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Following the Freedom Trail
After a year in planning I finally wake up in America at the beginning of an epic three-month road trip. Following an intense first day stumbling into Boston it starts to sink in. We are here! And I am so ready to get up and start exploring Boston!
One minor inconvenience…
We have to wait for our keys to be delivered.
Upon our arrival into Boston last night we were challenged by the fact our hosts had mixed up our arrival date. Therefore not left the keys to the apartment in the lock box yet.
Consequently our first moments exploring Boston were not the smooth affair I had hoped it would be and we currently only have the master set of keys to the building that thankfully are kept on the premises.
Had they not been accessible our first night in America could have been a very traumatic affair!
Thankfully, as it is we are impatiently drinking Starbucks and making toast trying to figure out the Wi-Fi. The signal is shocking and works best standing in the kitchen which is a slightly odd place to try and write a blog post…
Acclimating to Airbnbs
The first night in a new place is always a bit of a discovery mission. Especially when staying in an Airbnb.
As well as the sporadic WiFi, the back room (where Ruth and I are sleeping) is bloody freezing!
Happily we rummage around and find a heater and we leave the bedroom door open to keep the air flowing which makes it was much more comfortable.
Time to Start Exploring Boston
Because January in Boston gets pretty darn chilly, our first day there was well into negative figures with snow in the air.
But we have a limited amount of time in one of the oldest cities in America (it can be traced back to 1630 when it first got its name!). As the setting of iconic historical events like the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party make the city one of the best places to learn about the American Revolution.
No other city in America has quite the historical kudos that Boston exudes (Philadelphia and Washington D.C come in at a close second and thirst place, but more about them later!).
So, we wrap up warm and ready to start exploring Boston at last, we venture out to visit Quincy Market.
Minor Geektor
Heading towards the market square however the first shop that catches our attention is (unsurprisingly) Newbury Comics.
Oh My God. It is humungous and by far more extensive than any comic book store in the UK. We enter a labyrinth of rooms knocked through to create subsections in the store where you can buy merchandise from any geeky please you can imagine.
Chewbacca furry hoodies, Doctor Who and Sherlock shirts, Game of Thrones eggs, Harry Potter uniform, Vinyl records, DVDs, and of course the latest comics.
Alex has decided to start reading the new Captain America series as we travel across the country, so we have many more of these stores to discover as we journey on!
Eventually we carry on towards our original destination, Quincy Market.
Quincy Calling
Named for Mayor Quincy, the man behind the vision of the market, the indoor “market house opened to the public on August 26, 1826. The two-story Greek Revival edifice of 535 feet in length and 50 feet in width allowed 128 food stalls on the ground floor and exhibition area on the second floor.” (https://www.quincy-market.com/history)
Today there is also a replica of Cheers inside (the original bar a bit further south) amongst the glorious the array of food stands running down the middle of the market.
Let me try to describe it better. In the market square there are three parallel long buildings, the middle of which is Quincy Market, each with it’s own entrance.
Consequently, you step inside from any entrance you choose and are met with a row of market stalls selling everything from bags and hats to strange lanterns and Boston paraphernalia.
Then you can go downstairs into sublevel stores that span the width of the building allowing you to walk all the way through and up out the other side. Here you are met with a mirror image of stalls selling different wares.
So we weaved back and forth, up and down, exploring the building and marvelling at the extensive and eclectic merch for sale.
The pièce de résistance
The best part of the market in my opinion, however, is up the steps where you’ll find a communal food court-esque seating area in the middle of the building. On either side you are met with the most astounding array of lunch choices imaginable.
The smells are incredible, everything from Indian curries, to sushi, to Italian, and of course Boston fare consisting of lobsters, clams and oysters. This is of course where we stop for lunch!
Alex and I dig into the most amazing clam chowder served in a bread bowl, that is warm and delicious whilst Hayley indulges in lobster bisque. To this day I can’t remember any soup tasting better and I still dream about going back to Qunicy Market to indulge again!
Tis the Season (always!)
After lunch we head back out from the other side of the market building, and like magic a Christmas store beckons Hayley like a moth to a flame.
Somehow this store is even vaster and more of a maze of rooms than the comic store.
