October 20, 2018 - Boston-Freedom Trail, Part II

Title: October 20, 2018 - Boston-Freedom Trail, Part II
Hike Info : Description :  Background : Extra Photo's 

Trail head: Community College Station

Hike Info:

Type: City

Description:

I got up at my usual time, 7:30. But I felt a sore throat coming on. Not bad, maybe a precursor of things to come. Certainly will not make me bed ridden. Sherri fixed pancakes this morning. I must have been hungry as I ate a whole bunch of them. We must be getting a bit tired as we do not leave until 11:30 or so.

Bunker Hill Memorial

Our objective today is to finish the Freedom Trail. So we walk to the now familiar Orange Line subway, even though it is above ground and get on board. Today’s stop will be at the Community College station rather than downtown. After exiting the Orange Line, we walk up Austin Street towards Bunker Hill. We spy a CVS and procure some EmergenC for my cold.

Col. William Prescott

Now it is on to Bunker Hill. As the name might indicate, it is on a hill. So we go up this. Certainly not as steep as San Francisco hills, but still it is a good climb up. We pass by a church which catches Sherri’s fancy. The slogan for the church sounds pretty good: Love God, Love People, Make Disciples. It says it was established in 1632. Sounds like it is having a pretty good run.

At the top of Bunker Hill, actually its twin which is called Breed’s Hill, is an obelisk which was built in 1848 as a memorial to the battle of Bunker Hill.We see that a tour will start in an hour, so we select a side of the hill a little bit sheltered from the wind and have our lunch-peanut butter and Nutella sandwiches.

We wandered around the hill for a bit until the ranger came up the hill to talk with us. There was a group of about ten people. She normally would lead us down into the city some, but she hurt her knee making the journey a bit painful for her, so we maneuvered around the top of the hill, observing the area how the Patriots would have seen it.

She talked about how the British tried to outflank the Patriots, but an experienced Patriot was able to hold them off. The Patriots were also able to lob cannonballs into the center of the British officers. But the British found something at least as effective by rolling cannonballs up the slope, knocking down and killing or maiming anything in its way. Eventually the British won the battle, but lost a great number of men and officers in the battle.

USS Constitution

After the tour, we decided not to climb up the monument-it was either that or spend another day on the Freedom Trail. So we went down to the museum at the bottom of the park. This museum is run by the NPS and we looked around some more-Oh yeah, I bought some more passport stamps. It explained both the battle of Bunker Hill and how the monument came to being. Now it is time to follow the bricks of the Freedom Trail.

We head off down the hill towards the USS Constitution. It is a short walk ¼ to ½ of mile all downhill. When we get to the entrance to the USS Constitution, it looks like there is a minor-league TSA line formed. We pass through and into a mini-visitor center. We walk around through there, gaining a few facts-which you can get online-about the USS Constitution. Then it is out behind a fence and there she is. Most people are entering through the port side, which is the way you should go. We see that there is not much going on on the starboard side, so off we go that way. When get on board, there is a sign which says do not exit on the port side, so I can only imagine that we might have missed another sign.

Sherri Boarding the USS Constitution

We traverse the poop (top) deck examining the ship’s wheel-pretty impressive Then up to the bow area looking out over the bay. I ask about the flags and the person admits that they are mostly decoration for this part. These days they are mostly for things like “Party tonight, you bring the beer this time.” Then we decide we should go down below.

The first thing we notice is that the ladder down is a bit steep along with the opening is cause for me to duck under it. Then the height of the ceiling is OK, but there is cross-beams which causes me to duck every couple of feet. How tall were these sailors? There is a row of cannons, looking all shiny.

Sleeping quarters

The officer quarters look more like prison cells than anything luxurious. The crew? They slept on hammocks-even these looked short. There is a mess area-standard tables and chairs. I could only imagine what this would have been like in a storm. The other thing which I notice is that everything smells clean. I think that during a voyage, the air must have been pretty heavy with smell. We go down one more floor, but nothing really to talk about.

USS Constitution's canons

We exit the ship on the starboard side and walk over to the dry docks. The USS Constitution was rebuilt here several years ago. Then it is off to the museum. Here it talks about the construction of the ship and the battles it fought. Apparently it had the right combination of construction and speed to make it a formidable enemy.

Mess

It is getting a bit late so we continue along the Freedom Trail. This leads us over to Washington St and the Charlestown Bridge. At the start it says that a solid plate is an acrophobia free zone. Not sure how reassuring that it because the rest of the way is a grate so you can see the water beneath you. Lucky we are used to it with the grate at Delilah. Also there are some nice sights of boats all lined up in a row.

Leonard Zakim Bridge

But the main attraction going across the bridge-or more on the approach to it is another bridge-the Leonard P Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge. As we were crossing our bridge, the sun went behind the Zakim Bridge with clouds draped around it. Just a bit of nice eye candy this evening.

