Welcome to the Cradle of Liberty
Hailed as the "Cradle of American Independence,"
Boston is filled with historic sites. Boston was America's first great city. In
the 19th century, Boston was rightly described as the "Athens of
America." Today this city of 800,000 retains its vitality, combining
historic districts with revitalized urban centers while remaining faithful to
its venerable roots. It is a city every American should visit at least once.
Follow the Freedom Trail along three of the most historic miles in the country.
See the site of the Boston Tea Party, trace the route of Paul Revere's famous
ride, and stand on the bridge where Minutemen fired "the shot heard 'round
the world." In the old Charleston Navy Yard you can see the USS Constitution,
the nation's oldest commissioned warship.
Boston is the largest city in New England & 24th
largest city in the United States. One of the oldest cities in United States,
it was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from
England and has been the scene of several key events of the American
Revolution, such as Boston Massacre, The Boston Tea Party, The Battle of Bunker
Hill and The Siege of Boston.
General
Information - Boston:-
Time:
-5.00 GMT (EST - Eastern Standard Time followed in Boston)
Currency:
USD – United States Dollar ($) (1 USD = 0.63 GBP / 1.14 CAD / 0.80 EURO)
Dialling
Code: (1)
Airport:
General Edward Lawrence Logan
International Airport (BOS) in East Boston, Massachusetts.
Port:
1. The Black Falcon Cruise Terminal
is the Cruise Ship Terminal in South Boston & over 100 cruise ships call
during the Canada New-England season.
2. Conley Terminal in South Boston
serves as the container port of Boston and is capable of handling Panamax &
post-Panamax ships.
3. Boston Autoport in Charlestown is
used for processing & shipping automobiles.
4. Boston Fish Pier in South Boston
is dedicated for processing & shipping Seafood.
Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, Boston, MA
Caribbean Princess docked at Black Falcon (Last Ship in Picture)
Emerald Princess alongside Black Falcon Cruise Terminal
Boston is
well connected to all major cities in United States by a very elusive network
of Rail & Road.
Major Points of Interest in
Boston:
1. Faneuil Hall & Quincy Marketplace
2. Freedom Trail
3. Harvard Square, Lexington & Concord
4. Public Gardens
5. Fenway Park
6. Boston Public Library
Faneuil Hall & Quincy Marketplace
This Georgian
building and marketplace has played an integral role in the life of Boston
residents for over 250 years and is considered one of America's most famous
shopping and dining experiences. Faneuil Hall is located near the waterfront in
Boston, Massachusetts and has been a market place & meeting hall since
1742. It is also a part of Boston National Historical Park and a well-known
stop on the Freedom Trail. Faneuil Hall has been rated at no. 4 in America’s 25
most visited Tourist sites by Forbes Traveller.
Quincy Marketplace is
a historic market complex near Faneuil Hall in downtown Boston and was named in
honor of Mayor Josiah Quincy and has been designated as National Historic
Landmark, recognizing its significance as one of the largest market complex
built in the first half of 19th Century. Quincy
Market is a two story tall, 27,000-square-foot marketplace built out of New
England granite. The indoor pavilion has over 100 shops, a plethora of eating
establishments, and delightful street performers that stroll through the area.
Faneuil Hall
Quincy Market
Inside Quincy Market
Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail,
which is 2.5 mile long path through downtown Boston begins at Boston Common,
where the British forces were encamped from 1775-1776. It travels past the
Massachusetts State House, built after the revolution and now the seat of
Massachusetts' government. You'll see King's Chapel and the resting place of some
of Boston's most historic figures, and continue to the Old South Meeting House
where the most memorable gathering sparked the Boston Tea Party in 1773 and
ignited the Revolutionary War. At
the Old North Church, a statue of Paul Revere stands with the towering church
steeple rising behind him. It was here that Revere ordered two lanterns hung to
signal how the British Redcoats were advancing: "One if by land, two if by
sea." Walk by the Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre,
then see the balcony from which the Declaration of Independence was read on
July 18, 1776.
The Freedom Trail in Red as per the Tour Map
The Freedom Trail
Tina & Me at the Old State House & below with Emma
The Old State House
The balcony from where the Declaration of Independence was read on July 18, 1776.
Harvard Square, Lexington & Concord
Harvard Square is
a large triangular area near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Adjacent to the Harvard Yard, is the historic
heart of Harvard University. History abounds in the town of Lexington, explore
this quaint area along with the infamous Lexington Green. On April 19, 1775,
less than 100 Minutemen faced 700 British soldiers. A shot rang out and a
skirmish began that launched the American Revolution. See the Henry H. Kitson
statue erected in 1900 that memorializes the Lexington Minutemen. Explore the towns
that play a leading role in American history with a visit to Concord and a stop
at the serene grounds of the Old North Bridge. Lovingly restored, the bridge is
famous for the 'shot heard 'round the world,' the site of the first American
victory in the Revolutionary War.
