biachi game before…entering a sausage eating competition?? She takes her place with a bunch of guys at the table. Let’s see if Sam is still standing after ten minutes. She stares in awe at her competitors as she takes her time with her sausages. At the end of the competition, Ian won. Someone get Sam some anti acid.

Sam meets up with an old friend, Glen, for a yoga class. She even gets a private lesson. He guides her through some of the poses. She thinks this is payback for some childhood taunting. Sam says good-bye to Glen and goes to find more food.

But first, she takes a trip to the Boston Commons to view a dragon dance by some Chinese Bostonians. They let Sam join after telling her how women wouldn’t have been allowed to do this in ancient times. Sam gets to play with the giant drum before going to Revere Beach for the food. She goes to Kelly’s and gets to go into the kitchen. They let her use the deep fryer, frying clams. Why am I not surprised? They next let her handle the window. We even get treated to a Bostonian accent when Sam asks for the tartar sauce.

After the rush, Sam goes to hang out on the beach. She watches people come to watch the sunset over the beach.

After the sun goes down, Sam goes to a swing dance club. She partners up with Rick, who guides her through the dances. She tells us that while the dancing was fun, her feet hurt. So what does Sam do? She goes to the bar, duh. Hey, the bartender mentions mocktails! We used to have those served at events at my college. I loved our strawberry daiquiri mocktails. She feels she’s in trouble because her bartender can make some great drinks.

Sam starts Sunday with a private sailing lesson at the Boston Sailing Center. They get the boat ready and wait for the wind to take them out to Boston Harbor. She and her instructor have to watch out for ships as it is an active harbor, much like boating around New York Harbor. She asks to see the USS Constitution and we get a shot of Old Ironsides herself.

Sam finishes at the Suffolk Downs, visiting the race horses. She tries to pick a winner. She watches as they parade the horses around and gets some advice from the locals. She puts money on horse number one. She was originally going to bet on “She’s on Fire,” who eventually wins the race. Sam goes to throttle the nice locals who encouraged her to switch. She bets on her friend’s horse, Hint Hint Hint. The horse comes in sixth. Sam’s determined to win. She bets on 2,5,6,9. Sam doesn’t win again. By the way, congrats to those who bet on Summer Bird at the Belmont and sorry to those who picked Mine that Bird.

Next week: Sam brings her mother and some friends on a cruise. Will they all survive?

Quote of the Episode:
“I’m getting into some rough waters with Gilligan.”—Sam at swing dancing

If you want to read about my trip to Boston last summer and/or see my pictures, they are right here on my blog under my August 2008 entries!

You Ought to Be In Pictures

Pictures from Boston and Salem!




This fine gentleman is Joseph Warren, who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill. His statue stands in the memorial, watching the poor souls who decided "Hey, 294 stairs? No big deal!" In life, he was a doctor. Now, he can't do much if you collapse after coming back down those 294 stairs.





The USS Constitution or "Old Ironsides." As you can see, she is not made of iron, just a lot of wood. She is also undergoing some refurbishment.


Fenway Park--one of the smallest stadiums used by the major leagues.

The late Ted Williams, a Red Sox and baseball great.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's house, originally a place where he boarded before his father-in-law purchased it. Longfellow's children also bought land across the street from the house and turned it into a park so nothing could block the view to the sea, which their father watched after his wife's death. George Washington also resided here during the Revolution.

Fanueil Hall, still used today as a meeting place and sits in front of the market place where we ate lunch.

And this is where we ate! Now, it's not located in the real bar that inspired Cheers, but it's a good replica of the show. Join in with me now: "Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name..."

The performance artist/moving statue that distracted me when we were on the ranger-led tour of the Freedom Trail.

The old Massacusetts State House, site of the Boston Massacre. From this balcony, the Delcaration of Independence was first read and is still read on July 4th.

Paul Revere's House. Guy in picture not Paul Revere, just some random guy passing by as I took the picture.

The spire of the Old North Church, where the lanterns hung the night of April 18, 1775. The view is from Copp's Hill (which I accidentally called "Cobb's" Hill. I'll be amending that shortly. Sorry, Boston!)

A house by the Charleston Navy Yard. It's probably used by the naval officers who serve on the Constitution. But I just love the design.

And now to Salem, MA. Here's the sign for the museum we went to. You can miss it. It's the gothic church near Washinton Square.

A rare picture of me (I usually don't like to post pictures of myself on a public site) and one of Salem's famous residents. See that little sticker? In Salem, they use it for the museums. It's like your ticket in. I have a bunch of them which are probably strewn across New England and New York.