After crossing the bridge, we make our way up to Copp’s Burial Ground. Once again it is closed-we are getting here a bit late. But we can still peak in at what looks like some kind of ceremony going on. We watch for a few, then make our way down the street to the Old North Church. That is closing up as well. One of the classic views of this church is from a Paul Revere statue . The area is under renovation, but the statue is still there. So we go all the way around to get our view, along with some Korean tourists. Amazing the variety of people you see looking at our historic areas.

Boats from the Charlestown Bridge

It is getting dark now and I think we have walked the entire Freedom Trail. The question now comes up, like it does every night at this time, where should we eat? We think about the lady at the airport and say, The Green Dragon Tavern. We start walking downtown, crossing where the Haymarket Station was-this is where we caught the Orange Line a couple of days ago. Then following the bricks we get to a part of town which we recognize as close to the Tavern. We meander off of the brick path and find it.

Not much of a line there. We talk to a guy at the entrance about it-he works there. He indicated that the food is good. Make sure we get seated where we can see the wall. This is where the assortment of historical firearms and other items are on display. This tavern, or at least the forerunner to it as the original burnt in the 1850’s-is where many of the conspirators for the American Revolution met. Also one of the guides also said the British met here as well. We get seated and scan the menu. Independently, we decide that a shepherd’s pie is what we want. And it was pretty good. no dessert for us, at least at the Green Dragon.

Steeple of the Old North Church

We have had enough for the day, so it is time to get back to Malden. The State Station-below the Old State House is not too far from us. So we head there and descend into the bowels of the earth and pick up the Orange Line. We get off at Malden Station and walk to our AirBnB. There was rest and enjoy a couple hours of comfort before turning in.

Background
Reviews posted on TripAdvisor

Bunker Hill. We walked around the Hill which is really Breed’s Hill. A ranger’s talk was scheduled so we hopped on that-very recommended to get a good appreciation of how the battle formed around this area. You can go into the monument and climb the stairs to the top-but we did not. Also be sure to hit the museum at the base of the park.

USS Constellation. The ship is a worthwhile place to visit. You get a feel for what it was like to be onboard a ship during that era. The size of the quarters and height of the ceiling made an impression on me. I doubt that this ship was ever so clean while sailing. You should make allowances timewise to get through security. The museum was OK, but I do not think you would miss a whole lot if you skipped it. You should be able to find the information on Wikipedia.

Green Dragon Tavern. When I got off the plane in Boston, a woman asked if I was visiting? Yes. Then you got to go to the Green Dragon Tavern. The helpful Bostonian was right. Even though it was a Saturday evening, we got into the Tavern rather quickly even though it was full. After looking at the menu, my wife and I both ordered the Shepherd’s Pie-it just seemed like that kind of evening. A good choice. The pie was filling and tasty. Plus you got to be in an establishment which made history (the original tavern burnt down). It was a good choice to stop and eat at.

Extra Photo's

Bunker Hill Monument from the CVS Phramacy

Bunker Hill Monument from its base

Leonard Zakim Bridge

Leonard Zakim Bridge

USS Constitution

Flags where the USS Constitution Visited

Dry Dock #1 where the USS Constitution was rebuilt

Charlestown Seal

Leaonard Zakim Bridge

Old North Church Steeple from the Charlestown Bridge

Old North Church

October 17, 2018 - Boston, Freedom Trail Part I

Title: October 17, 2018 - Boston, Freedom Trail Part I
Hike Info : Description : Background  : Extra Photo's 

From the Freedom Trail site

Trail head: Downtown Subway Station

Hike Info:

Type: City

Orange Line Subway

Description:

I got up at 7:30 local time. That seems pretty consistent now. I had my quiet time. Sherri followed around 8:00. We get off to another slow start, but yummy start. Sherri fixed pancakes for us under a little bit of hardship conditions. While the AirBnb is nice and comfortable, the kitchen lacks a certain amount of equipment, such as a spatula. So Sherri improvised with a plastic knife we got from a restaurant. Another thing for a shopping list.

 

Visitor Information in Boston Common

We leave a few minutes after 10 for Malden Center station where we pick up the subway. The Orange train comes pretty quickly and we are on our way downtown. We stop at Starbucks for Sherri’s coffee fix. While I am waiting for her, a guy asks to use a power cable for his phone. At first I did not think I had one until I remembered my battery. His phone still would not charge. But we got into a conversation. At one point a lady came over in our direction-was this my wife? No. Then Sherri came over and my new friend approved. After that it was talking about sports.

