Oot & Aboot: More than a feeling

Today I explored Boston, and its history. I had bought a Citypass for Boston which is a booklet for entry into about half a dozen attractions that is cheaper to buy than getting the individual tickets, by a lot. My first stop was New England Aquarium. I’m not a huge Aquarium fan, as I tend to think we have the best in Sydney, and I’m yet to see better. But, I had the ticket and it’s only steps from my hotel. I had a lot to pack in today, so I wasn’t planning on spending much time there. It was totally packed out with families and tourists. Thank you school holidays, so I really didn’t spend long there. I watched an Imax 3-D movie on sharks which was kinda cool and then headed into the aquarium. They did have an open space where there was a heap of penguins hanging out on fake rocks. I did feel sorry for them putting up with the noise of the crowds all day, I didn’t like knowing that. Apart from the penguins the aquarium had a HUGE central fish tank filled with tropical fish and small sharks that people would walk around on an ascending path. So I did that and then checked out the fish tanks along the outside walls and had had enough with the crowds and left.

After hitting up the aquarium I decided to start checking out the sights on The Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail is Boston’s biggest tourist attraction and is basically a path through Boston which leads to 16 historical sites. Many of the sites relate to Boston’s history as the birthplace of American Independence. There is a path to follow in a certain order but I kind of rebelled and did it in a way that suits me given where I was already and fitting into other things. So I started the walk and headed to North End or what should be called Little Italy. It’s filled with small streets lined with Italian eateries, with many of the people in the streets Italian too. I got a touch lost, but did mange to notice a Laundromat whilst lost, which I kept in the back of my mind as i'll need it. I finally got to one of the sites. My first site was Paul Revere’s House. Paul Revere is most famously known for warning John Hancock and Samuel Adams in the nighttime on horseback that the British Army were going to arrest them. The house has been left largely as is since 1775 except for necessary renovation. It’s a little brown wooden house and really gave insight into how people lived during those years. It was very busy the day I was there, as all the other sites would turn out to be too.

Next stop was just down the road to the Old North Church. The Old North Church is a beautiful church, often seen as part of the Boston skyline. It is Boston’s oldest standing church building and is still used today. Here, Paul Revere lit a lantern to warn the country of British troops. The church has the pews separated into boxes for families to be seated in with each having a plaque on it stating who sits there. At the front of the congregation, many of the pews were for Captains' families.

After checking out the church, I made my way to Copp’s Hill Burying Ground. The Freedom Trail is easy to follow as a red line just needs to be walked to these places. Copp’s Hill burying ground is the highest land on the North End and British Soldiers camped there amongst the gravestones during the revolution. Those buried there are mainly local folk, some wealthy and some not. You can barely make out the inscriptions on some of the graves because they are so old.

I then made my way over the Charles River and to the Charlestown Navy Yards where the USS Constitution is docked. The USS Constitution is the most celebrated ship in American history. It was launched in 1797 and has never lost in battle. It is still an active ship in the US Navy, obvious from when I showed up and saw all this cute guys in sailor uniforms. ;) It’s currently going through renovations but you can board it after going through all the heavy security to get in. A sailor showed us around and I have to say, I am glad I was never a sailor in those days. The food, the sleeping arrangement, it would not have been fun. By this point in the day I had walked quite a distance and it was getting pretty hot, so I was keen to call it a day after I checked out Bunker Hill Monument.

About 10 minutes from the Navy Yards was Bunker Hill Monument. Bunker Hill was where the first great battle of the revolution took place. The red coats won the battle, which may have been due to the fact that the Americans ran out of gun powder. You can go into the monument and walk the 294. I did this thinking it wasn’t going to be a big deal. It didn’t look all that far. Boy, was I wrong. I was so buggered by half way. Sweating like crazy and my legs had had it after a day of walking. Still I powered on and finally got to the top and checked out the view of Boston. It was a great view, so the shaking legs afterward was worth it!

After my little marathon of steps I called it a day and headed back to my hotel. After a shower I headed out for dinner. I had planned to check out this famous pizza place but it was closed by the time I got there. It was a Sunday after all. I ended up at Dick’s Last Resort Restaurant. It’s a chain of restaurant famous for their waiters to behave really rudely to customers. Its all an act and pretty lame but kids like it. I grabbed some fish and chips and spent the night talking to a group of construction workers who were in Boston for work from Michigan. After a few beers I headed to bed.

What I learnt today in Boston

Bostonians are a super friendly bunch. I love talking to the locals, hands down best accent ever!
I’ve been surprisingly interested in the history of the place, I thought it would be boring, but it’s pretty cool.
The slang 'grog' came about from life on ships like the USS Constitution and Americans never use it as slang for alcohol like we do in Ausland.