Walking the Freedom Trail, What We Liked, What We Skipped
Written: Oct 20 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lots of History
Cons: Lots of Walking!
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| scottcolson's Full Review: Boston |
Review Topic: Sights & Attractions
I'm taking a break from my usual medical epinions to write a little about our recent trip to Boston. I hadn't been there since I was 5 years old and my wife had never been.
When we planned the trip, we received all sorts of information about things to do in Boston. One of the places we saw over and over again in all the paperwork was the Freedom Trail. It looked like one of those places you had to do, so we went!
Probably the easiest way to get there is to get off the "T" (Boston's subway, see my epinion on riding the "T") at the Park Street station. T his is on the red line and the green line. From there you enter Boston Common. There is a Visitor Center in Boston Common and you can get maps and more information there. Then the walk begins....
I should state that it is a 3 mile walk from one end to the other. There are trolley tours that you can pay for to ride, rather than walk, but we decided to walk. There is a red line along the path, so it is easy to follow. I did it even though I had my foot immobilized because of a stress fracture!
Here they are, from 1 to 16:
1. Boston Common: This is the 48-acre park that begins it all. It is beautiful! We didn't spend much time there, but it's sort of neat to know that the park has been there since 1634!
2. The State House: This is Massachusetts's legislative building. The outside was all under construction when we went there, but when we finally found our way into the building it was really incredible. There are a lot of old statues and portraits there. The building tells a lot about Massachusetts history.
You can go into the Senate and House of Representative rooms. These are the actual rooms where they meet to create laws. We were there on a Saturday and we were able to walk around on the floor of the House. There was a really neat Court Officer there named Jim who taught us a lot of history. We spent a lot of time in this building!
3. Park Street Church: This church dates back to 1809. We didn't to go in because it is open by appointment only. However, they do have services on Sunday at 9am, 10:45 am, and 6:30 pm.
4. Granary Burying Ground: This is next to the Park Street Church and dates 1660. We skipped over this (Who wants to look at gravestones?!?), but for those who are curious, the graves of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin's parents, and the victims of the Boston Massacre are buried there.
5. King's Chapel: This old church dates to 1754. We couldn't go in because they were preparing for services. Of note, it was the Headquarters of all the colonial Anglican churches before the Revolution, and in 1785 it became the first Unitarian Church in America. They have services Sunday at 11am, Wednesday at 12:15 pm, and a Tuesday recital 12:15 pm ($2.00).
There is a Burying Ground at King's Chapel which dates to 1630. It is the final resting place to governors, prominent religious figures, and many of the founders of the Massachusetts colony.
6. Site of the first Public School/Ben Franklin's Statue: The first school ws built in 1635. There is a statue of Ben Franklin nearby. Unfortunately, this area was all roped off when we were there. There was a wedding reception or something like that going on. Honestly, other than the statue, it didn't look like much.
7. Old South Meeting House: This was built in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house. There is apparently an exhibit inside about the Boston Tea Party. We skipped this for two reasons: the crowds were incredible, and there was an admission fee. In addition, from the outside, it didn't look like much.
8. Old Corner Bookstore: Welcome to the tourist Mecca! OK, maybe not quite. The Old Corner Bookstore was built in 1718 and housed the people who published Thoreau, Emerson, and Longfellow. The building is pretty, but the inside looked like a plain, ordinary, tourist oriented, bookstore. We skipped it.
9. Old State House: This was really cool! It had a small admission fee (I think around $3). This was the original State House and is Boston's oldest public building (1713). It is a really neat old building inside and has some incredible museum exhibits that trace Boston and America's history. It is definitely worth it.
10. Boston Massacre Site: Across from the Old State House is the spot where British soldiers killed 5 early Americans. This was the beginning of the trouble between the British and the American subjects. Somehow, we missed the spot where it happened!
11. Faneuil Hall: OK, here, we really messed up! Everyone has asked me, "Did you see Faneuil Hall?" Well, we strolled through it. It looked like a lot of little tourist stands selling everything under the sun. We weren't impressed. However, apparently there is a large area with tons of food. There are supposed to be a large variety of all kinds of food. Oops! We missed it.
Unfortunatly, we breezed through Faneuil Hall because we were hungry. We were in a hurry to stop at the place not on the official Freedom Trail Map: The North End. The North End is an old part of Boston you walk through on the Freedom Trail. It is famous for it's Italian food. I don't remember the name of the place we stopped at, but it's right after you cross the "Big Dig." I had some lobster ravioli that were to die for!
12. Paul Revere House: This was another place that charged admission (I believe $2.50). It's worth it! This house was built in 1680. Paul Revere owned it from about 1770-1800. He had 2 wives (the first one died), and fathered 16 children in this house. The guides teach a lot of history, but the lines were bad!
13. Old North Church: This is the famous church where the lanterns hung telling Paul Revere that the British were coming by sea. ("One if by land, Two if by sea.") It is an incredible church. The inside is very plain, which sort of surprised me. They lead you in and teach you a lot about the history of the church. It is open daily 9-5 and Sunday's services are at 9 am, 11 am, and 4 pm.
14. Copp's Hill Burying Ground: This is up a steep hill from the Old North Church. Another Cemetery, another one we skipped. Dates back to 1659. It is open from 8 am to 6 pm. It was Boston's second burying ground.
15. USS Constitiution: "Old Ironsides" is really neat! It was launched in 1797. You can tour the boat and there is also a museum that is good for adults and children. We didn't get to go underneath on the ship because we got there so late, but we walked around on the upper deck of the ship. Words cannot describe how historic this is!
16. Bunker Hill Monument: The final stop on the Freedom Trail was too much for us. After "Old Ironsides," we had to go to the "T" and head to see Blue Man Group. I'll write about that in a minute. Anyway, Bunker Hill Monument commemorate the first major battle of the American Revolution. There are 294 steps to walk to the top for a view of Boston. Also, there are exhibits about the battle.
Wow, that was a lot. Overall, I recommend doing the Freedom Trail because of all the history. Maybe it would have been easier to take a tour and not walk?!?
Maybe, I'll head back to medical topics soon. I just need to come up with some topics.
Thanks for reading all of this.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
scottcolson
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Member: Scott Colson, MD
Location: OH to NV, to IA, finally in MN!
Reviews written: 106
Trusted by: 91 members
About Me:
Family Physician practicing in the Twin Cities, MN
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