Robert Gould Shaw Memeorial

We walked to the Common after Starbucks. The Freedom Trail starts at the Visitor Information place we stopped at yesterday. At 11:30, we started our walk on the Freedom Trail. We cross the Common and end up at the Robert Gould Shaw commemoration-not that it is part of the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail celebrates the Revolutionary War while the Robert Gould Shaw monument is about going to war, the Civil War.

New State House

We cross over and take a few pictures in front of the “new” State House. The new is in the late 1700’s. We thought about doing a tour, but we will hold off for another day as there will be lots of things we are seeing. The “new” State House is currently in use.

Park St Church

We cross the Common again and stand in front of the Park St Church. It looks closed today. But the description is that it is where several of the leading people in the Revolutionary War, as well as the abolitionist movement went to this church. Beside it the the Granary Burial Grounds. Several of Massachusetts leading Revolutionary War citizens (anti taxation) where buried here-Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere to name a few. We spent an hour or so wandering the grounds. Most of the grave stones were highly weathered, so it was hard to read them. Still it is a wonder to be among the graves of those who lead and fought in the Revolutionary War.

Inside the Kings Chapel

A short walk brings us to the Kings Chapel-even though most places seems to call it Kings Church. As the name sounds, this is a church which supported staying in the British Empire and then later on, were anti-abolitionist during the Civil War. In the churches which I have seen have pews all in a street line. Here, it seems more like box seats at a baseball game. The signs said that these were for those who well-to-do who would rent out the boxes for their families. The signs also indicated that the reason why people in the church supported slavery is that many of them owned the garment mills in Massachusetts, such as in Lowell, who depended on the cotton for their factories. Several signs show famous people who have been members of the Chapel. Also backgrounds of many people are given.

Kings Burial Grounds

Besides the church is another burial grounds. But the church and the burial grounds are not associated with each other. The church has its own crypt under the church. People like John Winthrop who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Richard Dawes of the Paul Revere ride fame are here. Plus a variety of other folks. These burial grounds are smaller than the Granary one.

Ben Franklin

On the church's other side is the site where the first public school in Boston (America?) stood. Now a Chris Ruth steakhouse is here. Also a statue of Ben Franklin stands towering over its visitors, with a fellow named John Quincy at his side. While interesting, I wander over to a side of the courtyard and see a donkey with a pair of shoe prints. Wonder what this is? Close by there is a sign which explains how the two current major parties came into existence. The symbolism of the donkey and footprints are explained-you can either stand with the Democrats or stand against them.

Free Little Library

Old Bookstore

Onward down to Old Corner Bookstore. Now it was around 1:00pm by this time. When we located the bookstore, we discovered it was a Chipotle. Somehow this feels a bit of a sacrilege. I guess if a school can turn into a steakhouse, a bookstore into fast food-a sign of our times. But across the way from the Old Bookstore, there is a new bookstall. Or more accurately, a Free Little Library. I am used to seeing these libraries as a little box stuck on a post. But this is a full size cart. Restores some hope. 

 

Old South Meeting House

We stand in front of the Old South Meeting House, but do not go in. Seems like there is a $10 charge for everything. I needed to figure out what is worth going in and spending our time and money on, and what looks mildly interesting. We make our way to the Old State House, but we come across a bit of modern revolt going on. One of the hotel unions is staging a protest in the streets. Lots of meaningless noise, no violence.

Old State House

We get to the Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre. Sort of interesting, Sherri and I have been at this site before, but we did not know it. We made a connection here Monday when we came in. Underneath us is the site of the State station where we did our transfer. At the corner of the building is a door leading down to the station. I guess space is so valuable here that they used the basement of the Old State House as a subway station. We do go into the upper building and look around the gift shop. But we think we will come back here when we have a little while longer to explore the museum and the building.

Faneuil Hall

Close by is Faneuil Hall. The first floor is befitting its history. It is an emporium of small shops, anchored by a park service visitor center. Right when we enter in, a man was giving an old style printer demonstration and explaining how books were produced and sold-by subscription. Once enough subscriptions were sold, the printing would be done. But there is something important which Faneuil Hall has for us, bathrooms! We go into the basement and make use of the facilities. Now it is hunger time, but we go outside where it is cool to eat. It is discouraged from eating on the benches below. Once done, we look around the shops. I look at the gift store and find they have a large assortment of National Park passport stamp sheets going back to 1986. I spend a wad of money procuring these sheets. I, with some forethought, had made a sheet of the sheets which I was missing. Now it is maybe about 10 of them.

Sherri found out that there will be an NPS tour going on the part of the Freedom Trail which we have not been on yet. After yesterday’s tour, we are up for it. So we wait around for it to start. A young lady-all of them are young now at my age-from down South is leading us. She starts by giving a lesson on Faneuil Hall and how it was built. Then we take off.