The Narbonne House, the house of contrasts. You can see the additions made to the house throughout the years.

The Derby House, owned by one of America's first millionaires. A bit more square-shaped than the Narbonne House and not as old. Pretty much the few places where the house isn't green.

The Customs House, built after Salem's Golden Age of Sail as a sign of the government's confidence the trade industry would bounce back. Nathaniel Hawthorne worked here.

The view from the sea front of Salem. This is view is the main reason I told my dad that if I didn't live in a city, I'd live in a New England coastal town.

Would you? Where's your dream place to live?

Silent as the Grave...

As stated, I went on a walk around a cemetary while in Boston. Here are some famous people I found:

Here is John Hancock's tomb.

This one is for the victims of the Boston Massacre.

Their neighbor, Samuel Adams. Note the beer bottle.

And lastly, Paul Revere's tombstone. Pretty simple compared to everyone else's.

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.

All Aboard

So, we're in Boston! And I'm writing this post in red in honor of the Boston Red Sox (though I walked around in an FDNY shirt and a Staten Island Yankees cap). For anyone going to Boston, I would pay attention to what we did today and really consider it.

We made reservations yesterday to go on a bus tour of Boston. The bus picked us up right outside of our hotel at 9:10 AM. There is a bus that goes to different hotels located in the same area and that makes up your group. Our driver, Neil, took us into the city so he had to navigate the traffic. We started at Breed's Hill, where the Battle of Bunker Hill was fought because the American army official thought Breed's Hill would be a better choice. There is a monument there where you can climb to the top--warning, it is 294 steps and no elevator. The last time I saw a sign warning me there were 294 steps, it was the London Tube telling us the stairs were for "Emergency Use Only" and to take the lift. My family climbed to the top, my fear of heights kicked in and then our legs were like jelly for the next two hours.

We piled back into the bus after most of us climbed the monument and headed over to the Navy Yard. Docked there is the USS Constitution, built in 1793 and still in service, manned by members of the Navy. My family did the museum there, which has a 19 minute movie about what the USS Constitution means to America as well as the history of the ship. The upstairs has an exhibit dedicated to just the War of 1812. After our time in the Navy Yard was up, we continued on a bus tour around Boston. We saw where the Boston Massacre occurred, the Massachusetts State House, City Hall, Beacon Hill (also home to the location that inspired the show "Cheers"), and then, we made a quick stop at Fenway. I'm not much of a baseball fan but even I had to get off to see this legendary park.

After Fenway Park, we went on a college tour over in Cambridge. We visited MIT and Neil told us about some of the pranks seniors have played using the Dome of Knowledge, like when they turned it into R2-D2. After MIT, we drove further into Cambridge until we came into Harvard University. There were many students walking around and I couldn't tell if they were college tours or orientations. Neil told us there is a statue in Harvard with three lies written on it. It is of John Harvard, except it is actually the artist's friend pretending to be Harvard. It says he is a founder, but he just donated his money and books to the school. And the statue says it was founded in 1638, but was really opened in 1636. Harvard just died in '38 and they named the school after him due to his post-homous donation. Our last stop in Cambridge was to the Longfellow House, where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lived.

After Cambridge, we returned to Boston to Fanueil Hall. It is a market place comprised of the original Fanueil Hall as well as three new halls: Quincy Market, South Market and North Market. Both South and North have stores as well as food places while Quincy is just all food. There are also other stores located in the market place and I saw a Wagamama's. It's a noodle place I ate at in London, which I loved. If they are expanding into North America, I am excited. It is cafeteria style dining and the food is delicious. We ate at Sam's Cafe/Cheers--a replica of the famous bar. I had a BLT sandwich with Italian dressing--very good though the bacon tasted off to me. We finished off with ice cream and returned to the bus.

Our last stop was to Copp's Hill and the Old North Church. Now, throughout the day, Neil has been telling us how Paul Revere's role was greatly exaggerated. While he did make the ride to Lexington, he was one of a few riders and he was the one who told his friend to hang two lanterns. He wasn't riding to warn the countryside moreso to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams, who the British were coming to capture. And he didn't do that--the British got him as he entered town. Fellow rider William Dawes, Jr. got the message through. At Copp's Hill, we saw the gravestone of Robert Newman, the man who lit the lanterns and hung them in the Old North Church. Because of a curfew, the British troops came to arrest him but had to release him due to lack of evidence (thanks to that same curfew). We saw the Old North Church, but since the famous bellfry is 14 stories up and our legs are still angry at us for Breed's Hill, we just viewed the Church and listened to a quick information session.

