Boston - Surprisingly Different
Boston, USA - October, 2005
Boston is a very un-American city so much so that Americans find it difficult to explore as it doesn't work on a grid system. Perhaps that's why everyone is happy to follow a red line down the middle of the pavement without bothering to look up at street names or consult a map.
What is so uncharacteristic -ally wonderful about Boston is that you can count the number of skyscrapers on both hands.
The red line – or Freedom Trail to give it its correct title – is either painted or two bricks wide and will take you on a journey past the city’s historical sites. You might not be interested in what happened on Bunker Hill or care what instigated the Boston Tea Party but before long you will be caught up in the history and drama of the 17th and 18th century.
The trail starts from the Visitor Centre on Boston Common and it’s worthwhile signing up for one of the guided walks led by a historical character dressed in white tights and a three cornered hat. What could have been a boring history lesson was instead a miniature re-enactment of the events that lead to America gaining its independence from the British Empire.Our guide Gary, whose historical name was Benjamin, was surprisingly non-biased and keen to hear the views from the British amateur historians in the group and mischievously gave out non-speaking roles to a chosen few.
The walk takes you into two ancient graveyards, under the balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read, past Churches and meeting places such as Faneuil Hall. Behind Faneuil Hall is Quincy Market which is now an upmarket food court and a great place to sample a cup of Boston Clam Chowder while watching street entertainment. The tour finishes at Union Street which was the city’s original shoreline with its old warehouses, 17th century bars and seafood restaurants. With the help of old maps and photographs that Gary produced from his satchel you get a feel for what Boston looked like before the peninsula was extended into the sea.
The guided tour lasts approximately two hours and covers half of the Freedom Trail and you are left to follow the rest of the red line by yourself. It will lead you through the picturesque North End along Hanover Street with its back to back Italian eateries before crossing over the Charlestown Bridge to Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution but at least by the time you are left to your own devices you will know what Bunker Hill and the Boston Tea Party are all about.
The guided tour lasts approximately two hours and covers half of the Freedom Trail...
What is so uncharacteristically wonderful about Boston is that you can count the number of skyscrapers on both hands. There is a cluster in the business district next to where the Boston Massacre took place and two in the Back Bay district resulting in an enormous expanse of open sky. The city is also very green as it was built around the oldest public park in North America although on closer inspection you realise there are two distinctly different green spaces that sit side by side.
The larger of the two – Boston Common – is 48 acres and in the 16th century was a training ground for soldiers. It’s now where kids practise baseball or knitting festivals take place. Across Charles Street, is the walled Public Garden, more a miniature Botanical Gardens with a large lake, 125 different varieties of trees, colourful flower beds and pristine lawns displaying “Keep off the Grass” signs.
The city is crammed full of so many old buildings that you will find a subway entrance inside the 17th century Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was read. Could this be where Disneyland got their idea of cleverly disguising functional services inside the shells of historical buildings? Talking of subways – the first ever subway was built in Boston and is still functioning on Boston Common.
You will feel as if you have stepped back into the 18th century as you walk past old fashioned bakeries, antique shops and cafes...
Overlooking the Common, at the top of Beacon Street, is the Massachusetts State House and you can’t miss its glittering 23 carat gold dome. Right next door is Boston’s most exclusive residential address – Beacon Hill. It’s the only hill in Boston and its worth weaving your way up and down the cobbled streets admiring the immaculate terraced townhouses, old fashioned street lamps and wrought iron balconies made from melted down cannons and cannonballs.
A walk over Beacon Hill, not forgetting to stroll round beautiful Louisburg Square, will bring you back down onto Charles Street. You will feel as if you have stepped back into the 18th century as you walk past old fashioned bakeries, antique shops and cafes and if you can tear yourself away you will eventually find yourself back at the parks where you can rest your legs.
Boston’s prestigious shopping street is Newbury, a wide tree lined avenue that stretches from the Public Garden eight blocks into the Back Bay area of the city. The further up the street you walk the more interesting the shops become as they are located in old brownstone townhouses with stone stairs leading up to the main entrances or down to the basements.
The shops are mixed in with restaurants and art galleries, many of which have al fresco dining either on the sidewalks, in sunny or shaded street-side gardens and basements. The two streets either side of Newbury – Boylston and Commonwealth Avenue – are also worth walking up and down especially Commonwealth Avenue with its long shaded promenade that runs down the middle and overlooked by desirable residences.
An American city is the last place you would expect to admire beautiful 17th and 18th century architecture or learn about British history. Bostonians are justifiably proud of their place in the history books and still have a strong connection to us Brits but then when your taxi driver’s name is John Pringle it perhaps explains why.