If you are planning a trip to Boston, you will find yourself surrounded by historical reminders of moments in time that created the United States of America. Boston is inebriated in history, from obvious markers of events and people who shaped the course of America's history, such as statures of Paul Revere, John Adams, members of the Kennedy family, the red lined Freedom Trail, and the majestic USS Constitution, to less obvious testaments, such as the architecture of the buildings themselves, with their bell towers and puritanical style.
Steeped in History
Indeed, when walking the streets of Boston, one is confronted with a juxtaposition of time. The skylines are pierced by modern skyscrapers, yet one end of the city is joined to another by bridges built hundreds of years ago.
One common denominator linking the various signatures of time is the building blocks themselves of brick and mortar. One can easily find a poetic correlation between historical red bricks of the past, which were baked until properly seasoned, then tediously laid and lathered with mortar to the dreams, negotiations, and plans that were also baked until properly seasoned in time; then laid out as laws on paper in these buildings and deeds upon the streets of this city, lathered with a mortar of will and determination to build a manifest reality from dreams of liberty, justice, and equal opportunity for all who live in this new land that we call America. If one listens deeply, the echoes of their cries continue to rumble through the streets, burial grounds, and hallowed halls of Boston.
Areas of Boston
The North end of Boston incorporates the historical downtown, where the 2.5 mile Freedom trail begins at a spot called Boston Common. This bustling apex of culture is filled with shops, markets, fine and casual restaurants, and the beginning of the historical whispers of America. If you chooses to walk the red line that punctuates the center of the path, you will pass such sites as the Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burial Ground, King's Chapel, King's Burial Ground, Benjamin Franklin's statue at the former site of America's first public school, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall - known as the "Cradle of Liberty" which witnessed speeches by Samuel Adams and James Otis, and many others. The Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Copp's Hill Burial Ground, and Bunker Hill Monument are also located along the trail. This solemn trail ends at the majestic USS Constitution, built in the late 1700s, and still sea-worthy today. The Freedom Trail is intersected with the Black Heritage trail between Massachusetts Street House and Park Street Church.
The North End of Boston is also home to the famous Fenway Ballpark - the oldest functional ballpark in America, the John F. Kennedy library and museum, and many fascinating theaters, museums, and exquisite Italian restaurants.
The West End of Boston is a product of urban renewal, with little more than the Old West Church, an original jail house, and a museum to document the changes of the region.
The South End of Boston maintains the architecture of the past with trendy brick Victorian houses and brick sidewalks. This artistic region is home to a thriving gay community, Chinatown, art centers and galleries, and shops with unique one-of-a-kind items.
