This morning Jason and I woke up and found ourselves in Boston.  I’ve never been, and Jason hasn’t been in a long time, so we decided to do the tourist thing and check out the Freedom Trail.

 

 

The Freedom Trail is a red line (sometimes paint, sometimes brick) that goes through downtown Boston and has 17 different points of interest on it.  It’s a great way to get some exercise and see some of America’s best history.  First on the list was Boston Common.  Just across the street is the Massachusetts State House with its 23-carat gold dome:

 

 

We got a little lost in the state house and ended up going down a little hall and finding the governor’s office.  It was a little weird how easily we got there and how little security we saw.  Inside the dome:

 

 

And there’s a really cool flag room inside:

 

 

And since I’m a child and this made me laugh, here’s the entrance we took:

 

 

There are several cemeteries along the way, including the Granary Burying Ground (below), where Paul Revere is buried along with several signers of the Declaration of Independence.  The cemeteries look like something out of a horror film with the big markers, but they’re actually beautiful and incredibly peaceful.  It’s interesting to look at some of the dates on the markers–some as far back as the 1600’s (see poor Tom below).

 

 

 

And poor Benjamin Franklin is hanging out for all of eternity in front of what is now a Ruth’s Chris steakhouse.  I’m not sure that the First American would approve of the first public school turning into a restaurant chain.

 

 

Old City Hall, which is where the first public school, Boston Latin School, was located.

 

 

The Old State House is below.  I love these pictures of old buildings with modern skyscrapers in the background.  I also love that some of these buildings have names that include “Old,” like no one would know unless it was part of the name.

 

 

And of course, Faneuil Hall.

 

 

I will admit, I got a little goose-bumpy inside.  It’s easy to be transported back to the days when Samuel Adams (not just a beer after all!) was persuading the first Americans to declare independence from England.

 

 

In the North End we found Paul Revere’s colonial home (built in 1680).

 

 

We followed the trail to the Old North Church, the infamous place where the “one if by land, and two if by sea” signal was sent, thus signaling Paul’s midnight ride.  Just after the church is another cemetery, the Copp’s Hill Burying Ground.

 

 

Did you know that the Battle of Bunker Hill actually took place on Breed’s Hill and we’ve been perpetuating the wrong name this whole time?  We skipped the 294 steps up to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument, but we took a picture and visited the museum.

 

 

And the last stop on the Freedom Trail, the USS Constitution.

 

 

Ok, actually that wasn’t the last stop.  The last stop was at the Warren Tavern, where we enjoyed a pint of Samuel Adams and gave our feet a rest.  Tomorrow?  Lobsta and chowdah!