The Freedom Trail - Boston

Tom and I arrived in Boston on Friday, April 12th. Although our flight from Montreal was delayed by snow, our flights were otherwise very uneventful. We stayed at the beautiful Liberty Hotel, formerly the Charles Street Jail.  The jail was constructed between 1848-1851, and at one point housed Malcolm X as an inmate. In the 1920's it was used to house German U-boat prisoners of war, and continued to operate until 1990. The hotel renovation have retained much of the historic structure.

View from the 11th floor of the Liberty Hotel.

 On our first morning in Boston, we waited for my friend, Martha, in our hotel lobby before we headed out to hit the Freedom Trail. On our way to the beginning of the trail, we some a number of GIANT squirrels running around in Boston Common. Martha does not like squirrels! 

Giant squirrel.

Massachusetts State House.

The Freedom Trail heads past the imposing looking Massachusetts State House. The building houses the Massachussets General Court (state legislature), and has stood on Beacon Hill since 1798.

Old City Hall.

Although the Old City Hall is not one of the official stops along the Freedom Trail, it was one of the more beautiful buildings in the Boston downtown. Unfortunately it is now the home of a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

Tom and I outside Old City Hall.

Eventually we made our way past Quincy Market, which was basically a giant food court full of food vendors. I had imagined Quincy Market was going to be more like a fancy farmer's market, so I was a bit surprised by what was actually inside. Nonetheless, Tom and I ate lobster rolls and clam chowder here for lunch on our second day, and it was delicious!

The famous Quincy Market.

Historic signs inside Quincy Market.

We passed an outdoor market where vendors were selling fresh fish and vegetables. What good prices! We picked up a container of strawberries for a dollar, which surely would have cost $4-5 at home. We also got some mini cucumbers which were easy to snack on later on in the day.

Fresh fish in an outdoor market.

The Freedom Trail then took us through an Italian district, and out near the water to a marina. Most of the trail was a brick line to follow, but in some areas, it was a painted red line on the sidewalk.

The painted red line of the Freedom Trail.

One of the last stops on the Freedom Trail is the U.S.S. Constitution, the world's oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat. The Constitution was launched in 1797, and named by George Washington.

The U.S.S. Consitution.

After visiting the marina, Martha, Tom and I parted ways so Martha could get some weekend reading in. 

Martha, Tom and I.

Tom and I took a walk through the New England Holocaust Memorial. The memorial is comprised of six glass towers, representing the six million Jews killed in the holocaust, the six main concentration camps, and their six years of internment. There are six million numbers etched into the glass of the towers which represent the tattoos given to victims as they were brought into the concentration camps. This was a very beautiful memorial-- Tom and I were both impressed.

The New England Holocaust Memorial.

We reunited later that night to have dinner at D'Amelio's Off the Boat Italian & Seafood Restaurant. This was a seriously delicious meal. We had mussels, lobster, scallops and shrimp over fusilli, and finished off our meal with tiramisu and exotic bomba (peach passionfruit sorbet dipped in white chocolate).

We planned to meet up with Martha the following day so we could take a look at the Harvard Campus.

Stay tuned!