After a bit of rest, we headed out around 11:30 to hit the Freedom Trail, our main excursion in this city, and one I had been dreaming about traveling to since I was in 5th grade and first learned about Colonial America.
We began at Boston Common, a mere few blocks from our hotel.
It was a gorgeous day, cooler than New York, with a few beautiful clouds dotting the blue sky.
Our first stop was this very tall statue.
Directly nearby, was this very old cannon.
While not technically on the Freedom Trail, this was a very cute part of Boston Commons.
There were tons of kids out playing in the shallow pool, having a ball in the muggy air.
As we passed by here, we finally reached the stairs to climb out of the Commons and onward on the trail.
First very cool thing:
Our first large monument was the state house.
I absolutely loved all the very old plaques everywhere - if only California could have such history (and, granted, of course California does have history that old - it's just not as heavily sprinkled throughout cities as it is back east).
Once we were inside, we had a great time exploring the many beautiful rooms.
I just loved the ceiling in this room!
Another amazing ceiling.
While this is obviously not the White House, I had to take a picture as a nod towards one of my favorite shows.
We were able to sneak into the House of Representatives room, which was very cool.
When we found the library, of course I had to get a picture.
Soon we were outside again and continue the brick pathway as we headed off onto the next part of the Freedom Trail.
Next up, Park Street Church.
And then off to Granary Burying Ground.
This was chock full of history (if not all creepily chock full of deceased persons).
I did really appreciate seeing gravestones that were hundreds of years old. It made me imagine the lives of those people so long ago.
From here we entered the King's Chapel.
When I entered this church, I received the first sense that Ed was getting a bit impatient (and, honestly, hungry). While he kept insisting that I take as much time as I wanted, he seemed increasingly short, and opted not to check out this church.
Still, undeterred, I entered, totally taken in with all the details.
For instance, I loved that the pews were their own little boxes, to help deal with the cold outside (each box was rented by a family, who often brought in warmers or even a dog to keep them from the cold).
It also had a very cool pulpit.
Once exiting this church, I confronted Ed about his mood, pointing out that he really seemed like he wasn't feeling as patient as he kept insisting, and that we probably should interrupt our tour to find food.
We decided to head towards Quincy Market (also known as Faneuil Hall on the Freedom Trail) which wasn't even that far away.
So, we headed off, amused by the juxtaposition of historical and more modern buildings peppering the city.
While we were on the mission of lunch before more stops, I couldn't help but photograph the Old Meeting House on our way.
Finally, we were in sight of lunch, and excitedly headed in to get our fill.
I had a much happier Ed once we both had bread bowls filled with steaming soup.
Ed went with classic Clam Chowder, while I got my all time favorite Lobster Bisque.
Once we finished eating (and reclaimed our happy moods) we headed into the Old Meeting House, where, just outside, was the site of the Boston Massacre.
I enjoyed seeing drawings of how the Quincy Market usually looked.
When we entered, we were just in time to catch a talk about this history of the buildling.
Inside, we decided to pay the entry fee and were treated with John Hancock's real outfit!
This room was for the kids, but I thought it was very cool (and maybe a fun idea for my classroom this year). Different smells are in squeeze bottles that represent important fragrances in Boston's history.
The view from the window was decidedly modern.
The Old State House was also quite wonderful.
More of those great pews.
George Washington himself actually stood here.
These are the oldest pews.
Ed actually came in this one :).
Downstairs was the Paul Revere Bell.
