Monday, July 8, 2024: Into Boston
While this was only my second vacation in Boston, I had been to the city several times previously in a professional capacity. Each time, while sitting nauseated in the back seat of a limo and watching the chaos of traffic outside, I swore to myself that I would never drive in Boston.
Thus it was fitting that I found myself at the wheel of our rental car Monday morning, cruising south on US-1 inbound to downtown Boston. (It really was not all that bad.)
"Why Do Boats Hate You So Much?"
My top priority in Boston was seeing the USS Constitution, the oldest US Naval ship still on active duty, Old Ironsides herself. Launched in 1797 and a veteran of the War of 1812, the sailing ship is a national icon. By departing early from Boston back in 2016, we completely missed out on seeing it.
I re-learned a much needed lesson that morning. Despite assurances from Google that the ship could be toured that day, we reached its pier in the Charlestown Navy Yard only to be met with a sign indicating that it was closed on Mondays. Never ever believe business hours posted by Google.
Recalling my white whale, the Steamship William G Mather berthed at the Cleveland waterfront that rebuffed two attempted fly-out visits (the first time due to fire, the second due to a heat advisory), The Bear immediately began mocking me.
"Wow, Dad, why do boats hate you so much?"
Despite being closed for the day, the magnificent sailing vessel from a different era could still be looked upon. So we looked upon it.
I am pretty sure The Bear was still mocking me about the ship being closed when I took this picture.
The USS Constitution was armed with just a few cannon. I think those red plugs in every canon barrel need ribbons embroidered with "remove before sailing".
Izzy and The Bear must have been inspired for their kayak rental in Rockport by Old Ironsides. Spoiler alert: the kayak was not this cool.
Charlestown Navy Yard
The USS Constitution Museum is a part of the broader Charlestown Navy Yard, a historic site managed by the National Park Service. Operating from 1800 to 1974, this facility serviced everything from wooden sailing ships to modern ships on active duty during my lifetime.
Does anyone remember the Tom and Jerry cartoons and the polysyllabic howling "ow!" sound that Tom would make after an injury? Because that is exactly what I heard when I looked at this sign.
Also on display was the USS Cassin Young. Built in 1943, this World War II veteran was one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built. It survived seven battles in the Pacific and two kamikaze attacks. Post-war during the 1950s, the Cassin Young was one of many ships that would have been serviced by the Charlestown Navy Yard. It is one of only four Fletcher-class destroyers still afloat.
It was also closed on Monday. Like Broadway.
"Thingamabobs? I got 20."
"Pew, pew."
This is the ship's bell from the USS Boston, a heavy cruiser launched in 1942 that remained on active duty until 1970. Behind it are a pair of deck guns aimed at Boston's financial district.
In the aftermath of the War of 1812, it was recognized that the United States Navy needed better facilities for the construction and maintenance of large Naval vessels. An 1827 act passed by Congress required the construction of two granite dry docks, one at the Charlestown Navy Yard and the other in Gosport, VA. Dry Dock 1 at Charlestown was completed in 1833. Considering that the War of 1812 ended in 1815, it took Congress longer to act than was required to actually build the drydock. Why am I not surprised?
Dry Dock 1 was used to build and maintain ships for over 140 years until its closure in 1974.
Building 123 was a pumphouse used to manage water levels in Dry Dock 2. Coincident with the service dates of Dry Dock 2, the pumphouse was in active use from 1905 to 1974. Dry Dock 2 still exists, but is currently flooded and lurks beneath the water adjacent to the pier.
Across the Harbor
We decided to take a harbor ferry to the heart of downtown Boston from Charlestown. It departs from the flooded remains of Dry Dock 2 in the former Charlestown Navy Yard and delivers passengers to Long Pier near the New England Aquarium.
The Bear and Izzy waited in the shade on a hot day for the arrival of the ferry. "Give me a snarky look," I coached The Bear. Mission accomplished with such practiced ease.
One of the most distinctive buildings in this part of Boston is the Custom House Tower. The tower was added to an existing 1849 structure in 1915. Although clearly not the tallest structure in Boston today, it was the loftiest in the city until the Prudential Tower outclimbed it in 1964. Though relatively diminutive today, the tower is an eye-catching example of elegant architecture.
