Such a long day ahead of us! Filled with places to be, things to do, yummy food to eat :D But first thing first - BREAKFAST! Remember how we had to skip Paramount Restaurant the day before due to limited space? Today is the day we gotta try their famous breakfast.
We couldn't chop seats like in Asia. Due to its high popularity with both locals and tourists, seats were limited and we had to order food at the counter before we were led to our seats. Even the line to order food was pretty long but the tastiness of our dishes made it worthwhile.
Savory breakfast for him
Sweet French Toast set for me
US$ 29 breakfast/brunch for 2 of us
We were there for about an hour and left Paramount at 11am as satisfied customers, ready to tackle a long day!
Agenda for today was Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile long route through Boston which allowed us a glimpse of 16 historically significant sites such as museums, churches, meeting houses and burial ground. These locations were crucial in shaping the history of the United States of America.
Let me digress into a short history of the USA.
From 1600 onward, European colonists began to arrive in North America - home of indigenous people. In the 1760s, the British government imposed a series of new taxes, which were strongly resisted by the people of their thirteen colonies (13 states that made up the USA East Coast today). The most prominent effort was the 1774 Boston Tea Party. Several armed conflicts between the American Patriots with support from France and the British ultimately culminated in the American Continental Congress declaring a new independent nation called the United States of America on 4 July 1776. George Washington, commander in chief of the Continental Army became the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Other Founding Fathers of the United States became his successors with John Adams as the second President and Thomas Jefferson as the third President.
Freedom Trail Map
www.thefreedomtrail.org/pdfs/NPS%20BOST%20Map%20Jan%202013.pdf
From Paramount Restaurant on Charles Street, we walked over to Boston Common to grab a map at Visitor Information.
Mister had a meaningful conversation with squirrels of Boston Common :D
1st stop: Visitor Information at Boston Common
2nd stop: State House (The Massachusetts State House) is the state capitol and seat of government for the commonwealth of Massachusetts. This new state house was built on land once owned by John Hancock, Massachusetts' first governor and was completed in 1798. The original wood dome was covered with copper in 1802 by Paul Revere's Revere Copper Company. Prior to the construction of this building, the Old State House on Court Street served as home for the government.
3rd stop: Park Street Church built in 1809 was the tallest building in the country from 1810 to 1846.
4th stop: Granary Burying Ground
Established in 1660, this was the final resting place of many notable figures of the independence movement such as Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the five victims of the Boston Massacre.
4th stop: Granary Burying Ground
Established in 1660, this was the final resting place of many notable figures of the independence movement such as Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the five victims of the Boston Massacre.
5th stop: King's Chapel, completed in 1754, was the first Anglican Church in Colonial New England.
Cushion seats, especially to survive the service during chilly East Coast winters
6th Stop: First Public School Site
Founded in 1635, it is the very first public school in the United States. With the expectations to be able to master more than one language, coupled with the fact that English was not the dominant language of the world at that time, this is established as a Latin School. Admitting only male students and hiring just male teachers, Boston Latin has admitted its first co-educational class only in 1972. Nonetheless, it has produced many prominent alumni, including 4 Harvard Presidents. Even today, Boston Latin has retained its prestigious title as the top feeder school for Harvard.
7th Stop: Old Corner Bookstore, which now houses Chipotle Restaurant
After the Great Boston first in 1711, this current structure was constructed in 1712. Since then, it has served as the historic commercial building in the centre of Boston, as apothecary, bookstore, publishing house and retail space.
8th Stop: Old South Meeting House
Built in 1729, it was most memorable as the organising venue for the Boston Tea Party in 1773, which eventually led to the United States of America declaring its independence from the British Empire. A massive crowd of 5000 gathered here in 1773, debated about protesting the taxes imposed on them by the British before raiding the tea ships.
9th & 10th Stop: Old State House & Boston Massacre Site (marked by the cobblestone ring on the ground)
Constructed in 1713, Old State House is one of the oldest building in the entire country and the oldest surviving public building in Boston. This structure has served various duties in its lifetime - ranging from the seat of the colony government, the seat of the state government, city hall and even commercial uses. Today, it houses a museum and a souvenir shop, from which Mister even bought a Declaration of Independence scroll!
Boston Massacre was vital to the patriotic movement. On 5 March 1770, the crowd taunting and throwing things at the British soldiers outside the Old State House had led to solders firing into the crowd without being given the order to do so. The result was the death of 5 civilians and 6 injured people. Only when the governor promised an inquiry and a fair trial into the shootings, the crowd dispersed. Due to anti-colonialist sentiments, there was a shortage of lawyer willing to represent the soldiers. That was until John Adams who would later become the second President of the USA agreed to defend them, which ended up in acquittal of 7 and punishment of 2. This incident was later publicised heavily by the revolutionary group of the Thirteen Colonies, as a proof of the need to fight for indolence from the British Empire.
11th Stop: Faneuil Hall - meeting hall since 1743
Such a marvellous meeting venue, a few centuries old
Inside Quincy Market
It was hard to resist the alluring smell and sight of appetising food but we had to resist since we wanted to have a proper sit down dinner at the college area in Harvard Square.
12th Stop: Paul Revere House
Open daily from 930am till 4 or 5pm (depending on the month)
Admission fees US$ 3.50 per pax
Paul Revere was the prosperous and prominent Boston silversmith. However, he was also a Patriot in the American Revolution. He famously alerted the colonial militia about the approach of the British forces, before the battles of Lexington and Concord.
I can't believe he lived in such a modest place! Built in 1680, this timbre structure is the oldest house in downtown Boston. Due to its age and small size, limited number of people were admitted at each time and the movement must be in one direction only.
I love buildings with character and unique designs.
13th Stop: Old North Church, built in 1723
This is the location from which signal was sent about the British troops movement to the fighters during the American Revolution. One lantern will be up if the British were coming by land and two if they were arriving with boats across the Charles River. Hence, it is an important location for Paul Revere's midnight ride in 1775.
14th Stop: Copp's Hill Burying Ground
Established in 1659, it is the city's second oldest cemetry.
TD Garden - Home of Boston Celtics
As spent and worn out as we were, the decision was made to skip the last 2 sites #15 Bunker Hill Monument and #16 USS Constitution. While it was intriguing to rediscover the history and marvelled at the structures from centuries ago, our tummies were sending us their protests loud and clear. Hence, we took T towards Harvard Square for a late lunch.
To be continued...
Adios!
xoxo
Miss N
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