Boston - Day 2

After a relaxing night and a luxurious shower in the morning, we took a walk to get some breakfast.  We knew about Mike's Pastry but we learned about Modern Pastry, another establishment on the next block.  The statement about the two was that Mike's was for the tourists but the locals preferred Modern.  So, we decided to be like the locals and headed to Modern. 

We stood in line and there was a moment where we felt like we were in a Seinfeld episode - "No soup for you!"

Finally, the line cleared out and we were able to order.  It was nice that they had breakfast sandwiches so we sat down and did some people watching.  The three gentlemen at the next table were conducting a transfer of a van from one to another - I guess it proved that the locals liked Modern.

Mike's gets busy as the day goes on so we decided to go there early to pick up some pastries.

It's definitely set up better for tourists - the afternoon before, the line was down the block when we went by.

Their specialty was cannolis and they advertised about 15 different flavors.

Yes, we took home a few

Rather than carry around our goodies, we took them back to the hotel and rested for a bit.  And then we were back at it.

A quick walk around Faneuil Hall, an historic marketplace and meeting hall, located near the site of the Boston Massacre in 1770.  It was opened in 1742 and was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain.  It is sometimes referred to as "the Cradle of Liberty".

Quincy Market may be the most visited destination in Boston, an outdoor shopping area located next to Fanueil Hall.  Quincy Market was converted from an old indoor open market to a shopping area many decades ago, completely revitalizing this area.

Boston has fascinating burial grounds with many patriots and founders that are, amazingly, still in the middle of the city and surrounded by large, contemporary buildings.

Mary Chilton Winslow was a Pilgrim and purportedly the first European woman to step ashore at Plymouth when she was 13 years old.  Her father, James Chilton, was the oldest passenger on the Mayflower at the age of 64.  Mary married John Winslow (possibly in 1624) and thus became the sister-in-law of Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow.  They had ten children.

Mary Chilton and John Winslow

William Dawes Jr. was one of several men who alerted colonial minutemen in Massachusetts of the approach of British army troops prior to the Battles of Lexington and Concord at the onset of the American Revolution in April, 1775.  Paul Revere is the most well-known of these riders and William Dawes' part seems to have been lost to history. 

Here lies the first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony and the founder of Boston, John Winthrop.  In 1629, he was elected Governor by the Massachusetts Bay Company while still in England.

On to Granary Burial Ground.  Town officials set aside part of what was then the Boston Common to help alleviate overcrowding in the nearby King's Chapel Burial Ground. The Granary Burying Ground took it's present name in 1737 when a granary, a small building used to store grain, was moved to the site presently occupied by the Park Street Church next to the burial ground.  All interments ceased at the Granary in 1880.

The Granary Burial Ground contains approximately 2,345 gravestones and tombs, although it is estimated that 5,000 people are buried at this site.  The gravestones' original haphazard configuration was rearranged into straighter rows over the years in order to accommodate both nineteenth century aesthetics and the modern lawnmower. 

I loved this guy at the entrance of the grounds, Jimmy Cole.  

He's a true entrepreneur and has put together a notebook for visitors to use while they walk through the grounds.  He makes the book free to borrow - he just asks that it is returned to him on the way out.  And then "donations are accepted (but not expected)".  He even has a website. 

http://www.jimmytangent.com/JimmyTsGranaryBurialGroundGuide022214.pdf 

A few notables.

Samuel Adams was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father   He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolution, and one of the architects of the principles of American republicanism that shaped the political culture of the United States.  He was a second cousin to his fellow Founding Father, President John Adams.

Samuel Adams, 1722-1803

Signer of the Declaration of Independence

John Hancock was an American Founding Father and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution.  He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the Declaration of Independence, so much that the term John Hancock or Hancock has become a synonym for one's signature.  He also signed the Articles of Confederation and used his influence to ensure that Massachusetts ratified the US Constitution in 1788.

John Hancock, 1737-1793

And a third signer of the Declaration of Independence, Robert Treat Paine.  Robert Paine was an American lawyer, politician and Founding Father who signed the Continental Association and the Declaration of Independence as a representative of Massachusetts.  He served as the state's first attorney general and as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Robert Treat Paine, 1731-1841

There is a 'Franklin' obelisk which was erected in 1827 as a memorial to the parents and relatives of Benjamin Franklin who was born in Boston and is buried in Philadelphia.  Josiah Franklin, Benjamin's father, was originally from Ecton, Northamptonshire, England and his mother, Abiah, was born in Nantucket and was Josiah's second wife.  Constructed of granite from the Bunker Hill Monument quarry, the obelisk was constructed to replace the original Franklin family gravestones which had been in poor condition.  