Think on this. Somebody owns that boat. I own a thing that flies my family around and I still cannot fathom what this boat must have cost.
Within a few minutes, the ferry deposited us on Long Pier and our exploration of Boston proper began.
The Cradle of Liberty
With lunchtime rapidly approaching, we passed the Custom House Tower on our way to the Quincy Market.
The Quincy Market was completed in 1826 in response to a growing need for indoor market space beyond what could be accommodated by nearby Faneuil Hall (our next destination). With Faneuil Hall situated by the harbor, a portion of the waterfront was filled in to build the Quincy Market. Obviously, that practice continued over the years considering how far from the harbor Quincy Market stands today.
Quincy Market was constructed as an indoor venue for various vendor stalls and it continues that tradition today. Everyone found their bliss for lunch. Kristy and I got some "chowda" from Wicked Lobsta and I added an overpriced lobster roll (redundant, I realize) to my order. I love that this nearly 200 year old building is still used exactly for its original purpose, even if the nineteenth century folk who built it may have been baffled by some of the offerings.
It was hot and crowded, but the bustling market was a great experience and the food was good, too!
Quincy Market is part of a complex of markets and flanked by North Market and South Market (with the latter shown above).
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| The whole group (sans photographer) walking to Faneuil Hall. |
Faneuil Hall was constructed in 1742 on the Boston waterfront as a public market, though reconstruction was necessary after a fire gutted the interior in 1762. Additional stories were incorporated in 1806. As the site of speeches by Samuel Adams and other contemporaries urging independence from Great Britain, it is sometimes called the Cradle of Liberty.
Outside Faneuil Hall stands an 1880 bronze statue of Samuel Adams. Adams was a proponent of American independence, an organizer behind such events as the Boston Tea Party, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress, and the fourth governor of Massachusetts. While the Sam Adams beer company capitalizes on his name, Adams was more a "malster" who provided malt to brewers than a brewer himself. But let's not let facts get in the way of a good marketing campaign.
Were it not for the fancy cupola atop Faneuil Hall, I would have never spotted it from the air the next day among the towering modern skyscrapers of Boston.
Amuck in Boston
A steaming teakettle seemed more like a totem from Diagon Alley than a modern Starbucks.
From Faneuil Hall, we made our way to Boston Common. Founded in 1634, Boston Common is considered America's oldest park.
The Brewer Fountain is an 1868 bronze casting depicting mythological figures of the sea: Neptune, Amphitrite, Acis, and Galatea. Gifted to the city by Gardner Brewer, it was cast directly from an original fountain Brewer saw in Paris at the 1855 World's Fair.
A distinctive golden dome tops the Massachusetts State House that stands on the western edge of Boston Common. Built in 1798, it is both a historical site and the present home of the Massachusetts state legislature.
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| A quotation from Coretta Scott King incorporated into the wall around the 1965 Freedom Plaza. |
Inspired by a photograph of Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King hugging, The Embrace memorializes their meeting in Boston, their love, and the leadership they provided to the Civil Rights movement. Unveiled in January of 2023, the striking creation stands in a portion of Boston Common called the 1965 Freedom Plaza that honors 69 civil rights leaders who were active in Boston from 1950 to 1975.
On a lighter note, one can also see the 1987 sculpture Make Way for Ducklings in the Boston Public Garden.
Izzy and The Bear did their best to fit in with the other Bostonians, but neither one of them said "wicked" often enough.
Boston Squirrels, like Boston drivers, are kind of aggressive and not afraid of anything. After allowing me to photograph him, this one raised up on his back legs with front legs extended and staggered toward me like one of those zombies from Thriller.
Dedicated in 1877, the Soldiers and Sailors Monument stands high atop Flag Staff Hill in Boston Common.
Freedom Trail
At this point, the group split up. Mark, Dena, Izzy, and The Bear boarded a subway train toward the New England Aquarium. Kristy and I were also aquarium bound, but walked a portion of the Freedom Trail to get there. For the uninitiated, the Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile trail through Boston that connects sixteen noteworthy historic sites.
We started with the Massachusetts State House and its distinctive gold dome.
Outside the State House is a statue of Daniel Webster. In 1837, Webster spoke to a group of farmers from North Penfield, a Rochester suburb. Inspired by his oration, North Penfield became a separate town named Webster in 1840. It must have been quite a speech.
