Boston, Massachusetts Part III

Pictures enlarge if you click on them.
View of Boston from the Prudential Center.

The Prudential Center has an enclosed observation deck near the top of the building that provides a 360 degree view of Boston. The building is about a 20 minute walk from the Back Bay area were we were staying.

Catherine in Harvard Square.

We walked over the Harvard Bridge to the city of Cambridge and then went to Harvard Square to look at the the shops. I especially enjoyed being here because Harvard Square is where my favorite NPR radio show is broadcast. The show is called "Car Talk" with Click and Clack also known as the Tappit brothers. On the corner of John F. Kennedy and Brattle streets there is a sign that reads Dewey, Cheetham, & Howe (read it out loud). Car Talk is broadcast from there on the third floor and on their show they always say that their attorneys are Dewey, Cheetham, & Howe.

After all that shopping, Catherine needs a break.

Actually I needed a break, Catherine never needs a break from shopping. Later on this trip we went to Burlington, Vermont the home of the original Ben & Jerry's. Here Catherine decides to do a little pre-trip research.

Catherine is walking back to our inn from the Public Garden. (How come we never have a car?)

In the background of this shot is some typical Back Bay area architecture.

View from the Marriott Residence Inn in Boston on the Tudor Wharf.

The last part of our trip in Boston we stayed at a Marriott Residence Inn. It was really nice and very clean and included a complete kitchen; stove, refrigerator and dish washer. As you can tell it also had great views of the Boston Harbor.

A scene of the USS Constitution "Old Ironsides".

Just a few minutes walk from our new hotel was the USS Constitution. The USS Constitution is one of the U.S. Navy's first frigates. She was launched in 1797 using bolts, spikes, and other fittings from Paul Revere's foundry. She played a key role in repelling the British in the War of 1812. She earned her nickname "Old Ironsides" during a battle on August 19, 1812 when shots from HMS Guerriere bounced off her thick oak hull as if it were iron.

U.S. Naval Sailor and USS Constitution guide.

I spoke with the USS Constitution guide pictured above and she told me that all the guides are active duty U.S. Navy sailors. They are selected during boot camp and offered a chance to spend six months as a guide before they continue in their Navy service. Being selected is considered to be a high honor. The sailor pictured above said she was going to Navy "A - School" to be a hospital corpsman. Anybody recognize this lady?

That's me on the gun deck of the USS Constitution.

Catherine points the way to Bunker Hill.

This 221 foot granite obelisk is in honor of the colonists that died in the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775. The rebels lost the battle, but nearly half of the British troops were killed or wounded, a loss that contributed to the British decision to abandon Boston nine months later. The Marquis de Lafayette, the hero of the American Revolution, helped lay the cornerstone of the monument in 1825 and is buried in Paris under soil taken from Bunker Hill.

A view of a neighborhood along the Freedom Trail as it leads away from Bunker Hill.

A small park along the Freedom Trail near Bunker Hill.

Catherine at Giacomo's Ristorante in North End neighborhood.

At the end of one of our day walking the Freedom Trail, we ate at Giacomo's Ristorante. No reservations are taken and there is always a line waiting outside, but is worth the wait. Once inside you choose the meal off a board on the wall by selecting from the various pastas, sauces, and meats you want. For example, a little tortellini, with a tomato sauce, and scallops. There was only the two of us so they sat us with another couple. He was from Boston and the lady was his Mother-In-Law that he had just picked up from the airport. They were very friendly as were all the Bostonians that we encountered.

Later, when we were home, we watched Rachel Ray the television chef and she went to this same restaurant on her show. She sat in the same table that Catherine and I had our meal. We both got a big kick out of seeing the restaurant again.

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Boston, Massachusetts

Pictures enlarge if you click on them.

View of downtown Boston from the Boston Public Garden.

This spring Catherine and I went to Boston. It was the last major city in the United States that I had not been to.

I had heard good things about JetBlue, but I hadn't had an opportunity to fly with them. I wanted to try them out, so we caught a flight on Jet Blue from Oakland International airport to Boston Logan airport. We received very pleasant service from the crew and I found the plane to be unusually clean. It was also nice having the live television in the back of the seats to watch as we flew across the country.

Catherine near the residence inn that we stayed in during the first half of our trip.

We stayed at a residential inn for the first half of our trip. A residential inn is sort of like a bed and breakfast without the breakfast. The outside looked great and the lobby was interesting with a lot of character, but when we went into the room there was a large window without a curtain that you looked out from the bedroom and bathroom into other apartments across an alley. There was absolutely no privacy. That evening Catherine and I went to a Trader Joe's grocery store and bought some paper towels and tape. Then when we went back to the hotel that night, we taped the paper towels over the window.

The other problem was not so easily fixed; the mattress felt like it had a hole in the middle because it was so worn out. All night I kept feeling like I was falling into this hole. Well, hotels are expensive in Boston and this was an inexpensive place, but I was very happy when we eventually left and went to other accommodations later during our trip.

Catherine pretending to finish the Boston Marathon in first place. Good job Catherine!

Our hotel was in the Back Bay area, so it was an easy 15 - 20 minute walk to downtown. We didn't rent a car during the first part of our trip because Boston has such a good subway system for the main Boston area.

A statue of Paul Revere at the Paul Revere Mall.

We walked the entire obligatory Boston Freedom Trail. This is a walk throughout Boston of sixteen historic sites from the American Revolutionary War, connected by a 2.5 mile red brick line. You just walk and follow the line and it will lead you to the major sites in Boston. I found this to be particularly relaxing because you didn't need to be constantly looking at a map. Instead you could enjoy just looking at the city around you.

Catherine at the Boston Public Garden.

The Boston Public Garden is a twenty-four acre park in the middle of Boston. It was beautiful with nice ponds and tree covered walkways. It was especially nice to sit on a bench in the shade during the heat of the day and watch the ducks play in the water.

Father of the American Navy.

Along the Freedom trail there are numerous major sights and also small markers like this one to Commodore John Barry, the Father of the American Navy.

Catherine in front of the Old State House where the Boston Massacre occurred.

One of the major stops is the Old State House, the seat of the Colonial and State governments. Behind the building is the spot where the Boston Massacre occurred. I have often read about the American Revolution and it was especially interesting to visit Boston to help bring that history alive.

Penguins at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

One of the places we enjoyed the most during our stay was the New England Aquarium. They have a colony of over sixty penguins. We especially enjoyed the penguins because before our trip we watched the movie March of the Penguins that we enjoyed.

Catherine in front of Paul Revere's house.

Another nice stop on the Freedom Trail is Paul Revere's house. We took a tour of the inside and it is much like it was when Paul Revere lived there. I recommend the book Paul Revere’s Ride by David Hackett if you are interested in learning more about Paul Revere. This is one of the books I read before my trip to understand more about the history surrounding the Boston area.

Use the search box at the bottom of this page to find previous postings on London, Amsterdam, Japan, Germany, Austria, Yellowstone, New York, Boston, Switzerland, Alps, Plymouth Mass., Washington DC, San Francisco, Manila, San Diego or Quebec.