Boston: Museums

On Wednesday, October 12, we went to Finagle a Bagel at a friend’s recommendation. My breakfast was a New England melt, which was divine. Michael had a bagel with salmon spread and Mom got the traditional. Then we headed off to the Boston Museum of Science and explored the exhibits. We particularly loved the Pompeii exhibit, and left a bit teary-eyed.

After we had worn ourselves out and ridden a space travel simulator, we made our way to the Museum of Fine Arts and enjoyed the amazing permanent pieces, especially Impressionism and ancient Egypt.
We had lunch at the American Café, the museum café. I had a disgusting veggie lasagna, Michael had ceviche and asparagus, and Mom had chicken salad.

We left the museum too late to go to a restaurant, so we went back to the hotel and, after soaking in the hot tub for a while, we ordered falafel, chicken quesadillas, and an Asian salad from the hotel restaurant. Culture burst! It was a fun day.

Boston: Whale-Watching

Tuesday, October 11, 2011, was probably our best day in Boston. We drove into town and parked at Fanueil Hall and did some shopping. Michael and I bought a pair of Boston pewter peacock champagne flutes encrusted with crystals. We all bought souvenirs for friends and family. We grabbed a quick snack and then headed to the wharf.

For the next three to four hours, we had the most amazing time with Boston Harbor Cruises. We boarded a boat and rode at full speed about 45 minutes into the open ocean. It was a cold fall morning with clear blue skies, and Michael, like a champ, stayed on the prow of the boat the whole ride to save us a good spot. Why, you ask?

Because we were going WHALE-WATCHING.

Once the boat stopped, we crowded out to the deck and wormed our way to a railing. And then we saw it. It was Michael’s first time whale-watching, and his face lit up as we saw the first spray from a blowhole leave rainbows over the choppy water. As one, the people on the boat gasped and cried out and pointed to the water where a humpback whale had surfaced, just yards from the boat.

Usually, when humpback whales surface, they come up for air and dive for a good 15-20 minutes or so before resurfacing to breathe. So whale-watching can be a lot of waiting interspersed with brief thrilling moments. Not so that day. Right by our boat, at least four individual humpbacks were FEEDING on krill at the surface. So they appeared once every half-minute or so and posed for photos. Every time one appeared, we felt the same jolt of energy and the fun never wore off, even as we grew chilly in the brisk air. We even saw a single fin whale once.

We moved around a couple of times and spent almost three hours on that deck, exhilarated and giddy. Finally it was time to go back, and we reluctantly said goodbye and went inside the boat to grab a drink and a hot pretzel.

As we approached the silver city, we went back up in the spray at the front of the ship and enjoyed the view from the harbor.

When we returned, we wandered, slack-mouthed, back toward the city and eventually ended up at a famous Irish pub, The Black Rose. We couldn’t pass it up. Mom had the Black Rose burger with sweet potato fries, I had corned beef sliders and chips, and Michael had—of course—the seafood platter (haddock, scallops, salmon, and shrimp). Everything was good and we enjoyed the atmosphere and several drinks.

On our way back to the car, we did a little more shopping and wandered through the night market, where fresh fish and produce were haggled over by locals and we itched to have a reason to buy something.

It was a perfect day.

Boston: The Freedom Trail

On Monday, we drove into Boston and parked near Boston Common. America’s oldest city park, it dates from 1634. The weather was on the warm side for October in Boston, with a clear blue sky and light wind.

We did a walk-through of Central Burying Ground on the Boylston Street side of Boston Common. Revolutionary war fighters, Boston Tea Partiers, and early American poets are all buried here.
We then followed the red line painted on the sidewalk to the Massachusetts State House, the state capitol and house of government. It was Columbus Day and therefore closed to the public, so we only viewed it from the outside.

We followed the red line to the Granary Burying Ground (dates to the year 1660), the third cemetery established in Boston. We loved this spot. The final resting place of such greats as Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock, it also contains the grave of Mary Goose, who is suspected by some to be the real Mother Goose. Others say some Mother Goose stories predate the 17th century, but I like the idea.

We took a quick peek inside the King’s Chapel, a church founded in 1686 but built in the mid-1700s. The King's Chapel bell, cast in England, was hung in 1772. In 1814 it cracked, was recast by Paul Revere, and was re-hung. It is the largest bell cast by the Revere foundry, and the last one cast by Paul Revere himself. It has been rung at services ever since.

We are all three cemetery people, so we spent much more time at the King's Chapel Burying Ground. Founded in 1630 as Boston’s first cemetery, it was the city’s only burial site for 30 years.

Next up was the Old Corner Bookstore, which was regrettably closed for the holiday. I wanted to go in! The building itself was constructed in 1712 as an apothecary shop. From 1832 to 1865, it was home to Ticknor and Fields, a publishing company. For part of the nineteenth century, the firm was one of the most important publishing companies in the United States, and the Old Corner Bookstore became a meeting-place for such authors as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Charles Dickens.

We walked to the Old South Meeting House (built in 1729). This was a great spot because it was the largest building in Boston in 1773. On December 16, 1773, 5,000 people gathered at the Old South Meeting House to debate British taxation. After the meeting, a group raided a nearby tea ship. It was the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party.

After that we looked at the lovely façade of the Old State House (built in 1713), It is the oldest surviving public building in Boston.

Then we stopped for lunch at the historic Union Oyster House. Ye Olde Union Oyster House, open since 1826, is the oldest operating restaurant in the United States of America. The Kennedys loved this place so much they have a dedicated booth where you can sit and eat. I had crab cakes and green beans; it was okay. Michael and Mom both said their lunches were excellent. Michael had clam chowdah and oysters. Mom had a chicken sandwich.

Next we walked through the site of the Boston Massacre. We visited the Paul Revere house next and went inside after being charged a small admission fee.

Next was the Old North Church, which really sparked my imagination. Paul Revere's midnight ride on April 18, 1775 had everything to do with this building. Here is where the two lanterns were hung and the signal—“One if by land, two if by sea”—was used during the Revolutionary War.

By this time we had been walking and standing on concrete for most of the day, so we cruised through the next cemetery, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, founded 1659.

Finally we got to the obelisk. The Bunker Hill Monument was built to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill in the revolutionary War. The 221 foot granite obelisk was erected between 1827 and 1843. The Bunker Hill Monument is not on Bunker Hill but instead on Breed's Hill, where most of the fighting in the misnamed Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place.

We passed on the USS Constitution and took a cab back to Boston Common. There we found a trendy bar that played Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins to wait out rush hour.

Exhausted, we finally left and picked up some pizza from The Upper Crust pizzeria on the way back to the hotel. The pizza wasn’t very good.

We soaked in the hotel hot tub until it was time for bed.