Boston - The Freedom Trail

I flew in late on a Wednesday night because of weather delays, I already told you it was wicked wet.

I checked into my worn yet historic digs at the Boston Park Plaza and caught a good night's sleep. The next morning I had a few meetings to attend and I was off. I decided to take the Freedom Trail Tour which begins at the Boston Common, a 50 acre park in the center of Boston that was originally the home to Indians, then puritans, then the British soldiers before they marched off to Lexington and Concord. I bought my ticket at the visitor center in Boston Commons from a nice fellow who provided me with so much information about the area I was almost overwhelmed. Then I had about 30 minutes to kill before tour time so I walked around the Commons and decided to hit the local CVS (luckily for me it was right across the street) and get a drink. I left and it started to sprinkle so I ducked back in to the CVS store in search of an umbrella. Alas, I found just the right one, actually it was the last one, for $10 and some change, and headed back to the tour staging area.

As soon as we started our walking tour the rain began to fall, again. Good thing I bought that umbrella! We left the starting point in front of the visitors' center at the Boston Commons and peered from under the canopy of the trees at the next stop, the New State House. After a lesson on the construction of the dome we moved on to the steps of the Park Street Church which was, back in the day, used as a gathering place where people were encouraged to speak. Notably, an anti-slavery speech was presented by Mr. Lloyd Garrison in the 1820s. Yes, that early.

We then moved on to the Granary Burying Ground. Apparently, not everyone was happy with our visit because no sooner did we step into the cemetery than the rain started to come down in buckets, well...I think it might have been barrels, and the lightening and thunder started to liven things up a bit, too. Our particular guide was most enthusiastic about this burial ground because of all the notables that were buried there (or had been buried there in the case of John Hancock, or was it John Adams?). The cemetery is the final resting place for such notables as the judge who presided over the Salem Witch Trials, three signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams, and Old Mother Hubbard whose tombstone was allegedly stolen by a fan of her work. After the stories while sloshing around in the mud and the threat of human remains rising to the surface in the cemetery that is home for approximate 20,000 others, we were all sopped, through our shoes and through our umbrellas.

We marched on to the lobby of the Boston Omni Parker Hotel, some of the rooms of which, as it was told to us, are no longer rented out because of the occurrences that might be thought of as hauntings. Other than that this hotel has been around for the likes of Charles Dickens who wrote and presented his piece A Christmas Carol, otherwise known as Scrooge. The restaurant in the ground floor is known to be where JFK proposed to Jackie O and many now or then famous persons worked there before attaining their fame status. After the ghost tales we ventured back out into the rain with our most optimistic guide who kept telling us that the rain would let up any minute.

On to Pi (apparently pronounced "Pee" by the locals) Alley which was the site of the Boston Tea party. No longer does this property edge up to the water though, over time the harbor has been filled in. But, when in Pi Alley while standing outside a Dunkin' Donuts that is housed there, we did a silly reenactment of the crowd on the day of the Tea Party. Everyone was told to yell really loud. I think we all agreed to participate because it was a longer respite form the wicked rainy weather. After our silly exercise, we headed out into the pouring rain, yet again.

We continued on to Faneuil Hall and the site of the Boston Massacre where the weather got the better of our guide so there our tour ended. But before the tour ended we were told that anyone can rent Faneuil Hall for free, all you have to do is sign up for the space during a certain time slot and it's yours. Now, that surprised me. Where else can you rent a piece of history for nothing?

While there and before moving on to Little Italy for dinner on my own, I did a little shopping for the kiddos. The tour was interesting enough but someday I'd like to do The entire Freedom Trail from beginning to end. It is good to have things to look forward to.