Boston #1

On this back to back cruise, we are visiting Boston twice, and with the odd departure times on this voyage, we decided to do a foodie walking tour that incorporated a bit of history as well.

We met our guide, Alvin, at the Shuttle Drop-Off point and began our walk in the Quincy Market area. As it was Sunday afternoon, and the weather bright and warm, all of downtown Boston seemed to be quite busy.

The Old State House, within shouting
distance of Faneuil Hall at the time of
the American Revolution

The Custom House clock tower

Inside Faneuil Hall. The painting that usually hangs
in that dark spot on the wall is on the floor being
repaired and remounted. It looks far too big to fit there!

Alvin took us to a couple of places that have long histories in town. We were supposed to go to a third pub, but as it was Sunday afternoon in football season, that one wouldn't have had enough room for a group of 10, so he had to drop it from the tour.

Our first stop was the Bell In Hand Tavern. It is almost right beside the Union Oyster House, one of our go-to stops for lunch. The Bell In Hand was established in 1795 by Jimmy Wilson, who had been the Boston Town Crier for 50 years. Although it has gone through some changes during its history, one of the bars still has the original wooden bar top. We had appetizers and a drink of choice.

We chose the Steak and Cheese Spring Rolls

After we were done at the Bell in Hand, we walked over to North End. It was a residential community of sorts during the British reign and the Revolution, being home to the likes of Paul Revere and other businessmen as it was relatively close to the State House and the trading and mercantile facilities of the harbour.

I think we came by one of Monica's locations (Al thought there
are 2 or 3) on a previous walking tour of the area a few
years ago.

North Square, location of Paul Revere's house and
a number of cafes and restaurants. 

Paul Revere's House on the left. We had seen Elvis
and the red convertible earlier in our walk. I was
just lucky enough to catch him as he drove by.

And of course, no visit to Boston is complete
without stopping at the Paul Revere monument
with the Old North Church in the background.

There are lots of stories about the most important players in the American Revolution, especially Paul Revere. Alvin pointed out to us that the only reason Paul Revere is the standout is because his name fit into Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem better than anyone else's and he was already well known. Revere didn't actually finish the ride - in fact he was captured by the British - and he was certainly not riding by himself. Another rider, William Dawes, was actually the first to reach Lexington to warn John Hancock and Samuel Adams that the British were out to arrest them.

So once we had visited these spots and learned some more about the Boston Tea Party and the beginning of the American Revolution, we headed for our second stop at the Modern Underground Restaurant at Modern Bakery. It isn't a pub, but the Underground wasn't busy and the food was delicious. 

There are a couple of bakeries in North End that vie for the title of 'Boston's Best'. Just across the street is Mike's Bakery, which, judging by the lineup outside and the number of cake boxes we had been seeing, is a real local favourite. Modern also had a long lineup outside as well as inside, but Al led us down to where he had reserved a table. Here we had another drink - beer, wine or house specialty martinis like Pistachio or Banana Bread, pizza and to top it off,  house specialty cannoli.

One of our 3 pizzas for 10 people. Really
delicious and not too thick a crust.

Here's Al almost tipping the tray of cannoli
over!

These were so good, we didn't have too much room for dinner.
Ricotta, mascarpone, a little sugar and vanilla - creamy and delicious!!

We left Boston around 5 p.m., so didn't really have a lot of time after the tour to stay downtown. But we have our bearings for the visit next week which won't be on a weekend. Let's just hope the weather is as nice.

Looking back at the Boston skyline just after sunset.