I loved the architectural dichotomy on display in Boston.
We happened across the grave of Samuel Adams. While all places have history, I have never lived in a place with the kind of impactful history that Boston boasts.
Another stop on the Freedom Trail is the King's Chapel. Originally founded on this site in 1686, it was the first Church of England in Boston. The cornerstone of the present structure was laid in 1749, replacing the original wooden church. After the American Revolution, it became the first Unitarian Church in the United States.
An 1856 bronze likeness of Benjamin Franklin broods outside Boston's old city hall.
Boston's old city hall was in use by the city council between 1865 and 1969.
Founded in 1854, The Boston Five Cents Savings Bank was one of the first savings banks established in the United States. Something tells me that, over time, petitioners had to up their antes.
The Old South Meeting House was once colonial Boston's largest building. Constructed in 1729 as a Puritan meeting house, it became a focal point of colonial unrest in 1768-1775, where Loyalists and Patriots debated controversial policies and actions of the crown. On December 16, 1773, 5,000 men gathered here (really?) to thrash out the controversial tea tax. Failing to reach a compromise, Samuel Adams gave a signal that initiated the Boston Tea Party.
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| Old South Meeting House. |
Also on the Freedom Trail is...a Chipotle? Current branding aside, the structure dates back to 1718 and was long known as the Old Corner Bookstore. It was home to the original publisher of Thoreau’s Walden, Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Alcott’s Little Women, and Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin among others. In lieu of intellectual stimulation, Bostonians can now visit the 300+ year old building and pay extra for guac.
Boston's Old State House is the city's oldest surviving public building. It was built in 1713 and originally served as the seat of colonial government. In 1770, the Boston Massacre occurred in the adjacent square (where all those people are standing). On July 18, 1776, many Bostonians heard the Declaration of Independence for the first time when it was read from the Old State House balcony by Colonel Thomas Crafts. It remained the seat of Massachusetts government until that function was moved to the current State House in 1798.
We found ourselves back at the Quincy Market. Before making for the New England Aquarium to reconnect with the others, we stopped inside and bought some much needed lemonade.
On our way to the New England Aquarium, we passed Christopher Columbus Genocidal Douchebag Waterfront Park. The trellis was quite eye catching.
"Under the Sea - Darling it's Better Down Where it's Wetter"
(This is a Disney lyric?!)
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| New England Aquarium. |
We reunited with the others at the New England Aquarium.
When I was an eighth grader, we had to make dioramas for history class. I collaborated with a classmate to fabricate a model Hooverville village (look it up) of improvised shacks built from scavenged metal, wood, and shingles arranged around a miniature burn barrel wired with an electric light to give the illusion of a fire. I had not thought of that project in years, but was reminded of it when I laid eyes on the New England Aquarium for some reason.
We arrived during African penguin feeding time and marveled at how each one stood waiting so patiently for their turn.
The Bear and I particularly liked the Rockhopper penguins with their distinctive noggin feathers and occasionally outrageous squawks.
Here, we witnessed a "Rockhopper moot" where matters of great importance were being debated.
Patience and placid stillness may attract a passing ray.
Ignoring other children slapping at the water's surface, this ray swam directly to The Bear for a little low key petting.
The Bear took a lot of photos at the aquarium, most of them focused on the central, multi-story tank at the heart of the facility.
There is something incredibly zen about the facile way that sea turtles -- who lumber so awkwardly on land -- slice through the water.
This is the poorest reenactment of that scene from Flashdance that I have ever seen.
Boston Recon
After dinner at State Street Provisions, we boarded another harbor ferry back to the Charlestown Navy Yard to return to our cars.
Izzy and The Bear promptly put some distance between themselves and the adults for the voyage back to Charlestown. (Some kind of hormone-driven coulombic repulsion, I think.)
Golden hour lighting revealed how handsome a city Boston is.
Our day spent in Boston would prove to be excellent reconnaissance for an aerial city tour on Tuesday.
Having already begun planning how I would accomplish a Boston city tour by airplane, I was quick to note the Boston Coast Guard Station that corresponds to the aeronautical GPS waypoint "VPCGS". The station would mark our formal entry to our city tour above downtown Boston on the following day.
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