The Boston Freedom Trail is a mostly red brick-lined, 2.5 mile (4km) walk to sixteen different American Revolution historical sites through Boston and Charlestown. It extends from the heart of Boston on the Boston Common park up Washington Street in the Financial District through Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market down Hanover Street and around the North End across the Charlestown Bridge to 'Old Ironsides' (USS Constitution) in the Navy Shipyard and up Main Street to the Bunker Hill Monument.
I decided to connect with my old roots and took the walk again (I've done it about 5 times) on a beautiful blue-sky Boston spring day. One of which we haven't had in a long time.
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| A view of the State House on the Boston Common |
The great thing about this trail is that it's easy to walk and gives you a great overview of the historical parts of the city in a very short time.
Just a short distance away is the famous Granary Burying Ground with the graves of the Boston Massacre fallen, Paul Revere, and Benjamin Franklin's parents (Franklin was a Bostonian). Walk past the Kings Chapel and on to Benjamin Franklin's Statue outside the Latin School.
From there, walk down School Street to the Old School House, Old State House and the place of the Boston Massacre.
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| Old School House |
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| Old State House |
On 4 July every year, men dressed in their 1776 best, stand on the balcony of the Old State House and read the Declaration of Independence. I've seen it a couple of times and it really is impressive and thought provoking. The words are very, very powerful.
Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market are known as tourist traps with pricey food, Boston memorabilia and street performers.
Right next to Quincy Market is a strip of Irish pubs. I heard that Boston has more Irish pubs than Dublin, but who knows...there are a lot of them throughout the city. And, right across the street from the pubs is the Holocaust Memorial. A block long, sectioned glass towers with the names of the fallen at each concentration camp. As you walk along the reading the names, steam comes up from the ground to simulate the gas used in the camp chambers.
One of the more interesting parts of the Freedom Walk has nothing to do with the Revolution, but with food. In my humble opinion, Boston has the best food you will find anywhere in the States and that includes New York. The open air market may not be as large as Vienna's but the food is fresh and great.
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| Fresh fish...yum! |
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Got to love the fruits and veggies
Speaking of food...a short walk along the trail leads to the best food in Boston, The North End. Originally the North End was mainly Italian immigrants and even today, it boasts the best Italian food in the city with many of the same owners that have passed down their restaurants generation after generation.
In the North End you'll also find Paul Revere's House, the Old North Church and Copp's Hill Burial Ground (no kidding, this is a hill to climb).
Once you've climbed the steep hill to Copp's Burial Ground, it is down the street and across the Charlestown Bridge. Any movie buffs will remember Charlestown in the film The Town directed by Ben Affleck.
Looking back at Boston from the Charlestown Bridge
The first stop in Charlestown on the Freedom Trail is the USS Constitution known as 'Old Ironsides'. You can stop and take a look for a tour. The navy yard has a museum and other memorabilia.
USS Constitution
One more hill climb to the Bunker Hill Monument. The battle was also on Breed's Hill adjacent to Bunker Hill and the British wanted both, so Bunker Hill is the best known of the two hills where the battle for independence. The end result was a British victory but they suffered significant losses and quickly learned not to mess with us colonials.
Bunker Hill Monument
A must "do" for any tourist or one like me getting back to my roots.
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