Any type of decoration you can think of was in this store.
(Why someone would want a mermaid themed Christmas tree I can’t quite fathom, but that niche market has been fulfilled by the Boston Christmas store.)
Everything from dinosaurs, to martini glasses, to wellington boots is available for you to adorn your tree with. And this is how kismet led Hayley to setting up her first road trip mission: to buy a tree decoration from every city we visit!
(Spoiler alert: she totally succeeded! And this has become a continuing travel obsession!)
We go for a walk around the harbour next and head back north via a more westerly path.
Union Oysters
Along this route we discover some of Boston’s famous historical sights.
Discover Boston’s 9 Must See Sights
Walking along the Freedom Trail (although we didn’t know it yet) The Union Oyster House beckoned the seafood lovers amongst us. It is America’s oldest restaurant and is in a building that dates back to Pre-Revolutionary days. They started serving food in 1826 and have continued ever since!
Stopping here was so tempting, but still full of lunchtime chowder we gave dining a miss. I would love to go back one day and sample the oysters here though.
Jewish Memorial
Continuing on our walk, we come across a pedestrian only walkway housing glass towers emitting steam. Intrigued by the sight we cross over to get a better look and discover it is a memorial for the holocaust of World War Two.
The Boston Holocaust Memorial is dedicated to the memory of the 6 million Jewish men, women, and children – more than half the Jewish population of Europe at that time – as well as the other 5 million people killed by the Nazis.
Completed in 1995, each chamber you walk through is named for a concentration camp; the glass inscribed with the serial numbers the Jews were marked with during this abominable time in history.
We walk through reading the horrifying memories relayed by holocaust survivors, the memorial effective and unique in its tribute.
Exploring the Evening in Boston
We continue our walk north, heading back to our apartment as we are damn cold.
In case you haven’t already inferred this, Boston in January is FREEZING!!
Back in the warmth we watched some TV, planning the next day’s activities via taking it in turns to stand in the kitchen accessing the WiFI!
In the evening we decide to dine out at the Hard Rock Cafe, our last little splurge before we start cooking for ourselves!
Lots of food and a few too many cocktails have us in high spirits, culminating in Hayley declaring we don’t need to buy a US cell phone, we could get walkie talkies instead! Her genius idea leaving us crying with laughter we end the meal and head home to bed (some of us passing out fully clothed face down within seconds of getting inside… you know who you are!)
Exploring Boston Backwards
Our next day exploring Boston is set to be a trek of the Freedom Trail (backwards!) as we attempt to hit as many historical sites as possible along the way.
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile red line leading to 16 nationally significant historic sites. These sites include museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond. (https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/about)
The obelisk that marks the end of the freedom trail will be our starting point.
It is a wonderful if dicey snow-covered adventure as we walk to Bunker Hill, trying not to slip over on the red bricks in the pavement.
Alex of course decided to start throwing snowballs making our journey even more treacherous. There’s something about snow that brings out the child in all of us!
We walk north across the bridge and make our way to the Bunker Hill Monument and its 296 steps, that we fully intended to climb (honest!).
However, it is closed due to the ice so we make do with some photos and a quick look at the history of the obelisk inside the mini museum.
The monument is in memory of the 1000+ people who died in the Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775. It stands at 221-feet tall, made of solid granite, and was completed in 1842. During the battle, New England soldiers faced the British army for the first time.
The swift and bloody conflict “took place throughout a hilly landscape of fenced pastures that were situated across the Charles River from Boston. Though the British forces claimed the field, the casualties inflicted by the Provincial solders from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire were staggering. Of the some 2,400 British Soldiers and Marines engaged, some 1,000 were wounded or killed.” (https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/bhm.htm)
The history of the battle and it’s significance in greater Revolutionary History is explained in the museum and connects to many other sites along the Freedom Trail.
Including our next stop: The USS Constitution.
Exploring Boston’s Navy Yard
Nicknamed “old Ironsides” as cannon balls bounced off her strong wooden hull during battle, the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy and can be found in the Navy Yard.
Make sure you leave plenty of time to explore this unmissable site! Unexpectedly, we spend quite some time there in the end!