Paul Revere was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, Sons of Liberty member and Patriot and Founding Father.  He is best known for his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia in 1775 to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord.  He later served as a Massachusetts militia officer, though his service ended after the Penobscot Expedition, one of the most disastrous campaigns of the American Revolutionary War, for which he was absolved of blame.

During the latter part of the war Revere served as an officer and engraved the first Continental money and the official Massachusetts seal.

Following the war, Revere returned to his silversmith trade.  He used the profits from his expanding business to finance his work in iron casting, bronze bell and cannon casting, and the forging of copper bolts and spikes.  In 1800, he became the first American to successfully roll copper into sheets for use as sheathing on naval vessels.

The original gravestone for Paul Revere is small and unassuming.

At some point after the original gravestone was placed, a new monument was placed next to it.

Paul Revere, 1734-1818

And then on to Boston Common.

We walked through the park - lots of interesting things going on.

Not sure what instrument this guy was playing but he was entertaining

At the edge of the park is the State House (capitol).

We kept walking down Beacon Street as there was one more thing we wanted to see - Cheers!

This was particularly of interest to us because we've been watching the entire series if/when we can't get a Dish signal.  We're on season 5.  :-)

The Cheers Pub was founded in 1969 as the Bull & Finch Pub and was discovered in 1981 by Hollywood couple Mary Ann and Glenn Charles.  During their visit, they photographed the interior and exterior of the pub which they then gave to the set designer back in Hollywood to replicate for the set of the TV show.  In 1982, the year that the Cheers show premiered on television, Boston Magazine chose the Bull & Finch Pub as the "Best Neighborhood Bar" in Boston.  The pub eventually changed its name to Cheers to avoid confusion.

We walked down "the" stairs....

....and went inside.  SHOCK!  It doesn't look the same!  But at least everyone knows your name.

The wait for lunch was about 45 minutes so we moved on because we had more to explore.

We walked back to Faneuil Hall - boy it was hot!  But there, like an oasis, was the Samuel Adams Taproom.  Time for a break!

Ahhh, just what we needed!

We sat at a table by the open window and even though it was hot, the beer cooled us off.  We had a nice view of the Samuel Adams statue and Faneuil Hall.

After our break, we walked towards the Old State House.  It's amazing to have all of these historical buildings right in the center of town.

The Old State House was built in 1713 and was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798.  It is the oldest surviving public building in Boston and one of the oldest public buildings in the United States.  It now serves as a history museum.

There was a tour going on behind the State House so we stopped to listen for a few minutes.

On July 18, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was proclaimed from the east side balcony (pictured above) to jubilant crowds by Col. Thomas Crafts, one of the Sons of Liberty.  At one o'clock Crafts rose in the Council Chamber and read it to the members.  Then, fellow patriot Sheriff William Greenleaf attempted to read it from the balcony but he could only muster a whisper.  Crafts then stood next to the sheriff and read it from the balcony.  For most people, it was a joyous occasion, as about two-thirds of Boston residents supported the revolution.  The lion and the unicorn on top of the building, which were symbols of British rule, were removed and burned in a bonfire on King Street.

We finally made our way back to the North End to get a late lunch.  We'd seen a line (lots of lines around here) at a pizza place so we decided we'd give it a try.

They claim to be the best pizza in town and have been in business since 1926.  Kind of a funky little place.

The pizza is definitely not what we typically see but it was so good.  And we had dinner for a few nights to come.

As we were paying the waitress, she asked us to please wait before leaving as a band was coming in.  What?  The place could barely hold the patrons and a band was coming in?  But here they were!

The 'leader' of the band was having a great time and the entire restaurant was clapping right along with him.

After a couple of songs, they found their way outside and marched through the streets.  The band seemed to be part of the Italian festival "Procession of Saints" where money is pinned to ribbons on a statue of St. Mary Magdalen.  

And as we left, the line to get in was back!

Such a fun time in Boston and a nice break!