One more day in Beantown

Let's be honest. These days, my life isn't very interesting. I sleep a little later than I should, go for a hike (I'm trying to add running to that, a little bit more each day), spend time with my knottie friends, read, think about moving, and talk with Shawn. I run errands. I occasionally see friends. Last night, I did a little shopping. That's about it. Since I don't have much to blog about tonight that's much different from the last few days, I figured I'd blog about our last day in Boston (since I apparently forgot to a couple weeks ago).

Our last real day of vacation (not including our travel day) was the day that we walked the Freedom Trail. If you haven't been to Boston, they've very conveniently created a walking trail throughout the city that leads you to all the major historical sites. We actually did buy a book so that we'd have a better idea of the significance of all these places, and it included a map. However, there actually is literally a red line that you can follow, starting in Boston Common.

I won't mention all the sites that we saw (there are a lot), but I'll mention a few of the highlights (in my opinion). I did learn on this trip that Paul Revere did a LOT more than just warn the colonists that the British were coming. It seemed like everywhere we went in Boston, we were told that "Paul Revere did this or that." We did see his grave, as well as that of Sam Adams. We saw Faneuil Hall (sorry if I misspelled that), and we saw Paul Revere's house. We even paid the $3 admission to go inside. :) Shawn and I had lunch at the Bell-in-Hand Tavern. It was started by the retired Boston town crier in 1795 and is the oldest tavern in the United States.





We also saw the "Old North Church," which is where the lanterns were lit to let the colonists know if the British were coming by land or by sea. We saw "Old Ironsides," the famous ship. What I didn't know is that it's still a commissioned U.S. Navy ship! It's still sailed around the harbor once or twice a year (I believe it's done every 4th of July). After going on the boat, we walked across the river to Bunker Hill. There is a memorial there commemorating the famous battle, and we all climbed the 293 steps to the top of the momument!

I did learn a couple interesting things on this day that really aren't historical at all. First of all, I hate the streets in downtown Boston. I realize that they were probably the original footpaths and cart trails from centuries ago. But now, they seem to have all these completely unnecessary twists and turns, and one street will have 3 different names, depending on which block you're in! Occasionally, you'll be on a one-way street that will suddenly turn into a one-way going the opposite direction! In addition to the streets, Shawn and I also learned that the Charles River is apparently full of jellyfish. Who knew?!