Boston, MA: Beacon Hill

While camped out in Connecticut, we drove into Providence, Rhode Island, and took the Amtrak train into Boston, Massachusetts for five days. This didn't take us all day, or hours and hours of driving and riding; we were in Boston by lunch time! This is a perfect example of how compact geographical locations are in New England, and how easy it is to cover a lot of territory in not much time. While in Boston we visited the JFK Presidential Library, took in a Red Sox game at Fenway Park, walked the Freedom Trail that runs throughout this great city, toured the magnificent State House (Capitol Building), took a walking tour of Beacon Hill, and wrapped things up with a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery.

 

The weather that week was wonderful, bright blue skies, puffy clouds, and mild temperatures with light breezes. We used the very convenient MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority) to get from Point A to Point B, and did the rest of our touring on foot.  One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston is filled with vestiges from the past including grand old churches, crumbling graveyards (I can't remember how many notable figures are actually buried here), and houses of people who seemed like mythical figures to me in my childhood (such as Paul Revere, whose legacy seems to intertwine itself throughout the entire city). The ancient mingles with the modern here, and as you amble through the streets, you might find yourself stumbling upon a 300-year old historically significant landmark all but swallowed up in the surrounding high rises.

 

In no way could we take in all Boston has to offer in just five days, and in no way can I capture everything we saw in just a few blog posts and a handful of pictures. I'll do my best to break this out into a small number of posts, covering the highlights of what we were able to explore on our first visit. In this post, I am including pictures of the Beacon Hill district of Boston, a historic neighborhood of known for its Federal-style rowhouses, the Black Heritage Trail, narrow gaslit streets and brick sidewalks. It also includes the "Cheers" bar, the actual location and inspiration of the popular television show that ran from 1982 - 1993.