This is partly due to the incredibly interactive nature of the museum attached to the Navy Yard (which whilst perhaps intended for children, taught us British about American history in a nice simple fashion), and partly due to the hammock room…
Hammocks, who knew?! So comfy!
After a little rest in our newfound bedroom furniture of choice we practice hauling in the main sail which is only a few centimetres off the ground. Can’t imagine doing it 100 foot in the air whilst out at seas with no safety harness!
I also spend quite some time chatting with Frank, a local Bostonian who is in his eighties and part of the historical model making ship society. Very sweet guy, been married for 63 years! He shows us how he constructed a model whaling ship complete with mini harpoons and even a draw with a compass inside.
The detail is incredible!
It’s meeting people like this that makes travelling such a wonderful experience.
I never feel more positive and encouraged by human nature than when travelling. Despite what we see and hear day to day on the news and online, most people are good, kind, and generous souls. And meeting them and learning their stories is truly my favourite part of the travel experience.
Anyway, back to Boston!
USS Constitution
Next, we board the USS Constitution herself.
Interestingly the Constitution was the ship in battle with the HMS Victory located in Portsmouth Harbour from whence we hail. The French ship the Hebe was also in the battle, but we still aren’t sure where it has ended up.
A little task for us is to find that out then try and visit it so we will have been on all three.
The USS Constitution is in incredible condition and we are able to explore three decks, each of which gets more and more uncomfortable for those of us not the size of Hobbits.
I would like to say I only hit my head once in the forty-five minutes we are down there, so I call that a success!
Additionally, I also manage not to slip over climbing into the hull, so, #winningatlife!
We learn about food rations and why all the canons have names: apparently each gun crew would name their cannon, write that name in a bible then stow the bible under the canon for luck, which is how they know the names of all the guns.
Discovering the Freedom Trail
After walking the whole ship, we are getting hungry and so decide to make our way back over the bridge towards North Church.
It is at this point that Hayley discovers the actual marked path of the freedom trail which we had all somehow missed for two days!
Remember those red bricks I was cursing earlier for being slippery?
Well this line of slippery red bricks is an actual red brick trail to follow whilst on the Freedom Trail!
On the Path of Freedom
Happy in this new discovery we skip along singing ‘Follow the Red Brick Road’ passing through Copps Hill Graveyard on the way.
Named after shoemaker William Copp, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground is the final resting place of merchants, artisans, and craftspeople who lived in the North End.
The site of all these tombstones is raised above the ground level of the rest of the city and all date back to the late 1800s. The designs on the tombstones particularly interest me as there are only three repeated patterns: a winged skull, a cherub’s face, or an oil lamp with an overhanging willow branch.
Apparently, these designs are typical of the period, symbolising death and peace.
North Church
We stop for lunch at Little Italy café opposite North Church then take a quick tour inside the church.
Instead of rows of pews, a family would purchase a box on the ground floor and additional seating upstairs if required. The layout is unlike any church I’ve seen in England or indeed Europe. It was very elite when it was built, being of high social class the required status to worship there.
Nowadays the church is an open congregation, and anyone can sit anywhere they like, but if you desire you can still purchase a box. No one has taken up this option since 1942 though!
The next portion of the Freedom Trail is mostly where we have visited yesterday, so we follow the path back through the market square pausing to briefly take in the meeting halls and state houses.
It is snowing pretty heavily by this point and so we keep a brisk pace as the final leg of the trail leads us to Boston Common.
It is completely covered in snow and we of course celebrate our completion of the Freedom Trail with a quick snowball fight, an Alex snow angel, and a rousing cheer of victory: “To the pub!!”.
Cheers!
We walk a final five minutes to arrive at Cheers, the original site that inspired the 80s sitcom. It is now fully kitted out in memrobilia and packed full of phtots of the series. Overall it’s very over the top and a complete tourist trap, but quirky and enjoyable nonetheless.
After a few drinks in there and we decide to go home via Walgreens and cook dinner in our apartment on our last night in Boston.
It’s all flown by so fast! We have seen so much, yet there is still plenty more I would like to do and see.
For now it is time to say Goodbye to Boston, and soon time to start exploring New York City!
But as with all my travels, there had to be one more stumble on the way out of Boston…
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