Boston

I have been to Boston several times so I knew to paaark the caaaar  as soon as we got there and hoof it. Tom and I had a horrible time trying to drive around Boston and we learned our lesson. But that’s a story for another day.

Boston is about 1 1/2 hours from the house in New Hampshire so we started early (well at least for me). The first thing we saw walking out of the parking garage was the Old State House.

 

This is the oldest surviving public building in Boston, , and the seat of the first elected legislature in the New World. If you don’t believe me I copied it from Wikipedia. I just told Dany and Maria it was famous. Aren’t I a good tour guide? I also told them I could make stuff up and they’d never know the difference. I was kind and just told them it’s famous.

This is also were the Boston Massacre was. That part I did know. Really.

Then we walked down the street a little bit and came to  Faneuil Hall. While there we happened to bump into a tour guide telling people about it. So I didn’t have to make anything up. Every president has been there and a lot of candidates announce they will run for office from there. I made no such announcement.

Then we went to Quincy market and did what we do best. SHOPPED. No yarn stores but there was a Christmas store there that Dany had to buy an ice cream ornament so Jimi Hendrix wouldn’t get hungry.  Then off we went to my favorite part of Boston---The North End. It’s an Italian neighborhood that you really feel like you’re in Italy when walking through it. And there’s also this place ---

you have not lived until you have had a cannoli from Mike’s pastry. It was really busy too, so I guess the word is out. If you’re planning a trip to Boston don’t forget to go there.

Continuing on The Freedom Trail we next hit The Old North Church.

 

This is famous for the lantern that they hung during Paul Revere’s ride to warn people. “One if by land, Two if by Sea”. They hung the lantern to warn patriots that the British were coming.

This is the actual window that they recently found during a renovation. I’m not making that up. Outside the church there is a garden with a dog tag for every soldier killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. We spent a moment there and I grumbled a lot.

We then walked across the big bridge and saw “Old Ironside”

This is the oldest commissioned Naval ship. It’s made of wood but they nicknamed it Old Ironside because it took a beating without falling apart. She was commissioned during John Adams presidency.

By this time we were worn out. I think the shopping did us in. So we took a cab back to the parking garage. We were just standing outside the garage “exercising” before we went back to the car. We had our bags on the ground and all the sudden someone came running out of the parking garage carrying a bunch of stuff.  Then he ran into some guy on the phone walking up. He stole something from the guy and then someone came out of the garage building asking about him. Apparently he stole a bunch a  $400 cashmere sweaters from a Joseph A Banks inside. We had our hearts a pumping. And very thankful that Jimi Hendrix got his Ice Cream Cone.