9/15/2022
We got up at 8 o'clock every day, including Thursday. Then we had a leisurely breakfast. This hotel did not have as great a selection as the other Residence Inns where we have stayed. The revolving door at the main entrance is locked; it would open from the breakfast room anyway.
We need help understanding this because the front desk usually is at the entrance. But something could have triggered the locking of the main door.
So after breakfast, we headed back to the Italian District. 😄
This time we went to the Government Center, which was our starting point because the Italian District is close by.
We took the bus (Silver Line 4 or 5) from here to the end station. At the Boylston station on Boston Common, we then took the green subway (Green Line) and rode two stops to the Government Center stop.
There are also blue, red, and orange subway lines. The orange one had been closed for some time, so maybe it reopened on our last day here. We also rode the blue subway; of course, it's blue! 😀
But you have to be very careful because the green metro, for example, has more than one line, and trains go in entirely different directions. So if you pass by, pay close attention! But we will write about public transport later!
For example, there is the City Hall building, which is under construction or renovation and partially closed.
When we arrived, Latin music was playing, and we saw people dancing in traditional costumes. Upon closer inspection, we noticed that they were from El Salvador. Unfortunately, their performance had just ended, but they still walked around in their beautiful colorful dresses.
By the way, a colorful BOSTON sign is next to them if anyone wants to take a picture.
Next to it is a statue of American professional basketball player William "Bill" Felton Russell, who played for the Boston Celtics. The statue was erected here in 2013 with Russell in attendance. The city of Boston honored him with this statue. It is surrounded by 11 pedestals symbolizing the 11 championships he won with the Celtics.
In the spring of 2015, two more statues of children were added to honor his commitment to working with children.
Csibi also used to play basketball, and he loves basketball, so this was a must-see for us!
After that, of course, we went off the planned path again because here is the Faneuil Hall Market on a square. Around it, street performers and various events entertain tourists. It is said that this place alone attracts many visitors to the city.
We didn't go into the building this time!
In front of the building is a statue of Samuel Adams (and others).
Samuel Adams was a statesman, political philosopher, and one of Boston's most prominent revolutionary leaders. He played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War and was one of the United States' founding fathers.
We continued to the right just because the houses and skyscrapers looked cool. On the corner is a building that could have been a church from a distance and shape, but of course, it was not.
The first surprise was that there was a subway exit, and then we learned that it was the Old State House. (Remember the day before, I had mentioned the State House with the golden dome and that there was an old house. Well, this is it!)
The Old State House is a historic building! It was built in 1713 and was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. It is one of the oldest public buildings in the United States.
It is also a landmark on the Boston Freedom Trail (more on that later) and is now a museum.
We went to the museum, of course. Admission is $15 per person, and you can also visit the nearby Old South Meeting House (about 2 blocks away) with that ticket.
The Old State House is located in downtown Boston among the skyscrapers. It is a museum about Boston's role in the American Revolution.
But what really happened here?
James Otis' speech in 1761 was the first major protest against British law.
The Boston Massacre took place in the square in front of City Hall. It was the first bloodshed in the years before the Revolution in the dispute between the British and the Americans. The event was not a massacre but a violent melee in which five Bostonians lost their lives.
On July 18, 1776, Bostonians gathered under the balcony to hear the Declaration of Independence for the first time.
The State House was also the scene of many other important events. For example, Queen Elizabeth II greeted the people of Boston from this balcony in July 1976.
For those interested in history, a visit to the museum is recommended. There are exciting things to see. For example, a 3-part documentary film.
About 2 blocks from here is the Old South Meeting House, the second stop on our tour. We went there, and the pass got us in without a problem.
The building was built in 1729. It was used for public meetings and church services. Its clock is the oldest American-made tower clock in the country, still in its original location.
Between 1768 and 1775, it became the center of mass protests against British measures in colonial Boston.
The famous Boston Tea Party was organized here on December 16, 1773. It was the immediate precursor to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.
But more on that later.
Across the street, across from Walgreens, is a small free "bookstore." You pick something up and bring something back. This is really cool. Next to it is a piano that anyone can sit down at and play.
And in the square are two statue groups, the "Boston Irish Famine Memorial": an Irish family that suffered from the Great Famine of 1845 to 1852 is juxtaposed with a wealthy family that emigrated to America.
