We had breakfast and got ready to get off the ship. Since we did not have to be anywhere at any certain time, we decided to wait until last call to get off the ship. Usually this is a sad day, but we still had a whole weekend in Boston to look forward to.
We packed up and went to wait in a little lounge on deck 9.
We were off the ship by 9:45 and called a Lyft to take us to Somerville, MA where Ben's brother, Jason, lives and where we would be staying the next two nights. On the way, I saw a park with lots of geese.
We made it to Jason's condo in an area called Davis Square. His building is actually an old building from the 1800's transformed into modern condos.
We got settled and caught up and talked about our plans for the weekend. We decided to stay in Somerville and nearby on Friday and then do our sightseeing in Boston on Saturday. First up was lunch at a Turkish restaurant near Jason's. I was a little hesitant but everything we had was absolutely delicious. Now I know I love Turkish food!
I didn't take pictures of the food because we ate it too fast!
Along the way, I snapped pictures of the streets. All the buildings are old and interesting and nothing like you see in Dallas.
Even the library is cool!
Jason took us first to Tufts University. We walked around the campus and then up to an overlook where there was a view of the Boston skyline.
We stopped at a local ice cream shop for a snack.
We took the subway over to MIT which is Jason's alma mater. This was my first time on a subway.
This is the lecture room that was in the movie Goodwill Hunting.
Next we went by Jason's office on the way to a park where there were chickens. Jason knows how much Ben likes chickens!
Then we took the subway to Boston Common and walked around the public garden until it was time for dinner. We were very lucky that the leaves in Boston had just started to change--normally it has already come and gone by this time in October.
Dinner was at a sushi restaurant called Uni in the Eliot Hotel. We met up with Jason's friend Ryan who Ben and I had not seen since our wedding. He joined us for dinner and we had a wonderful visit and the food was absolutely delicious! I hate that we didn't all get a picture together but we were too busy eating and talking!
On Saturday, we had lunch in Davis Square and then took the subway to Harvard, then downtown to visit all the historical sites along the Freedom Trail.
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile-long path through downtown Boston, Massachusetts, that passes by 16 locations significant to the history of the United States.After lunch we stopped by the place where Jason gets his hair cut. His shop was really interesting and looked like a fun place for a haircut!
Next was Harvard Square.
After Harvard, we took the train to the Boston Common which was the beginning of the Freedom Trail and went to the next stop, the Massachusetts State House (1798), which is the oldest continually running state capitol building in America.
Next was the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial which is a tribute to 54th Regiment, the first all volunteer African American unit in the US Army which was formed in 1863 during the American Civil War. The 1989 film Glory tells the story of the 54th regiment.
Next was Park Street Church, where the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison made his first speech against slavery on this church’s pulpit in 1829; and the church choir sang for the first time ever in public on July 4th 1831, the song “My Country Tis of Thee.” Sadly though I didn't get a picture because the church was boarded up for construction.
Next was Granary Burial Ground where three signers of the Declaration Independence are buried as
well as Paul Revere, Mary Goose (credited with being Mother Goose) and the parents and siblings of Benjamin Franklin. This was a very cool old cemetery.
I think next we stopped at the Omni Parker House which is famous for its Parker rolls and Boston Cream Pie.
Next we went to King's Chapel, a stone church built around the original wooden church which was
built in 1688. It was hard to get a good picture of it.
Next was one of my favorite buildings, Old City Hall (1865). For 104 years Boston’s mayors held court here until they move into City Hall’s current location. (This building is now Ruth Chris' steakhouse!)
Next was the Old South Meeting House (1729). This church is where the Sons of Liberty departed from a meeting on Dec. 16, 1773 and dumped 242 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor.
On the Corner of Washington and School Street is one of Boston’s oldest brick structures (1712) and was the site of the Old Corner Bookstore. The bookstore was made famous for meetings on the second floor by the likes of Nathanael Hawthorn, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Dickerson (who lived in Boston for two years) would meet and discuss poetry, politics and literature. It is now a Chipotle!
Next was the Old State House (1713). On the front of the building is a balcony where in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time and cause a mini riot during which the Lion and Unicorn which sits on top of the Old State House was ripped down and burnt in a bomb fire. The gilded Lion and Unicorn was put back up on the Old State House in 1883 when the building was refurbished. Every July 4th at 10:00 am the Declaration of Independence is read from that balcony.
Sadly, I think I got a picture of the back of the building and not the front!
On the walkway in front of the Old State House is the monument for the five victims killed on March 5, 1770 during the Boston Massacre which took place in the middle of what is now called State Street.
Next on the trail was Faneuil Hall (1742). This building which was given to the city of Boston by rich
merchant Peter Faneuil, is famous for the meetings and protests that led to the American Revolution.
In North Square sits the oldest structure in Boston, the Paul Revere House (1680). Paul Revere lived here for 30 years from 1770 to 1800.
Next was the most photographed statue in Boston, the Paul Revere Statue which sits in the shadow of the church which made him famous, The Old North Church. I was really looking forward to photographing this statute with the church in the background.
Our final stop was the Old North Church (1723), the oldest church building in Boston. We were lucky to get there in time to get to go in.
Ben and I in one of the pews.
Even looking at these pictures gives me chills. It must be wonderful to live in a city with so much history. I wish we had been able to spend more time at each site and tour some of them. But I am still happy to have gotten to see it all. The boys were very nice to walk around the city all day with me! And many thanks to Jason for being the perfect host and tour guide!
Once back in Davis Square, we had pizza for dinner. I got one with sausage, ricotta, and balsamic, delicious!
Then it was early to bed since we had to be up early for our flight the next morning.
This trip ended up being alot of fun and it was nice to see new places. We are thinking of maybe doing another cruise to Bermuda next summer, possibly from New York, another city I would love to see.
Up next is a trip to our favorite place, Maui, in January 2018. Time to plan the next vacation!
