And the Boston vacation continues ...
Another beautiful day in Boston began as all the others, with a hearty breakfast and a ride on the Beantown Trolley to start the day.
Happy and excited. This was before we started walking!
We decided to spend the day not riding the trolley. We wanted to walk the Freedom Trail, as well as take in a few other sites. So we hit the trail at about 9am. We planned to be at Fanueil Hall for lunch by noon. (Remember how my plans turn out?)
I'm not going to inflict \upon you all the pictures that I took. I try to not be excessively cruel. But I had fun wandering the area and finding really nice scenery. The wonderful architecture, both classic and modern, is impressive as is the almost constant use of flowers and plants everywhere. And if you are interested in cemertaries, Boston has some great ones. With a few big names, too.
Yup. Ben Franklin's family.
Those are pennies on the plaque, left in honor of the family.
John Hancock. You know?
That very large signature on the Declaration of Independence?
Yes. THE Paul Revere.
But it was not all heavy and serious. Towards the end of the day, I stopped at the Beantown Pub. I was tired. Hot. Thirsty. And Sam Adams (Boston Brewing Company) makes good beer.
So I went in and got a pint of Sam Adams Brick Red Ale. I walked over the the window and hoisted the pint.
Saluting with a delicious beer.
Do you see that little green square, just under the "No Right Turn" sign?
I think my act of honor was appropriate.
(Appropriate but completely unoriginal, according to the bartender.)
Okay, so I earned my merit badge in "Corny Tourist", but who cares? It was a delicious beer, and how often am I on Boston? It was fun. And seriously, I was hot, tired and thirsty at that point of the day. Why was I so hot, tired and thirsty?
We were only on the trolley from our motel to drop-off point. After that, we spent the rest of the afternoon walking. Today, my Fitbit numbers are accurate: Steps: 23,614 Miles: 10.45 Flights: 53
Half of the 53 flights came from climbing the Bunker Hill Monument.
There were 294 steps in a continuous spiral up the inside of that obelisk.
Actually, going down was more uncomfortable than going up. (I wish I had worn my knee braces.)
A view of downtown Boston from 221 feet up.
But the Lobster Rolls were great.
Later, while waiting for the shuttle back to the motel, we found a fruit vendor for a quick snack of plums and oranges.
We returned to the motel and decided to find seafood (again) but not from a restaurant in the tourist district and not from a chain. We looked for a shop that only locals would know about. And we found one: "K Seafood." They don't have a web presence. They don't have flashy advertising. They don't have a fancy building. They don't serve on china plates. They just serve really good fried seafood. To go, only.
This meal was better than the meal at Legal Seafood. More flavor. Less price.
K Seafood is a fishmonger. I forgot my camera, but they had fresh fish on ice from red snapper, bluefish, eel, and squid to live lobsters and crabs. I would kill to have access to a fish market like that on a daily basis. And I am sooooo happy to find K Seafood.
A few other pictures, not food related, but fun:
Tammy is a teacher who works with 11-13 year olds. One of the books that she uses is Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey. Boston Garden has a bronze sculpture from Nancy Schon of those ducklings.
And at Faneuil Hall, a statue of Samuel Adams stands where he made several speeches encouraging independence from England. (Apparently he did more than make beer. Who knew?)
Samuel Adams. Statesman, philosopher, patiot, Founding Father of the United States.
And a brewer, too.
About the only similarity is that I brew beer.
It was a long day. Tomorrow, we leave Boston and head to Portland, Maine. And more lobster. (Do you sense a food theme?)
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