Who's Your Audience

Prelude

Happy Anniversary to the Martins! When Hubby and I got married, we promised each other that we would take one mini-vacay a year at or around our anniversary. On this first anniversary, we chose Boston. Why? Well, we both love New England (what we've seen of it) and both love Boston. We had each made memories there in past lives but wanted to see the city anew. From October 9 through October 12, see it we did! From Faneuil Hall to Chinatown, we treked all over Beantown, ate all the seafood anyone could fathom, bought all kinds of paraphernalia, and boosted the economy with what little bit o' change we had. 

Arrival on Thursday

We arrived in Boston around 12:50 and promptly grabbed a cab to the Hyatt Place in Medford. We belong to the Hyatt Gold Passport program and try to stay there to collect free stays and other perks. Medford, however, was a bit out of the way. Although the hotel website touted "6 miles from downtown," we had to take the hotel shuttle to Wellington Station then ride the T into the city. I didn't mind the T. In fact, it was a memorable experience and really gave us first-hand knowledge of the city and its inhabitants. Every walk of life rode the T. Therefore, even though we won't stay that far away from our next city, we nonetheless enjoyed riding side by side with the locals and other tourists. 

Faneuil Hall

Since we had the afternoon, we took the T right down to Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  What would a visit to Boston be without some history? Fanueil Hall was built in 1742 by Peter Faneuil. At that time, Peter was the wealthiest merchant in the city. In 1826, expansion ensued and Quincy's Market was added to the center. Today it's still a hustling and bustling center for commerce. Our goal was to find a seafood joint. We always will go with a mom and pop establishment over the chain restaurant but at the tourist center of Boston, there were no mom and pops around. We settled on McCormick and Schmick's and were exceptionally pleased! Of course we started with the calamari. That, after all, is Hubby's favorite and we have tried it in many restaurants. This version didn't disappoint. We both ordered a Guinness. After getting up at 5:30 to get the dogs to the kennel and all that traveling (via plane, train and car on this day), we just wanted to relax. Hubby ordered the lobster roll and I ordered Blue Fish with mixed vegetables. I would definitely order Blue Fish again. Its texture reminded me of trout and it was layered with a spicy hot mustard sauce that surprisingly didn't overpower the senses. Of course you can't go to Faneuil Hall without shopping. We walked around the shops for a bit enjoying the smells of fried dough and sweat and then settled on the steps of Faneuil Hall and enjoyed a couple of ice creams. By the time we got back to the hotel, we both passed out and slept for an unheard of 10 hours!

Friday on The Freedom Trail

Bunker Hill

The Freedom Trail takes tourists on a walking tour of 16 historical sites around the city. It traditionally begins at the Boston Common but Hubby and I decided to start at Bunker Hill. The Bunker Hill Memorial is located on Breed's Hill, where the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War took place. The Battle of Bunker Hill was a victory for the British but they suffered immense casualties in the face of a cowtown army. It's amazing what farmers can do if they put their minds to it! The monument is 221 feet tall and encompasses 294 steps to the pinnacle. Thank goodness we chose to start here for, if we had ended here, I'm not sure I would have made it so switfly to the top! Oh sure, I had to stop a few times on the way up to catch my heart but once I reached the top, recovery time was minimal and the view was fantastic!

USS Constitution

Our next stop took us to the USS Constitution, the oldest warship afloat in the world. It's manned currently by an active US Navy Crew. The ship masts were not intact when we saw it but were diligently laying behind us on the ground. 

Copp's Hill Burying Ground and The Old North Church

After all that walking and climbing, we were quite ready for a coffee. We first went to Copp's Hill Burying Ground where many North End artisans and crafts people are buried. There were many infants buried in Copp's Hill as well and I noticed that the tombstone heads were adorned with skulls bearing angel wings. On further investigation, we found that this symbolized death and mortality. The coffee shop was located just across from The Old North Church. It was owned by a tight knit Italian family. How did we know this? Because we sat in the shop for a good half hour and watched the husband and wife team behind the counter. The sister was there as well sitting at one of the tables with her flipped 70s hair and muscles that would pound your friggin head if you messed wid her! The father intermittently walked behind the bar to grab this or that and then sat by the sister to discuss whatever. Soon another Italian family entered the establishment and it was suddenly a scene out of The Godfather. We enjoyed every minute of it and though they seemed right out of a mobster film, were a gentle honest family with first rate coffee. The sandwiches didn't look bad either but we already had lunch plans. 

Paul Revere House

The Paul Revere House was built around 1680 and is the oldest remaining structure in downtown Boston. Revere purchased the house when he was 35-years-old and it's the dwelling he resided in when he made his famed ride. It only cost $3.00 per person to walk the grounds and trek through the house which was quite small for such a large family. In the dining area, the table was set with fake food. One thing we noted was the size of the portions. You could fit the meat in the palm of your hand and the vegetables consisted of just three carrots. The cheese, however, could feed a whole family of mice! It's interesting how proportions have changed with commerce, development and gluttony!

Granary Burying Ground

John Hancock and his servant (Frank), Samuel Adams, Paul Revere and the five victims of the Boston Massacre all found their final resting place at Granary Burying Ground. Each of the 2300 markers tells a story about the 5000 folks who are buried there. About 20 bodies are enclosed within each tomb. I think of a cemetery as a place of solitude and quiet contemplation. At the time of day we were there, though, no one was resting. There were perhaps a hundred or more folks walking around the grounds, listening to the guides tell stories and learning about the rich history of Boston. We stopped to listen to one guide who told the story of John Hancock's wife. At that time, women had no rights. If their husband died, they were left without anything unless it was declared in the husband's will that they would take charge of the property. Apparently John Hancock wrote in his will that his wife would receive all property but never signed it before he died. The once richest woman in Boston was now without a roof over her head.