Paul Revere House

There seems to be a maze of streets. We cross over a pleasant looking parkway where many people are strolling through. Our guide explains that this area used to be part of Boston’s highway system, but the Big Dig put the highway underground. Now it is a delightful strip of green with water fountains. In the distance I see a gold topped dome. I asked what church it is? Boston’s Public Water Department. Surprise!

We continue on into the North End. We pass many Italian restaurants along the way on the way to the Paul Revere House. We are told that not only was Paul Revere living here, but his mother and his siblings. Then when he got married, and had a family, they lived here as well. Sounded like about twelve people lived here-the house did not look that big. We then move on to the Old North Church. 

 

Old North Church

It is at the Old North Church where the lines from Longsworth’s poem, Paul Revere’s Ride.

Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—

One, if by land, and two, if by sea;

We also learned that it was not only Paul Revere who road but Dawes also road to Lexington and Concord. There was a connection between Revere and the church’s sexton which allowed for the use of the church.

The tour ended here-it was getting a bit late. But Sherri and I went up the road a ways to Copp’s Hill Burial Grounds. The gates are closed, so we just peep over the wall to see what is in there-more headstones. Now it is time to think about food-dinner specifically. As was noted, we are in an Italian section. We wandered around a bit, going from one promising looking place to another. But the promising places all at lines. I had seen a place called Limoncello which thinking about the family’s enchantment for the drink, maybe this would be a good place. But the prices were a bit more than this cheap guy wanted to spend. So we end up at a place called Quattro which seems promising. We go right in and are seated. The service was good, but the food was a bit plain. But we eat and are satisfied.

While we were wandering around, looking for a place to have dinner, we spied an establishment called Mike’s Pastry. Unbeknown to us, there are three of these in the Boston area. All which we knew was that we had been seeing boxes being carried around Boston with that name and had seen a line out the door. When we stopped in, there was only a few people. So we got a mint chocolate-chip cannoli and a Boston cream danish.

Now it is make to Malden and our temporary habitat. As we make our way back towards downtown, we come across the Haymarket Station-which is on the Orange Line. So down we go. And now it is back to Malden. Then the ¾ mile walk back to the house. Here we enjoy a pleasant evening of rest.

Background

Freedom Trail sites
    • New State House
    • Robert Gould Shaw
    • Park St Church
    • Granary Burial Grounds
    • Kings Chapel
    • Kings Burial Grounds
    • First Public School
    • Ben Franklin Statue
    • Old Corner Bookstore now a Chipotle
    • Old State House. $8.50 for museum
    • Boston Massacre
    • Faneuil Hall. Ate lunch. Got tour.
    • Paul Revere house
    • Old North Church
    • Copp’s Hill Burial Grounds
    • USS Constitution
    • Bunker Hill

Reviews posted on TripAdvisor

Quattro. Three star. 264 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02113, (617) 720-0444. We were looking for a place to eat on the North side of Boston. After wandering around the area, we picked this one-not too busy, but still had people in it.I had the Ziti Caserecci all' Amatriciana, while my wife ate the Cuscinetti Ripieni di Pollo Arrosto con Funghi Selvatici. Her comment was that it was good tasting, but not filling-it could be because we were walking all day. While there was a substantial amount of the Ziti. I felt the noodles were a bit undercooked while the tomato sauce cold use a bit more flavor to it. The service was courteous and quick. He paid attention without being overbearing. My overall impression was that it was an OK place to eat, but not an unforgettable dining experience.

.Freedom Trail. Five star. This is a short walk between 2.5 to 3 miles. But it is packed full of American history-mostly of the Revolutionary War. With 14 (and probably more) different sites along the way, you can make at least a full day just visiting several of the places-we took two days. You can go on either a guided tour or one which is self-guided. There are many self-guided pamphlets-you can pick up a free one at the NPS visitor center. Also at the NPS visitor center at Faneuli Hall, you can go on mini-tours with an NPS interpreter-well worth the use of your tax payer money. One piece f\of advice-determine how much you want to spend and which places you want to go into before starting your walk.

Mike’s Pastry. There are three shops in Boston-we were at the North End shop. We had been seeing packages for Mike’s all over our walk along the Freedom Trail. So when we stumbled across this shop, we had to go in. Our order was for a mint chocolate chip cannoli and a Boston creme danish. They did not disappoint. So glad we stopped.

Extra Photo's

New State House

Daniel Webster

New State House

Granary Burial Grounds

John Hancock's Memorial at the Granary Burial Grounds

Granary Burial Grounds

Kings Chapel Organ

Josiah Quincy statue

Site of the first public school

Old State House

Old South Meeting Hall

Our guide at the Paul Revere House

Faneuil Hall Weather Vane-that really is a grasshopper on top

Old North Church