USA Day 9 Boston

It was still 275km to Boston but we were there by late morning and had the rest of the day to explore. This was the last full day of the tour so I was determined to make the most of it. Tomorrow we would be returning to New York.

We were dropped off at Boston Common and walked round the corner and there was the 'Cheers' bar where the series was filmed. Some of the group went in for a coffee but I decided to walk the Freedom trail and get a feel for Boston.

The trail starts from the Common which is America's oldest public park. No idea what setting I had the camera on to take this lopsided photo!

This is the gold domed Massachusetts State House.

The Granary Burial Ground where victims of the Boston massacre ( March 5th 1770) are buried. Although Benjamin Franklin is buried in Philadelphia, his parents and buried here in the family plot.

This plaque embedded into the pavement is in honour of the Boston Latin School, the first public school in the USA. It was founded in 1635, followed a year later by Harvard, the nation's first university.

The Old State house dating to 1713 is Boston's oldest surviving public building. It was from this building's balcony that the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians in 1776.



At the front of the State House there was a re-enactment of  the changing of the guard which I found really interesting as it is similar to ceremonies we have here.

Quincy Market is a food hall packed with restaurants and stalls

We chose to sit outside at this seafood restaurant and tasted Boston clam chowder which was delicious.

The Union Oyster House. This is the oldest restaurant in Boston which has been serving seafood since 1826.

Close by was a market with delicious looking seafood. A pity I had just eaten as I would have bought some crab or lobster to eat!

A view of the  Zakim bridge named in honour of Leonard Zakim, a Jewish-American civil rights leader in Boston, who died in 1999

The former home of Paul Rever, the Revolutionary hero. Built in 1680 it is the oldest house in Boston.

We then walked down to the Charles River and enjoyed a stroll by the water.

Looking back across the river to the Finacial district.

Boston tea Party Museum. When you only have a  few hours to visit a city it is difficult to include a Museum visit.

The friendship arch leading into Chinatown. It was then time to return to the hotel where I was meeting a few others from the group and we were off to see a baseball game.

This was a first for me. I had never seen a game before or knew that much about it but as the Red Sox were playing that night it was too good an opportunity to miss.

The Red Sox were playing the Cleveland Indians. The game was easy to follow as it has many similarities to rounders. It was fun watching the hot dog sellers walking up and down the stairs selling their wares.

I loved the experience but not a game I would follow as you had to wait for ages before the bat connected with the ball. Out of hundreds of balls that were pitched I think it was only hit half a dozen times.  It was a completely different experience to any other sporting fixture I have watched. It felt much more of a community get together on a Friday night. As we will be going back to New York in the morning it was a great way to finish off the tour.