NoNames Xmas Vacation 2: Some Things Old + Some Things New

[ellen10]

I'm really enjoying following along on your trip report.

Great photos , thanks for taking the time to share.

 

[NoName]

Day 9






We had noticed some roadworks going on out the back of the hotel when we returned the previous evening. No issue we had hoped but not the case as despite being several floors up, the noise was audible most of the night. More a dull sound than anything but enough to be disruptive. We considered but ultimately decided not to request a different room and thankfully the works did not continue on subsequent nights.

Boston day 2 was going to involve some walking which didn’t exactly thrill the other two. Surely the Freedom Trail is a standard must do when in Boston? They didn’t see it that way but came along anyway.

The hotel had given us daily $10 vouchers for the café next to the lobby so went down to get some breakfast for us – hot chocolate and some muffins etc. After this we were ready to go so headed out the door in the direction of the start of the trail a short walk away.




The Freedom Trail is a 4km long path through Boston that visits a number of historical sites. Most sites are very close together so other than towards the end there really isn’t a long walk between looking at things. Most are free, however some require a payment to enter. We didn’t feel the need to do this though. The sites are very easy to find yourself without much effort, however the trail is marked by red bricks which make it even easier to follow.

First stop was a snow-covered Boston Common and it was a beautiful sight!

Up the hill right next to Boston Common is the Massachusetts State House





Next is the Park Street Church



And right next to the church is the Granary Burying Ground which contained the graves of many historical figures.

 

[NoName]

Day 9 - Continued……





Next stop was the King’s Chapel and Burying Ground




One of many Freedom Trail markers



The first public school site is next to the chapel.



Benjamin Franklin statue on the site of the school



Next to the school site is the Old Corner Bookstore which appears to have been turned in to a Chipotle. I’m sure exactly what the Founding Fathers envisioned



Across the road is the Old South Meeting House which is where the Boston Tea Party began with large public protest meetings taking place here prior to the revolution.

 

[NoName]

Day 9 - Continued……





A short walk down the road to the Old State House



And right outside, the site of the Boston Massacre.




Faneuil Hall is described as being “where the sons of liberty proclaimed their dissent against royal oppression” and seems to have been the site of protests and debates surrounding historical events of the late 1700s.



The hall is also right next to Quincy Market so a perfect place to stop and grab a slice of pizza. After a rest to rejuvenate the feet of the two others we continued on. It was a reasonable walk to the next site so off through the streets we went. Out of downtown and into the North End.

Christmas tree love!

 

[NoName]

Day 9 - Continued……





Next stop was the Paul Revere House which as the name suggest is the house owned by the historical figure of Paul Revere. Under a bit of maintenance when we were there so not the best photo.



On we walked….




Paul Revere statue on the way to the next site. Cue Fugue For Tinhorns….



Next was the Old North Church




By now Mrs NoName & NoName Jnr had decided they were done with the walking so decided to head back and have a rest. Probably a good idea as the last part ended up being much longer than the rest of the trail. We said goodbye and I headed on towards the Copp’s Hill Burying ground – another cemetery with the graves of historical figures.




Another marker to help keep me on track




Kept following the trail which now took me across the river

 

[NoName]

Day 9 - Continued……





Once across the bridge it was a short walk to the USS Constitution which is the oldest commissioned warship afloat and fought in the war of 1812. Went aboard and had a look around which was interesting.








Museum. Did not venture in.



The final stop was the Bunker Hill monument which was a reasonably strenuous uphill walk of several hundred metres.

Nicely decorated park along the way



Got to the monument quickly and easily enough too.



Quickly discovered that you can walk to the top of the monument so of course had to do that. Wow, this was a workout!

Well earned views!





Came back down and that was it. Freedom Trail done and dusted!

The end of the trail!

 

[NoName]

Day 9 - Continued……





It was a couple of kilometres back to the hotel so texted Mrs NoName to let her know I would be 20 or 30 minutes and began the walk back through the streets.

Arrived back in pretty good time, freshen up from all the walking and then we headed out again to check out something that had caught NoName Jnr’s eye – the Boston Museum Of Illusions. This is located right next to Quincy Market and given it was on the way to our dinner venue it was a convenient activity. Its pretty much as the name suggests – a venue housing a bunch of illusions, most interactive. It was lots of fun.





Actually felt sick walking across this!

We spent an hour or so in the museum and when we came it the sun had gone down and it was dinner time. Back through the streets to the north end where we were going to try to find a suitable Italian restaurant which is what the area is known for. Mrs NoName had researched a couple of options but the lines to get in ended up being too long. Eventually we found a suitable place – Bencotto - and after a very short wait we were in. The restaurant wasn’t too bad, quite crowded in terms of the number of tables they had tried to fit in but not to the point where it was uncomfortable. We ordered and pretty quickly we were dinning in to what were quite large dishes.

Standard pizza for NoName Jnr



Seafood pasta for Mrs NoName. Again a standard for her. Flavour was fine but she did mention not being thrilled with the seafood itself. I think one variety may have been overcooked.



Carbonara for me. This was pretty good. Large portion though and did struggle to finish.



All in all we were pretty happy with this choice. There are so many Italian options to choose from in this area though so we would likely try a different place if we were to return. Back through the streets feeling very full and maybe 15 minutes later we were back at the hotel. It was definitely sleep time at this point. Showers and pretty soon after we were down for the night.