Public Gardens
The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park
located in the heart of Boston
adjacent to Boston common. The Public Garden is rectangular in shape and contains a lake and a large series
of formal plantings that are maintained by the city and others and vary from
season to season. During the warmer seasons, the 4 acre pond is usually the
home of one or more swans and is always the site of the Swan Boats, a famous
Boston tourist attraction, which began operating in 1877. The first botanical
garden in the United States, the area is home to a majestic monument of George
Washington as well as the beloved "Make Way for Ducklings" statue
which commemorates the famous children's book of the same name.
Fenway Park
Home to the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park which is
located at 4 Yawkey Way near Kenmore Square was built in 1912 and is the oldest ballpark in Major
Baseball League. In the world of Baseball, Fenway is referred as “The Shrine”
and can accommodate close 37,000 Baseball fans. The seats in the stadium are
Green except for ‘The Lone Red Seat’ which signifies the longest home run ever
hit. I visited Fenway Park on my first of many trips to Boston in Oct-2006
& still hold the official Boston Red Sox 2006 Jersey courtesy one of our
Local Tour Operators.
The Diamond "Fenway Park"
Boston Red Sox Team Store
Boston Public Library
Boston Public Library is a municipal library system
in Boston founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library contains approx. 23
Million items encompassing all formats including Books, DVDs, Maps etc and is
the 2nd largest library in the United States after The Library of
Congress.
There are many other places of interest &
places with historic significance which can visited in Boston.
1.
Paul
Revere House
2.
Museum
of Fine Arts, Boston
3. Trinity Church
4. Old North Church
5. USS Constitution & Museum
6. Boston National Historic Park
7. Boston Convention &
Exhibition Center
8. Harvard Museum of Natural History
9. Boston Haborwalk
10. Castle Island
Cuisine Delights in Boston, Massachusetts:
Boston’s food culture
includes a variety international cuisines like Mediterranean, Asian, Chinese,
Japanese, Jamaican, of course American Cuisine but New England Cuisine is more
to do with Sea Food.
You will
also find many famous restaurants & a food cart culture in Boston. Some of
must visit places to eat in Boston would be:
·
Neptune
Oyster
·
Myers and
Chang
·
East
Coast Grill
·
Summer
Shack
·
Some of
famous must visit Food Carts in Boston are Bon Me, The Cod Squad, Bone Daddy
Burgers, Baja Taco Truck & Mei Mei Street Kitchen.
Cuisine in Boston is similar to the
rest of New England Cuisine with a large emphasis on Seafood. Its best-known dishes are New England clam chowder, Fish & Chips,
Baked Beans (thus the name Beantown), Lobsters, Steamed and Fried Clams.
The
Union Oyster House is the oldest operating restaurant in the United
States. Quincy Market Place has variety of restaurants & food shops and
houses Bombay Blue a famous Indian Eatery inside the Food Zone. Boston’s
Chinatown has variety of Asian Restaurants & Spice Vendors with variety of
cuisine like Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Jamaican, Indian etc.
The American Lobster along with New
England Clam Bake & Boston Baked Beans are the major part of New England
Lobster and the best of Lobsters come from the waters up north, Maine. The
famous Lobster roll is available throughout Boston.
Boston Baked Beans
New England Clam Chowder
Lobster Roll
New England Clam Bake
Beantown Pub
Bon Me (Vietnamese Food Truck)
East Coast Grill
Neptune Oysters
The Cod Squad
On a personal
note, the best way to see Boston is to get onto the Trolley Buses in Boston
which are called Hop-on / Hop-off by buying the full day passes which gives you
the entire freedom to do things on your own. The buses run with an average
frequency of 15-20 minutes. The pricing for the passes can be checked online or
locally in Boston. The last time, I was in Boston the price for a full day pass
was $19.99.
Shopping in Boston:
Boston is
a Shoppers delight from Street Shopping to Flagship Stores, you will find it
all out there. The places to visit would be iconic Quincy Market &
Washington Street in the neighborhood. Also International calling cards to Asia
& other countries across the Globe are available here, which can used on a
Cell Phone or a Pay Phone (It gives more talk time from a Pay Phone). I usually
used the $5 calling card India Calling with gave approx. 250-300 mins depending
on calls made.
Most Notable Personalities from Boston:-
1. John F. Kennedy (The 35th
President of United States & the most notable of all Boston personalities).
2. Benjamin Franklin
2. Benjamin Franklin
3. Malcolm X
4. Mark Wahlberg
5. Paul Revere
6. Edward Norton
7. Robert Kennedy
8. Matt Damon
9. George H. W. Bush (41st
President of United States)
10. Aerosmith
Some Photos from my Personal Collection:
TD Garden
We
will continue on this Journey with our next port of call being the beautiful
sea town of Bar Harbor, Maine which is the gateway to Acadia National Park.
P.S:- Please do leave comments on my blog & if somethings have changed recently, please comment & let me know so that i can make notes and changes
Kinny31
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