Boston – The Spirit of America – Happy Trails 2 You…

Freedom Trail Walking Tour

We decided to forgo any organized Freedom Trail Tours and do it on our own. We secured a parking space in the parking garage under the Boston Common park. We parked on the lower level and had to walk 4 flights of stairs to get to the ground level. When we exited the garage, we were on the edge of the Boston Common, America’s oldest public park, and the beginning of the Freedom Trail.

The Freedom Trail is a red brick path through downtown Boston that leads to 16 significant historic sites. With maps and our Freedom Trail Audio tour, we were ready to for our historical tour.

Robert Gould Shaw Memorial – Union Army Colonel during the Civil War that commanded the first all black regiment.

The State House

On July 4, 1795 Paul Revere and Samuel Adams laid the cornerstone of the State House. A carriage drawn by 15 white horses, one for each state, brought the stone from the old state house.

Park Street Church

The church was founded in 1809 and is considered a church of “firsts”; First Sunday School Classes, first anti- slavery address, first radio ministry, and “America” hymn was fist sung on the church steps.

The Granary Burying Ground

Established in 1660 and used until 1880. Over 2000 markers are in the small enclosed yard, but, it is estimated that as many as 5000 are buried here. James Otis, John Hancock,Samuel Adams, Robert Treat Paine, victims of Boston Massacre. The twenty-five foot tall monument commemorates Benjamin Franklin’s parents.

King’s Chapel

The Puritans that came to the new world were fleeing the Anglican Church in England. King James II ordered that a new Anglican church be built in Boston. The Puritans refused to sell the King any Land. In 1686 a parcel of land(previously a burying ground) owned by the city of Boston was seized by the Governor. That site became the foundation for the Anglican Church Massachusetts.

The Old State House

This Building was built in 1713 and was the seat of government in colonial Massachusetts. On July 18, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from the balcony of this building. In 1976 Queen Elizabeth II addressed a crowd from the same balcony America’s bicentennial celebration.

Boston Massacre

The site of the 1770 Boston Massacre is commemorated with a circle of paving stones in front of the Old State House. The event is considered to be the first bloodshed of the American Revolution.

Faneuil Hall

Built in 1742 as a market resembling an English country market. The market had stalls for selling food stuffs on the street level and a large public assembly hall upstairs.

Paul Revere House

Built in 1680, this house is one of the oldest surviving structures in Boston.

Old North Church

“one if by land, and two if by sea”

The Old North Church is the oldest standing church in Boston. This church is one of the most important sites in the history of the American Revolutionary War. In 1775, two lanterns hung in the steeple, signaled to Paul Revere and other patriots, that the British were crossing the Charles river on their way to Lexington and Concord.

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Cheers – “Where Everyone Knows Your Name”

After we completed our walking tour, we hurried to find the Cheer’s Bar. ( I think that we had actually driven past the bar several times while looking for a parking space.) The original bar, Bull & Finch Pub, was founded in 1969 and was the inspiration for the poplar 1980’s sitcom Cheers. The historic landmark pub changed from a long-standing neighborhood gathering spot for locals into one of the must-see spots in Boston.

As we walked down Beacon Street towards the bar, we could see that scaffolding was set up all across the front of the bar. It figures! Once at the bar, we walked down the stairs, opened the door, and walked into a wall of people waiting for a table. We snapped a few photos and were on our way. Needless to say, we were a little disappointed!

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Note: On another trip into Boston, Ken dropped me off at Cheer’s and I shopped in the gift shop.

Plymouth Rock – “That’s it?”

I think that everyone that travels to the Northeast, has Plymouth Rock as a must-do activity. After all, our history classes taught us over and over about the pilgrims and Plymouth Rock. Plymouth Rock is the traditional site where the Mayflower Pilgrims stepped ashore in the New World in 1620. It is an important symbol in American history.

Plymouth is located on Cape Cod Bay and has a very picturesque harbor. As we parked our car, we could see hundreds of boats, in the marinas and on the water. We walked toward to the Plymouth Rock location in Pilgrim Memorial State Park. There we found the rock encased in a Greek-inspired granite canopy. We were both struck by disappointment rather than awe. I don’t think that we were expecting the Rock of Gibralter, but, we were expecting more than just a mere boulder. “That’s it?”

Before leaving the park, we took a short walk on the waterfront and saw the towering masts of the beautifully restored Mayflower II. At least it was fairly impressive!

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Hyannis and Hyannis Port

Hyannis and Hyannis Port are villages in the town of Barnstable, MA. We did a quick drive through of both villages looking at waterfront homes, boats, and beaches. Of course, I gave Ken directions toward the Kennedy Compound to see if we could get a glimpse. We were in the right area and the right street, but, we couldn’t get close enough to see anything. But, there were plenty of other homes to make us drool!

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