| If you want historical sites of the American | | | | combination of New England and Italian |
| Revolution, you need to visit Boston. Of course | | | | inflections.After wadling out of Mike's we started |
| there are other reasons to visit, also: the food, | | | | on our version of the Freedom Trail. I quickly |
| the people, and the accents.Having experiencing a | | | | regretted eating the Lobstertail when I passed an |
| detour within seconds after we picked up our | | | | Italian deli. I just couldn't eat any more, so with |
| rental car at Boston's Logan Airport, we didn't | | | | tears in my eyes we ventured on. We visited Paul |
| want to brave the hand directed traffic of the | | | | Revere's House, the oldest structure in Boston. It |
| streets of Boston. Instead, we opted for Harbor | | | | was built in 1680 and purchased by Paul Revere in |
| Express, a passenger only ferry out of Qunicy, | | | | 1770. I knocked on the door, but Paul didn't |
| which is just across the harbor. The Harbor | | | | answer, so we moved on.Next on the trail was |
| Express lands you just yards from the Quincy | | | | Paul Revere Square and a beautiful statue of Paul |
| Market and this is a great place to start any | | | | riding his borrowed horse for the midnight ride. |
| adventure in Boston.Quincy Market is one long | | | | Legend has the name of the horse as Brown |
| food court with restaurants above and below. | | | | Beauty. Brown Beauty or not, the staue is |
| Fast food options abound. We noted that | | | | magnificent. The statue is found in tree studded |
| Vietnamese noodle soup shops were missing, but | | | | square adjacent to the Old North Church, also |
| most other ethnic foods were present. Peg picked | | | | known as the Christ Church. It was here that |
| a quiche for lunch, while Al had scallops and lobster | | | | Robert Newman hung the lanterns signaling the |
| bisque (his two favorite choices at every seafood | | | | approach of the British troops in the War for |
| establishment we selected). I chose a lobster roll | | | | Independence. Less than twenty feet from Paul |
| and giant steamed prawns with lemon juice and | | | | there were tee shirts and sweatshirts for sale to |
| cocktail sauce. The lobster roll was only okay, but | | | | tourists. We declined to buy.We walked past the |
| the prawns were succulent and excellent.We took | | | | lines waiting to enter the church and continued up |
| our food outside and sat on a stone bench. The | | | | a small hill to Copp's Hill Burying Ground, which is |
| weather was pleasant and the food was good. | | | | the resting place for many of the colonial |
| We began laying out our plans for the afternoon. | | | | Bostonians. The British set up a battery there and |
| Overhearing us was a shopping cart sourvineer | | | | used it to fire on Charlestown. It was interesting |
| salesman named Guiness. He was pleasant and | | | | to see how small the hills were. We walked down |
| funny. We talked for a few minutes. He didn't try | | | | towards the water and saw the Bunker Hill |
| to sell us anything, which was nice. I'm sure he | | | | Memorial across the Charles River standing high |
| had enough people buying.We decided that Peg | | | | behind an office building. Copp's Hill and Bunker Hill |
| would take a taxi to the Boston Fine Art Museum | | | | were only small elevations . . . and of course the |
| and meet us three hours later near the statue of | | | | first major battle of the revolution, Bunker Hill |
| Sam Adams in front of Fanuel Hall, which stands | | | | was really fought on Breed's Hill, but history |
| in front of Quincy Market. Al and I decided to | | | | sometimes gets some things right . . . and |
| start off on the Freedom Trail. Al is even less | | | | sometimes gets them wrong.The U.S.S. |
| inclined to walk than Peg and I, so this worked | | | | Constitution, also known as "Old Ironsides" is |
| out fine. The Freedom Trail starts just a few feet | | | | located in the Charlestown Navy Yard less than a |
| from where we dined."In 1958, local journalist | | | | quarter mile from Bunker Hill. The ship was |
| William Schofield had the idea that Boston's sites | | | | launched in Boston on October 21, 1797. Old |
| could be more accessible to residents and visitors, | | | | Ironsides is the oldest commissioned warship |
| and conceived of the Freedom Trail. A natural and | | | | afloat in the world.Each year the ship sails for a |
| easily-accomplished idea, the sixteen historic sites | | | | turn-around. Passage is arranged via a lottery. You |
| between Boston Common and The Bunker Hill | | | | can submit your name on the office Navy site for |
| Monument in Charlestown were connected by a | | | | Old Ironsides.Al and I continued our walk along the |
| red line, and The Freedom Trail was born. In | | | | waterfront and then stopped at a small park. We |
| addition to the historic sites, the beauty of the | | | | approached a bocce ball court and watched a |
| sights, sounds, and neighborhoods along the way | | | | game between two older men."Bocce had its |
| made walking The Freedom Trail an instantly | | | | beginnings in the Italian Alps during the early |
| popular activity. In 1964, the Foundation was | | | | Christian era, when players tossed stones at a |
| incorporated as a nonprofit organization. From | | | | target (the object being to land as close as |
| 1958 to 1992 the entire Foundation was run, | | | | possible to the target). Roman soldiers, employing |
| organized, and maintained by volunteer support-its | | | | balls instead of stones, spread the game |
| early success was due solely to the spirit and | | | | throughout the Roman Empire, where the game |
| leadership of the people of the City of Boston. | | | | evolved to boules (France), lawn bowls (England) |
| Now the Foundation continues to produce real | | | | and bocce (from the vulgar Latin word for ball, |
| accomplishments in the areas of education, | | | | bottia) in Italy."The two men played out their |
| marketing, capital improvements and | | | | game and then some fellows who had been |
