New England Trip - USS Constitution

Back to Boston!  Once on the hop-on-hop-off trolley we rode past the field where the Great Molasses Disaster (aka the Great Molasses Flood) happened.  This disaster occurred in 1919, in the North End of Boston.  A large molasses storage tank burst and molasses poured through the streets at an estimated 35 mph, killing 21 people and injuring 150 more. Legend has it that on a hot summer day the area still smells of molasses.  

We hopped off the trolley at the USS Constitution.  What a glorious old ship! 

 

 

 

On board we explored all three decks, climbing up and down narrow, steep stairways or ladders.  We saw where they made the ammunition.  Each cannon had a name such as Liberty or Victory.

 

Down another deck we found where the men slept -- 

hammocks like cocoons hung waiting for weary bodies. 

 

 The captain's quarters were much nicer!

Apparently Old Ironsides was used as a model for the movie "Master and Commander" 

and I could envision her on the open seas.

 A little history....

 

After leaving the ship we walked over to the USS Constitution Museum, 

passing this dry dock where they built ships.

The museum was wonderful -- great displays and a fabulous gift shop where we purchased several postcards and souvenirs.

From there we hopped back on the next trolley and finished our tour of Boston.  I just had to snap this picture of the steaming tea kettle.  You can't see the steam in this photo, but there was steam coming from it!  The kettle was built in 1873 for the Oriental Tea Company.  (Lucky Starbucks for securing that location!)

So ended our day in Boston.  It was a great start to our vacation! 

Next stop -- Mystic, Connecticut!

A Trip to New England ~ Boston!

Every year my sisters and I get together -- a pact we made when our mom died 17years ago.  When dad was still with us, we would take turns having everyone to our houses.  Now we have decided to start exploring other destinations -- this year it was New England. I took the red eye to Providence, Rhode Island, arriving around noon on a Saturday.  Funny story -- I was the first to arrive and headed for the ladies' room.  I opened my stall door and who should be next in line to enter but my sister Chris!  Haha!  We did the "fancy meeting you here" line, and then headed down to meet our sister Linda.  Coming from three completely different parts of the country we all arrived in Providence within an hour of each other and with our gates right next to each other.

We made Providence our home base as it was easy to get to various places we wanted to see from there.  Boston was one of the first places on our list, so we headed there Sunday morning.

We started at the Visitors Center on the Boston Commons to pick up maps and get the lay of the land.  We decided to take a guided tour along the Freedom Trail.  Our guide was dressed in complete colonial garb and knew her history and lots of stories!

The beautiful Massachusetts State House stands proudly on Beacon Hill (land once owned by John Hancock) -- and as our guide aptly pointed out, they built it and then planted a big tree right in front of it!  Ye gads! 

But we were able to see it from the other side of the tree later in the day...

As you can see, they are working on it, but the dome was originally made of wood.  After leaking, Paul Revere's company covered it in copper (which turned green) and then it was gilded with gold.  It's a pretty building, built in 1798.

We then walked past the historic Park Street Church...

...to the Granary Burying Ground (started in 1660) where our guide pointed out the graves and shared stories of people from our history books such as James Otis:

Paul Revere:

Samuel Adams:

and John Hancock:

As the morning wore on, the heat and humidity began getting to us and with a pub across the street we decided to cheat and sneak away from the tour a little before it was over.  Air conditioning, rest for tired feet, cold drinks and delicious food revived us, and by the time we left the pub we were ready to continue on the Freedom Trail on our own!

It took us past the Old City Hall:

The Old South Meeting House (from 1729) where Samuel Adams gave the signal to launch the Boston Tea Party:

 The Old State House -- the Boston Massacare occurred just in front of the building and the first reading for Bostonians of the Declaration of Independence was read from that balcony!

And the bustling Quincy Market place.

From there we walked a couple more blocks and picked up the hop-on-hop-off trolley to the USS Constitution.  That will be the next post!

Loved Boston, the history and spirit!