Faneuil Hall: An Historic...Strip Mall?
Written: Feb 15 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: festive, bright, lots of people, center of a walking tour of Boston
Cons: commercialized, chain restaurants and shops
The Bottom Line: I'm not going to be stuck-up and say that it's too commercial....you know what? It's fun and a nice way to meet Boston.
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| GuisBuild's Full Review: Faneuil Hall |
I am a native of Massachusetts with my family still residing in a small town about an hour west of Boston. In my years of schooling back home not once did the teachers say "Well, class, it's time for an historical field trip...off we go to Faneuil Hall." Yet when my fiancee, now wife, came out for her visit we headed straight for Boston and Faneuil Hall. I guess my standards aren't as stringent as those of my fifth grade teacher.
Historical?
There's not much in Boston that isn't historical in some form or another. Sure, chain stores and souvenier shops have taken over many of the buildings along certain streets, but the paths you're walking, the buildings housing those Tea Party T-shirts have historical significance in some way, shape or form. While things like our aquarium (interesting regardless of your age) are obviously new, these new items are swallowed up in the antiquity of surrounding buildings. And before you Bostonians laugh, imagining the sky scraper you climb into everyday to work, be sure I'm not stating that every Boston building is historical.
Faneuil Hall, pictured in the forefront of the photograph Epinions has shared, is a former meeting house as one can probably surmise from its shape. It was built in the 1700s and given to the city from a merchant by the name of (can you guess?) Faneuil. For those with some lingering remembrances of American history, this is from whence came the hearty slogan "No taxation without representation!"
Shopping
Now many have decried this Hall and its adjoining Quincy Market (and other strips) as being all about consumerism. The reality is that this building was all about consumerism when it was built as well. Even then it housed shops and provided shoppers with a way to purchase some of the fresh catch coming in daily. So today's Faneuil Hall, with its shops and restaurants and tourist memorabilia is not as much of a reach from what it was originally. Although, admittedly, I have never heard a good oration coming from the midst of its rather impressive columns.
The location, in the virtual heart of Boston, most certainly in the heart of tourist Boston, makes it a natural place for vendors to congregate. So while many stores are filled with "I (heart) Boston" pencils and restaurants hawking "authentic" clam chowder, other areas are really quite beautiful, especially if you don't have portend to be some historical potentate who only goes to authentic places when visiting a town. It's hard for me to believe that every tourist doesn't, from time to time, want to sit in a town's local shopping hub.
Come in the spring and summer and fresh flowers will spill out onto sidewalks from local vendors. Food smells will overwhelm (in a good sort of way) from the get-go, and from this central place you can give yourself a walking tour of Boston. From this Hall with its ever-present food, pay phones, and restrooms you can set off to see the duck boats, hunt for the real "Cheers", or walk up and down Beacon Hill. Yes, with a good pair of walking shoes it's all possible. Walk to the ocean, the aquarium, and even grab a few lobster-styled magnets for the Yanks back home.
Beauty
My wife came here on her first trip with me to the East. Being a gal from Michigan, with family in Chicago, she equated much of the festive-like atmosphere with Navy Pier in Chicago. And, to be sure, there are always a few vendors and chain restaurants that remind you this is not 100% history, the bright colors, the smells, the people...it all contributes to the felling that you're not home, you're on vacation, and this is the oldest "strip mall" you've ever seen.
Beauty is completely in the eye of the beholder. Think of this is your break from scouring hillsides to find the long-forgotten home of some ancient historical figure. You don't have to tell people you visited an historical strip mall. Just tell them you stopped by to use the rest rooms.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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Epinions.com ID:
GuisBuild
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 - Top 200 |
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Location: USA
Reviews written: 142
Trusted by: 87 members
About Me:
to a man with a hammer everything looks like a nail
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