Beantown-Part 2

Interesting nickname, there are other nicknames that sound much more dignified,  like the Cradle of Liberty or the City on a Hill.  Whatever you want to call it though, I enjoyed every minute we spent in Boston.  Tuesday morning we started out on the Freedom Trail.  Who would have thought that you could cover so much history in a short 2.5 mile walk.  Tuesday started out clear and beautiful and hot and humid.  Hot enough in fact that we went in a couple of places I hadn't planned on just to enjoy the air conditioning.  Luckily though the heat was the most intense early on and some clouds brought us some reprieve.  Really though the weather was very doable and I am grateful it cooperated so well for us.  The Freedom Trail takes you down a path that leads past churches and buildings that played a significant role in our history.  You also go through cemeteries where notable people like John Hancock, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere are buried.  The traditional start is in Boston Common, the oldest city park in the country, and ends in Charlestown with the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) and Bunker Hill.  I could just imagine being in the Old South Meeting House as they held the protest meeting that led to dumping the tea in the harbor, or being in the crowd that heard the Declaration of Independence read from the balcony of the Old State House.  As we walked through Paul Revere's house I thought of him and William Dawes who made the trip to warn everyone that the British were on their way to destroy the arms stored in Concord.  And who doesn't want to see the Old North Church of "One if by land, two if by sea" fame?                                             

Frog Pond in Boston Common

More Boston Common-Public hangings happened here until the early 1800's

So glad I did not have to wear those costumes!

State House

Creepy engravings like these were on most of the headstones

Paul Revere's  headstone at the Granary Burying Ground

The family by Samuel Adams marker

King's Chapel

Box pews in Kings Chapel

Inside the Old South Meeting House

Balcony of the Old State House

All these churches had the box pews.  Keep kids in, keep warmth in, you could even bring the family dog.  I am thinking it would have been nice when I had 2 preschoolers and a baby.

Faneuil Hall

Inside Faneuil Hall

Paul Revere's Home

Old North Church

Paul Revere's Statue

The Paul Revere statue was made by Cyrus Dallin who also did the Angel Moroni on the Salt Lake Temple.

Bunker Hill Monument

  Of course we had to stop for cannolis while in the North End at Mike's Pastry.  We tried several varieties and a lobster tail.  All delicious I thought. Probably not the most nutritious lunch, but it worked.

Before leaving Boston we walked quickly through the Boston Public Library and Copley Square.  What a cool library. WOW!  Trinity Church there is spectacular too.  Then we walked up Commonwealth Ave and into the Public Garden.  So beautiful!  Loved the George Washington statue as you walk into the Public Garden from Commonwealth Ave. Unfortunately after this we needed to be on our way.  We had a six hour drive to Palmyra ahead of us, but I will be going back some day I hope!  (We got to pay a lovely toll for driving in New York state again!  There were tolls everywhere, but they were the highest in New York.  When time would allow we took routes to avoid them, but that wasn't always a possibility.)

Boston Library

Trinity Church and Hancock Tower

Copley Square

Commonwealth Ave

                                      Beacon Hill