And that was the end of our day. We returned to the hotel, relaxed our sore legs and then went across the street to Bickford's for dinner. I had one of the best grilled chicken clubs of my life followed by a hot, delicious apple crisp I shared with my mom.

As for the bus tour, I would definitely recommend it for newcomers to Boston. If you like to do things at your own pace, though, you may want to skip this. We were given time limits on how long we spent at each place--Breed's Hill was 20 minutes while the Navy Yard was about an hour, for example. But as a way to get a great tour of the city without walking or fighting traffic, it's a definite. It's also a good way to acquainted with some of the sites you may want to see while in Boston. So if you are staying a few days in the city, definitely do this first.

We're going back to do the Freedom Trail tomorrow, so I'm going to hold off the pictures until then.

Federal City

The Travel Channel has dedicated this week to Staycationers, those who are opting to stay close to home for their travel needs due to the economy and soaring gas prices. (There was report a week or so ago saying that auto-related deaths are down across the country. Gee, wonder why?) So, Samantha Brown's Great Weekends fits right in to this theme as she shows us how to have a good weekend in Washington DC.

She arrives in Georgetown and goes for a kayak ride. The river looks incredibly blue and offers a great shot of the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. Next, she goes down to a neighborhood known for its jazz. Sam shows off her bar tending skills, making a sangria. Mmm, sangria. There are times I do worry for Sam as she is constantly in the alcohol on these shows. She next visits a restaurant where the people will feed you off their own plates. Samantha jokes that she is always asked for tips on how to save money on trips and this will be a new suggestion--go someplace where people feed you! The people laugh. Samantha visits an outdoor market that reminds me of the one I went to in Stratford-Upon-Avon. She finds a vendor selling books, including some naughty books. Next, Sam finds some interesting key holders and has some competition for one. She tells the other woman they have to duke it out and you can see the other woman thinking, "I can take you."

She goes to an open mic night to listen to some poetry, but doesn't recite any of her own. I'll admit I zoned out at this point--poetry isn't my cup of tea. On Sunday morning, Samantha goes for a popular brunch in Washington. She makes some friends at the buffet line, kinda flirting with the two men. Hello, Sam, you're married! But this isn't your ordinary buffet, no, this one comes with it's own drag queens! They perform songs, deshirt some guy and one is wearing the Jennifer Lopez dress. You know which one I'm talking about. You think these drag queens would update their costumes. Looks like they make enough money to. I once went to a drag show. In fact, we're cleaning our basement and I found the picture my French class and I took while there. It was great, though one girl and I spent the rest of the year debating whether or not one was actually a girl or not. Of course, we also went to Catholic school, so that wasn't part of the Quebec trip we told the administration about.

It looks like Sam had a lot of fun, but I must admit that I'm a history nut. Espcially American history. So while some people may enjoy wandering around these local spots, I'd be at the museums. In fact, I even recommend doing the International Spy Museum. It is a fun day (you need to budget a few hours to do the whole thing) and somethings are pretty interesting to learn. Like the whole section on spy gear you think are just props from a James Bond movie--except that they are actual tools of the trade. The museum also comes with a section dedicated to the history of the "world's second-oldest profession" and some of its most famous practicers. (My sister: "What's the world's oldest profession then?" Me: "Prostitution." Sister: "No, seriously." Dad: "No, it's prostitution.") I also suggest Ford's Theatre, especially if you are able to catch a presentation. We had a park ranger who was well-versed in the story and a gifted storyteller. I sometimes forget that there were no actors involved at ALL in the retelling, that's how vivid he was. And then don't forget to journey across the street to the House Where Lincoln Died. You try to figure out how they fit the tall president on such a small bed.

Oh, and did I mention that these last two places are free? (Sorry, the International Spy Museum isn't).

Well, I don't know where Sam will be going next week. I'll probably pick it up while watching something on the Travel Channel. It'll be a laugh if she's in Boston as I will be in Boston. And I'll be switching to a travel blog for the week--lucky you! And if you've actually been coming for my recaps of "Secret Life of an American Teenager," I'm afraid I'll have to skip next week. Sorry!

Anyone out there reading this? You going on vacation or have been on vacation? Want to tell me about it? Been to Boston? Want to tell me places I simply HAVE to go to? Share! I want to know!