Massachusetts - Boston

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It is the most beautiful city we visited in the U.S.A. with San Francisco. Both are totally different, yet they have similarities: like its partner on the West Coast, it combines successfully influences from the Old Continent and the New World. Besides, both have that pioneer and forward-looking spirit. It exudes a European charm, essentially Londoner. As New-York, Philadelphia and Washington, it played a major role in the country’s history and it enjoys a great cultural wealth. It is notably the cradle of the American Revolution. Its gastronomy has a good reputation, notably as far as seafood is concerned.

We started our visit of Boston with the iconic Beacon Hill district (photo), real jewel of architecture from the 19th century that offers a fascinating travel in time, with its traditional red brick houses and its gas lamps. We strolled in the must-see Charles Street and its cobblestone pavements, its brownstone buildings and its numerous ironwork signs. Fancy shops, restaurants and antique dealers abound. There, we met an eccentric local artist who came to us to chat for a while. He spoke a few words to us in French, and he even favored us with a funny little song… in French as well!.. Right after, we also met a Boston University student of Asian origin. They both left a note on our «Enjoy the ride» streamer: the first in French, the second in Chinese...
Then, we entered the small streets, notably the lovely Acorn Street, alley with uneven pebbles filled with an undeniable authenticity and an old-fashioned charm. Nearby, the splendid Louisburg Square, private garden for residents only, is surrounded by Federal style or Greek Revival style houses from the first half of the 19th century. Chestnut Street has superb houses, to a lesser degree however compared to Mount Vernon Street, which moreover enjoys a very varied architecture.
When it was created in 1837, the beautiful Public Garden was the first public botanical garden in Northern America. Its pleasant paths are lined by willow-trees. A nice suspended bridge spans an artificial lake in the heart of an idyllic setting. Charles Street separates it from Boston Common, wide green area that was the first public park in the country. It is like the hub of the city, the intersection point of different districts. It is also the starting point of the famous Freedom Trail, a nearby 4 kilometers course materialized by a red line on the floor. Depending on the location, it is either drawn with paint, either made of bricks embedded in the pavements. It allows you to discover the city passing by its more iconic places of its history, essentially the period of the American Revolution. We took it and began with admiring the superb Massachusetts State House - seat of the State Government - a Federal style building erected in 1798. The columns of its façade catch your eye, as well as its amazing golden dome, which was first made of copper before they add gold leaf decades later, making it even brighter. We carried on with Park Street Church, Georgian style evangelical church from the 19th century. Its bell tower is 66 meters high. They hid the gunpowder stock inside it during the 1812 war against the English, and it was the scene of the anti-slavery speech of William Lloyd Garrisson in 1829. Nearby, the Granary Burying Ground, cemetery dating from the 17th century, is surrounded by nice Egyptian Revival railings. Heroes from the American Revolution such as Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams lie there.
In Downtown district, Tremont Temple is a Baptist church in a multistory structure that also includes a big auditorium, shops and offices. Its Greek Revival façade is splendid. King’s Chapel dates from the mid 18th century. Its rich architecture is composed among others of gray granite, and you marvel as much at its exterior ornamentation as at its nice paired Corinthian columns inside. King’s Chapel Burying Ground existed long before the latter since it is the oldest cemetery in town (1630). Mary Chilton, one of the passengers of the Mayflower, lie there. The Old City Hall was built on the former site of the Boston Latin School, first public school in the city. On the lawns, you can notice among others the Statue of Benjamin Franklin. The building that originally housed the Old Corner Bookstore is one of the oldest in town (1712). It included a bookstore and the Ticknor & Fields publishing house. Only its façade was preserved. Old South Meeting House was built in 1729. It was first a protestant temple, and then it became the assembly center during the American Revolution.
The Old State House is a small red bricks structure built in 1713. On its slate roof with mansards rises a white tower covered with a golden weather vane. Its presence among colossal skyscrapers is amazing and offers a striking contrast. It displays on top of its East front a lion and a unicorn, symbols of the English Crown. It houses nowadays the Boston Society Museum. Opposite, a circle of cobblestones constitutes the Site of the Boston Massacre, which commemorates a bloody event that was a catalyst of the revolution.
The beautiful Faneuil Hall was built in 1742 in a red brick Colonial style. It is topped by a white tower surmounted with a dome on which a grasshopper-shaped weather vane is fixed. A story was added in the early 19th century. In front of it stands the famous Quincy Market, splendid granite Neo-Classical building. It stretches out lengthwise and each end is provided with a pediment and Doric columns. It offers a wide range of cooking from different backgrounds, clothing and gift shops, as well as a tourism office. It is much popular and there is permanent hubbub there, especially at lunch time. However, the crowd is less large at its center, where a dome covers a common area where stands a piano. It is flanked by two similar stone warehouses: North Market and South Market. Many street performances take place on the area between those three buildings and the Faneuil Hall.
The next stage of the Freedom Trail led us to North End district. There, we admired the Paul Revere House, a two-story wooden house built in the 1680’s. That hero of the American Revolution lived there between 1770 and 1800. Old North Church is an old Georgian church dating from 1722. It is the oldest still in use. The Copp’s Hill Burying Ground is an old cemetery dating from 1659, essentially dedicated to merchants and craftsmen. It overlooks the Charles River and offers a beautiful view.
Then, we went to admire the USS Constitution, docked to the quays in Charlestown district. It is a superb sailing boat from the late 18th century. It is the oldest warship in the world still in use. It resisted fiercely the English cannons during the 1812 war. Nearby, the USS Constitution Museum traces the history of life on board the ship. It houses more than 1700 pieces and more the 7000 books. We ended up with the Bunker Hill Monument, where a 67 meters high obelisk proudly rises. It commemorates the battle on Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill, which was a defining moment of the Independence War. And for the most courageous, it is possible to climb the 294 stairs that lead to the observatory so that you can enjoy a breathtaking view of Boston. In front of the obelisk stands the Statue of Colonel William Prescott, hero of that battle, traced by the Bunker Hill Museum. It was the last step of the Freedom Trail, enriching in many ways. Besides, be aware that Boston has another very instructive pedestrian route: the Black Heritage Trail, which teaches you much about the history of the Afro-American community in the city passing by 14 sites along 2.5 kilometers.
Finally, we took the Boston HarborWalk, nice promenade along the banks punctuated by green areas, to reach North End and the very pleasant Christopher Colombus Park, wide park open to the sea front. We recharged there before we go and have dinner on the Waterfront.