In 1845, potatoes were the main staple food in Ireland and were infected by a fungus. As a result, about two million people starved to death and almost as many emigrated. Most of the Irish live in Massachusetts.
From here, we walked along Milk Street to the New England Aquarium. Before that, we visited the Rings Fountain and then walked to the end of the pier, where we had a good view of the city.
We continued on to Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, where we didn't find the Columbus statue. However, honestly, we weren't looking for it at all because we didn't know where we were. 😄
In the park is the Rose Kennedy Rose Garden, which, if you're not careful, you can easily walk by without noticing. When it comes to flowers, that doesn't happen to us. It is said that the Rose Garden is at its best in June when the sight and the scent come together. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was the mother of President Kennedy. She and the so-called American Gold Star Mothers are honored in the garden.
American Gold Star Mothers is a veterans organization that supports mothers who lost a child during World War II.
Mrs. Kennedy became a Gold Star Mother in 1944 when her oldest son, Joseph Patrick Kennedy, was killed in action.
So if you're passing through in June, be sure to stop by and see this little rose garden in all its glory. No extras this time, but it's a good thing we didn't miss it.
And from here, not far to the North End - the Italian District, where we finally arrived. As you can see, we took a big detour, but we finally arrived here.
Here we strolled around a bit, looked at the buildings, and realized that it really is a bit like Italy. Narrow streets, Italian restaurants and stores, and lots of Italian-speaking people.
A friend of ours from Virginia, Noémi, and her husband were in Boston last Christmas, and she recommended a pizzeria where the pizza was supposed to be particularly good. Unfortunately, we couldn't find it, although we walked around the area twice; there was another pizzeria called Regina's, so we went there for lunch because we were hungry.
It was pretty crowded, but luckily there was still room for us.
We ordered a Mediterranean pizza, and Csibi was happy that he could have a beer since we didn't rent a car this time. I drank Sprite. We paid $34.
The Old North Church, an 18th-century church, the starting point of Paul Revere's revolutionary march, was unfortunately closed, so we couldn't get through there. We detoured to the square that bears his name and where his equestrian statue stands.
Paul Revere was originally an American silversmith and industrialist. However, his most famous and vital act was his night ride to warn the colonial militia of the approach of British troops in April 1775.
Noémi also suggested that we should definitely have a cake in the Italian quarter. Well, Csibi didn't need to be told twice.
There was a store, Mike's Pastry, where the end of the line was right in front of the store. This place has typical Italian pastries, which must be delicious because we saw a box of pastries in every other hand (you couldn't sit down, you just bought it and took it).
But here you can only pay with cash, so we did not go in.
Then we saw something interesting on the wall that we wanted to photograph, and it turned out to be the cafe we had come to. We almost kept walking by. But this coffee shop accepted cash only too. So we looked to see how much we could scrape together, and it turned out we had enough to buy a cake and coffee.
So we went inside. This place is Caffe Vittoria. We recommend it to anyone who stops by.
First, because the coffee is delicious. I had a cappuccino, which I usually drink anywhere. And Csibi always tries something special, and this time she chose the Espresso Affogato, which is actually an iced coffee. It was probably the best coffee we've had here (in America).
We had no idea about the cakes because they looked very nice. So we asked the waitress for advice on what she thought was best. Since two of the cakes we looked at were among those she recommended, we decided on the Tiramisu and the Yellow Creme Savoi.
Both were delicious, but the Tiramisu was perfect. It is made from an original Italian recipe, and you can feel it. We've had Tiramisu elsewhere in America, but those weren't nearly as good!
We paid $25, including tip.
After that, we went to the House of Paul Revere, which we found in a pretty little spot. By the way, there is now a restaurant in the square, at least the tables are set up there, and it was pretty busy (though everywhere we went, there were still lots of tourists in town).
The Church of the Sacred Heart is also located here.
By the time we got here, we were exhausted. So from here, we made our way back to the metro station.
I emphasize again that you have to pay attention to which subway you get on because the different letters indicate different directions. If I remember correctly, the green subway line has B, C, D, and E variants. We had to take the E.
We had to wait a lot, but then it was finally time. The way between the stops is short, and you feel that the subway is going very slowly. There were a lot of people on it.
On this day, we chose bus 1 because it also stops near the hotel.
Right next to the hotel is Ramsay Park. It is a sports field where many people play sports.
We are tired, but the best is yet to come!
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