Boston: Day 5

Wednesday was our last day in Boston and we decided to walk the Freedom Trail, which is a 2.5 mile self-guided tour through the city leading you past 20+ historical sites. We took the T to the Boston Public Gardens and walked through there again since it was sunny and almost 70 degrees, a big difference from the cold and rain on Saturday. The flowers were in bloom and everything look gorgeous.

View of downtown Boston behind the George Washington statue

Another view from Boston Public Gardens

Todd & I

We walked to the start of the Freedom Trail in Boston Commons. There's either a red brick path or red painted line along the entire trail so you know where to go.

Todd at the beginning of the Freedom Trail

The markers & red brick line identifying the trail

The first stop was the Massachusetts State House. The dome is actually made from gold too.

You can see the red brick path leading up to the State House

Then we headed to Granary Burying Grounds where Sam Adams and John Hancock are buried.

A few stops later we were at the site of the 1st public school, which was founded in a 1635. It was located where the Benjamin Franklin statue is and behind it is Old City Hall.

Todd thought it was funny that Old City Hall is now Ruth Chris's Steakhouse

The Old State House was the site of the Boston Massacre as well as where the 1st reading of the Declaration of Independence was held.

The balcony was where the Declaration of Independence was read and the circle on the concrete island next to the traffic light marks the site of the Boston Massacre

Faneuil Hall was a market place and a meeting hall from 1742 and today, along with Quincy Market, it serves primarily as a market for vendors and restaurants. We decided to stop here for lunch. For Columbus, Ohio natives, this place was similar to the North Market.

Faneuil Hall

Quincy Market

Todd tried the seafood mac & cheese with shrimp, lobster, and crab

The Freedom Trail then took us to the North End. We made a quick detour to Mike's Pastry for cannoli & Boston Cream pie.

The famous Mike's Pastry

Best known for their cannolis
In the North End, we saw Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church.

The side of Paul Revere's house

Famous Paul Revere statue with the Old North Church in the background

As we walked across the river, we could see Bunker Hill in the background

We only had 2 stops to go but still quite a bit of walking! First, we went to the Charlestown Navy Yard and saw the U.S.S. Constitution. The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. It first launched in 1797.

U.S.S. Constitution

Our last stop on the Freedom Trail was up to Bunker Hill. The monument stands 221 feet tall and we walked all 294 steps to the top. This was the site of the 1st major battle of the American Revolution.

We had a great view of Boston from the top

We walked back to the docks and took a ferry and then the T to our hotel so we could get our luggage and head to the airport.

We had a great 5 days in Boston and I'm so glad we went even though I didn't run the marathon. I will definitely be back next year and ready to race in 2011!