NoNames Xmas Vacation 2: Some Things Old + Some Things New
- Thread starter NoName
- Start date
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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
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
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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!
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!
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.
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.
Day 10
Final day in Boston and we were going to visit an art gallery that had intrigued me after I had stumbled across it in a Netflix documentary series called This Is A Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist. In 1990 the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum was robbed with the culprits and stolen art having never been found to this day. The stolen pieces are reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars and include multiple Rembrandt works among others. I found the documentary interesting so when we locked Boston in as a destination I thought it would be nice to have it on the itinerary. Tickets are available for purchase 4 weeks prior to your intended visit and I bought mine as soon as possible to avoid any chance of missing out. Price was reasonable at US$22 for adults. As a child under 18, NoName Jnr was free.
Same breakfast routine as yesterday before we were out the door walking the few blocks to the State subway station (Orange line) for the six stop ride. Managed to navigate the ticketing process and then we were in.
Ten minutes later we were off at Ruggles and walking through the streets towards the museum and another 10 or so and we were there.
We went in and began our look around. Lots of impressive art pieces in an equally impressive building. The collection is housed over three floors which surround a garden courtyard.
The courtyard in the centre of the museum is a spectacular feature. A definite highlight.
Every once in a while you will see empty picture frames. These are the frames of the stolen paintings and have remained in their original place awaiting their return.
Final day in Boston and we were going to visit an art gallery that had intrigued me after I had stumbled across it in a Netflix documentary series called This Is A Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist. In 1990 the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum was robbed with the culprits and stolen art having never been found to this day. The stolen pieces are reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars and include multiple Rembrandt works among others. I found the documentary interesting so when we locked Boston in as a destination I thought it would be nice to have it on the itinerary. Tickets are available for purchase 4 weeks prior to your intended visit and I bought mine as soon as possible to avoid any chance of missing out. Price was reasonable at US$22 for adults. As a child under 18, NoName Jnr was free.
Same breakfast routine as yesterday before we were out the door walking the few blocks to the State subway station (Orange line) for the six stop ride. Managed to navigate the ticketing process and then we were in.
Ten minutes later we were off at Ruggles and walking through the streets towards the museum and another 10 or so and we were there.
We went in and began our look around. Lots of impressive art pieces in an equally impressive building. The collection is housed over three floors which surround a garden courtyard.
The courtyard in the centre of the museum is a spectacular feature. A definite highlight.
Every once in a while you will see empty picture frames. These are the frames of the stolen paintings and have remained in their original place awaiting their return.
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Day 10 - Continued……
We had a quick lunch in the museum café (pretty good, big portions so recommend) before taking off for our walk back. It was around 5km to the hotel so thought it worth the opportunity to look around on the way. Took off towards Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Socks and quite close by. There was a college football game going on so no opportunity to go inside.
Kept walking past the Back Bay Fens before joining what looked to be a main shopping thoroughfare.
Had to go into the Tesla store!
We had a quick lunch in the museum café (pretty good, big portions so recommend) before taking off for our walk back. It was around 5km to the hotel so thought it worth the opportunity to look around on the way. Took off towards Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Socks and quite close by. There was a college football game going on so no opportunity to go inside.
Kept walking past the Back Bay Fens before joining what looked to be a main shopping thoroughfare.
Had to go into the Tesla store!
Day 10 - Continued……
We arrived at the Public Gardens (next to Boston Common) and took a stroll through towards Beacon Hill, which is an historic neighbourhood of Boston. The area contains cobblestone streets, elegant houses and some interesting sites. It was an enjoyable area to take a walk through.
Beacon Hill neighbourhood
Back down through Boston Common and towards the hotel.
Ice Skating! Not for us today, but our time would come!
It was late afternoon now and everyone was keen for a rest so we took the opportunity to refresh. Soon enough it was dinner time though so we took the advice of the concierge and popped next door to Broadside Tavern. We were looking for something easy and pub food fit the bill perfectly. Its literally across the street so very convenient. We were seated right away and proceeded to get straight into it.
No Name Jnr was happy with the seating arrangements!
Steak for NoName Jnr – only ok was his verdict and I recall having to help finish. Mrs NoName had the same.
Burger for me. Was quite good.
All up we were happy enough with the venue and would likely return if we were looking for similar cuisine in the area. However for now we were done, a quick ice cream for NoName Jnr and it was back to the hotel and in to bed. Boston had been great but it was time to head back to NYC on an early train tomorrow morning.
We arrived at the Public Gardens (next to Boston Common) and took a stroll through towards Beacon Hill, which is an historic neighbourhood of Boston. The area contains cobblestone streets, elegant houses and some interesting sites. It was an enjoyable area to take a walk through.
Beacon Hill neighbourhood
Back down through Boston Common and towards the hotel.
Ice Skating! Not for us today, but our time would come!
It was late afternoon now and everyone was keen for a rest so we took the opportunity to refresh. Soon enough it was dinner time though so we took the advice of the concierge and popped next door to Broadside Tavern. We were looking for something easy and pub food fit the bill perfectly. Its literally across the street so very convenient. We were seated right away and proceeded to get straight into it.
No Name Jnr was happy with the seating arrangements!
Steak for NoName Jnr – only ok was his verdict and I recall having to help finish. Mrs NoName had the same.
Burger for me. Was quite good.
All up we were happy enough with the venue and would likely return if we were looking for similar cuisine in the area. However for now we were done, a quick ice cream for NoName Jnr and it was back to the hotel and in to bed. Boston had been great but it was time to head back to NYC on an early train tomorrow morning.
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