| income-generating projects."One of the sites that | | | | playing cards nearby put their table and chairs |
| Al wanted us to visit was the New England | | | | away in a locker and joined the first two players. |
| Holocaust Memorial. The memorial is located right | | | | It was obvious that everyone new each other. |
| near the Freedom Trail. It was beautiful and | | | | They were all between 65 and 85 . . . maybe |
| emotionally breathtaking."The New England | | | | older. The park had three separate bocce ball |
| Holocaust Memorial was built to foster memory | | | | courts. Each one is played in a pit surrounded by |
| of and reflection on one of the great tragedies of | | | | granite blocks. The floor of the court was stone |
| our time, the Holocaust (Shoah). The effort was | | | | dust.The group of players laughed and chose up |
| begun by a group of survivors of Nazi | | | | sides by playing odds and evens with their fingers. |
| concentration camps who have found new homes | | | | It was so sweet. They were more than just |
| and new lives in the Boston area. Dedicated in | | | | friends, they were community. This quiet scene |
| October, 1995, over 3000 individuals and | | | | that lasted for maybe ten minutes is one of my |
| organizations from across the community joined in | | | | favorite memories of Boston. We said our |
| sponsoring the project. The Freedom Trail | | | | goodbyes and headed back downtown. I enjoyed |
| location, in downtown Boston, is near Faneuil Hall | | | | the walk and frequently stopped and read the |
| and many other treasures of America's history. | | | | menus of Italian restaurants taped to their |
| The site offers a unique opportunity for reflection | | | | windows.We arrived back at Faneuil Hall and Sam |
| on the meaning of freedom and oppression and | | | | Adams before Peg arrived from the museum. It |
| on the importance of a society's respect for | | | | was a great day for girl and people watching. |
| human rights . . . Six million numbers are etched in | | | | There was a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds |
| glass in an orderly pattern, suggesting the | | | | represented. Most of them looked like Bostonians. |
| infamous tattooed numbers and ghostly ledgers | | | | The tourists came in a wide variety, also. Just |
| of the Nazi bureaucracy. Evocative and rich in | | | | before Peg caught up with us a group of black |
| metaphor, the six towers recall the six main | | | | young men set up a microphone and speaker |
| death camps, the six million Jews who died, or a | | | | system and began calling people over, "Come and |
| menorah of memorial candles. "Before we could | | | | see black men dance." And, that's what they did. |
| start on the Freedom Trail, Al had one more stop | | | | Well, actually, it took them quite a long time to |
| to make. He was anxious that I should try the La | | | | start. Not wanting to perform before a sparse |
| Sfogliatella (Lobstertail) from Mike's Pastry.A | | | | gathering, they kept hyping themselves and the |
| photograph of President Kennedy with originators | | | | crowd. I said to Al, "Their preamble is too long for |
| Mike and Annette hangs on a wall behind the | | | | their constitution." I lost interest about the same |
| counter, while a portrait of Frank Sinatra looks | | | | time Peg arrived and the three of us walked off |
| down from another. The Lobstertail was a little | | | | to dinner.We decided to have a quick dinner at |
| too sweet for me, but Al loved it as did | | | | the Cheers. We each ordered drinks in a Cheers |
| everyone else I saw stuffing them in their | | | | mug plus one drink in a Cheers glass. The food |
| mouths."The history of this extraordinary and | | | | was decent. Again, we sat outside and enjoyed |
| popular item dates back to a 16th century | | | | the views of people walking by.By the time we |
| convent on the Amalfi Coast near Naples. This | | | | finished our meal it was almost sailing time for |
| original ancestor of the lobstertail was called La | | | | Harbor Express. We gathered up our shopping |
| Santarosa (named after the convent, now a | | | | bags and coats and started off for the wharf.We |
| popular motel, where the owner of Fiat Italy is | | | | hadn't gone more than a hundred feet before we |
| said to frequent), and its filling was a creamy | | | | spoted Red Auerbach, the great coach of the |
| white, which oozed out of the sides, and was | | | | Boston Celtics. I had to sit down and talk to him. |
| typically served up hot. In Naples coffee shops, | | | | He listened well enough, but never really spoke his |
| this is still something to die for. The white fresh | | | | mind, which I thought was a little unusual for him. |
| cream filling of the Santarosa was replaced as | | | | When Red refused to give me his cigar, we left in |
| well with a yellow custard filling, thick, chewy and | | | | a huff and barely made it onboard our catamaran |
| delicious. The modern day versions of both of | | | | in time to sail back to Quincy.We really enjoyed |
| these that Mike's Pastry carries are both the | | | | our short stay in Boston, but it was just that. It |
| white cream and yellow cream filled. The best of | | | | was too short. Next time we will arrange a stay |
| both worlds, and a cake version is available as | | | | of several days, so we can see more sites and |
| well."Personally, I got the biggest kick out of Maria | | | | talk to more people.Don Doman is a published |
| (probably not her real name). I think she was the | | | | author, video producer, and corporate trainer. He |
| boss of everyone . . . at least she certainly acted | | | | owns the business training site Ideas and Training |
| like it. When any production company begins a | | | | ( which he says is the home of the no-hassle |
| new TV show or feature film based in Boston, | | | | "free preview" for business training videos. Don |
| they should have her tutor the actors on correct | | | | and his wife Peg also travel in the Pacific |
| pronunciation for the Northend of Boston with its | | | | Northwest writing of their fun and adventures. |