The day after this year’s Craft Brewers Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, I spent the day walking around Boston. Apart from one evening a couple of years ago, the last time I was in Boston when when I was 17 and on a high school band trip (our marching band played a Patriots halftime show). So I wanted to get out and see the city and, happily, the weather cooperated with two 80+ degree days in a row. The plan was to walk most of the Freedom Trail, but first I wanted to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, an art museum with a lot of John Singer Sergeants (a favorite artist) and also a number of John Singleton Copley paintings along with some other fine works. If you stop by here most Sundays, you know doubt know I’m an art geek, too.

Outside the Museum of Fine Arts.

John Singleton Copley’s portrait of Samuel Adams, which was my featured artwork of the week last Sunday.

Afterwords, I took the subway back to Boston Commons where the Freedom Trail begins.

So I found the start and began walking the Freedom Trail.

After the Commons, and right next to it, is the Massachusetts State House.

Nearby I spotted this skater sailing the road.

A little later along the trail I came to the Old State House, which is also the site of the Boston Massacre.

Faneuil Hall, a building known as the ‘Cradle of Liberty’. While Faneuil Hall’s first floor was Boston’s main market place, the second floor served as a meeting place. Samuel Adams was one of the patriots who gathered here, trying to convince fellow colonists to unite and fight against British oppression. The statue in front of Faneuil Hall is Samuel Adams. You see a more detailed view of the statue at my earlier post on Samuel Adams’ portrait.

Here’s a longer view of Faneuil Hall.

And using the zoom, this is the famous grasshopper weather vane, “created by silversmith Shem Drowne in 1742. Gilded with gold leaf the copper weather vane weighs eighty pounds and is four feet long.”

Behind the actual Faneuil Hall is the Quincy Market, now a shopping center. The overall area is also now called Faneuil Hall Marketplace. And the “Cheers” folks continue to capitalize on the television series with satellite bars like this one.

On the other side of the market is the historic Durgin Park, a restaurant that I ate at in 1976 with my high school marching band.

As they tell you, it’s been open a long time. It’s been a restaurant since 1742 and Durgin Park since 1827. It’s a tad on he touristy side and features family style dining upstairs, takes no reservations and has famously surly waitstaff.

 

Continue on to The Freedom Trail, Pt. 2: The Bell In Hand