The morning after, we went to the same Waterfront district to carry on with the discovery of that extraordinary city, and to Seaport District as well. We took the Boston HarborWalk again, further south that time. Numerous wharfs extend towards the Boston Harbor, which opens to the Massachusetts Bay, and beyond to the huge Atlantic Ocean. That place reminded us of the Embarcadero in San Francisco, relatively speaking. Behind rise skyscrapers that show the other face of the city: modern and forward-looking. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum on the Fort Point Canal proudly displays the replica of its three ships - Beaver, Eleanor and Darmouth - from where shipments of tea were thrown into the water in 1773, one of the first catalyst of the American Revolution. The museum offers collections of pieces related to that episode of history.
We walked on to Chinatown. It is the third largest in the U.S.A. behind those in New-York and San Francisco. It is very lively and abounds in restaurants, and above all its shops compete in originality and offer products all more incongruous than each other. Its narrow and winding alleys are filled with an exotic charm. In Theater District (photo), we marveled at the splendid Neo-Classical façade of the Boston Opera House. Its sumptuous Baroque Revival interior decoration was carried out by the famous Thomas Lamb, a reference in that area in Northern America. Built in 1928, it was first a cinema, then a theater and concert hall, and then it became an opera. It is located in Washington Street, which was very lively that day, with notably a brass band and a percussion ensemble. Later, we went back to the Quincy Market to get some famous Philly cheese steaks - specialties from Philadelphia as the name suggests - which we went to eat on Christopher Colombus Park. Then, we momentarily left Boston to visit the famous Harvard University in Cambridge.
In the evening, we came back to town, more specifically in South Boston district at the BOA Pavilion, concert hall located on the banks of the Boston Harbor, on the edge of Seaport District. It is an outdoor amphitheater with a retractable roof. There, we mingled with locals to attend a memorable rock concert with four bands on the bill. That will remain an indelible memory. That night was one of the best of the trip, and we left that extraordinary city on the best impression ever.ever.

Boston is part of our favorite cities. To have direct access to the section, click here

Published on January, 4th 2019