We spent our first day fighting traffic and paying $36 to park in an MTA parking lot. It doesn’t help that I am in the middle of a book about the Bulger brothers, (Billy and Whitey) and the corruption that Boston is famous for, especially the MTA! Nevertheless, once you forget the traffic and the crowds there is a lot to see. This is the Old Meeting House, the site of the Boston Massacure…
This is the Old City Hall..
There is a ring of park between the city proper and the waterfront…
Cathy met some redcoats (not the UGA type). They had really convincing accents until they told us they were locals…
We walked by the Paramount and decided to go inside, It was getting hot and they had A/C…
The next morning, we arrived at 7:30, before the traffic and before the crowds…why? To run of course. I met with a running group in the morning that ran the entire Freedom Trail, so we had fun, missed the crowds and learned something. This is the new State House. The gates are used only when a sitting Governor leaves office. The actual entrance is on the side.
The flag to the left of the State House marks the spot where Patrick Henry had his home.
This is a monument to Civil War Union General Joseph J. Hooker. Contrary to popular belief, he is not the source of the prostitutes being called “hookers”.
In the morning, without the crowds, it was easy to spot someone. This is Cathy, across the street from us running by, making friends with Sister Lucy.
This is our lead runner, several time Boston Marathon finisher, talking history with us. The gentleman in blue is a marathoner from Brazil.
Since Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, but became famous, worked in and is buried in Philadelphia, Boston made sure that his birthplace is noted. It was where this building now stands, in a little wooden home.
Cathy and I went by the bookstore across the alley from this plaque twice but did not notice it either time. We did buy a couple of books, though.
This is the marketplace across from Faneuil Hall. The long buildings used to be wharves, before the bay was filled in to allow for more growth.
This is Faneuil Hall, facing the marketplace. Several presidents have given significant speeches in the upstairs hall.
This is the home of Paul Revere.
Here is he famous statue of Paul Revere with the Old North Church in the background. Time of day and cloudy conditions did not make for a great photo-op.
The British saw the signal lantern in the Old North Church and the man signaling Paul Revere ran down the stairs while the British were running up the other set of stairs to capture him. He escaped by jumping from this second story window. The window itself was bricked in after the event. Gerald Ford commissioned a replica lantern for the church and this is it, burning in the closed window. I took this shot holding the camera over my head as the open window was on the second floor.
This home, ten feet in width, recently sold for almost $1mil. IKEA must have furnished it!
This headstone, in Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, is that of a rum runner who supplied Bostonians with the supply of liquor. He is buried here with his wife. The dark circles you see on the stone is from musket balls. The British used the headstones as targets during their occupation.
His wife “got one in the eye”.
This is our group running across the bridge. The guy in the red had has run in ten Boston Marathons.
A view from the bridge…
Here is a Paul Revere memorial. We had one runner that was deaf and the city supplied an interpreter. She is up front, to the right of our leader.
We ran up the hill to the Bunker Hill Monument. BTW, The Bunker Hill Monument is not on Bunker Hill but on Breed’s Hill. Apparently the militia could not read maps.
The USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) in dry dock for repairs. It was scheduled to be re-floated the very next day. Great timing, huh?
Returning to the dock to catch a ferry back to downtown…
I saw this remnant of a building and decided to take a sidestep to see what was inside. A pretty neat set of water sculptures/fixtures/park. This was on an active naval base so I didn’t venture too far.
Here is a view of Boston from the ferry boat. It was a ten minute ride back to downtown.
A photo our run leader. She is on the right.
My ship awaits…
Random shot of the harbor on the way back…
Travelling with the Schinglers 