Oh, What A Ride!!!!!!!

We were finally ready to catch the Trolley to take a tour of Boston! Our time was running out for the day and we thought this might be the quickest way to at least see some of the places .  Having only pleasant encounters with Bostonians I was shocked when I asked the driver where was the best place to sit. Thinking one side might be better than the other. He gave me a very rude answer. Then asked where I was from and after telling him, he said, "You probably thought I was rude (and I am nodding my head in shock), but really we just like to play around in Boston".  If we would not have had to wait another 30 minutes for the next trolley, I would have gotten off. Unfortunately, it only got more....'interesting' to put it nicely!

Our driver did not stick to the path, and took us by some beautiful places, but I cannot tell you what the name of the buildings are.

At one point our driver became argumentative with one of the other passengers. We thought about getting off but we would have to wait 1/2 hour for our next ride. So we ride on!

Our Trolley Ride began with the driver saying, "When you go to a play how do you act when actors enter the stage?" Someone said be quiet. He said, "exactly, it is my stage!"

We did get to see Fenway Park which was a treat!

Our driver then apparently had a schedule to follow and he was a little ahead, so he pulls over across from a Hilton and allows people to get off and go get a Starbucks or go to the restroom.

We finally got closer to the hotel, and thank goodness for that! As he turned a corner, a truck was on the side of the road, unloading items. As we inched by him, and I do mean 'inched"! We ended up catching the other trucks mirror with the back of the trolley! What a mess!!

Holocaust Memorial

A must see if you are in Boston! There are glass columns that represent the different camps.

As you walk through the columns there is steam coming up representing the gas chambers.

Etched into the glass of the columns are the numbers assigned to the prisoners in the camps, representing those who died. There are some great quotes in glass as well. It was  a beautiful, moving memorial. My pictures and description cannot do it justice!

Lunch at Union Oyster House

Anytime I travel, I like to try foods from the region we are in and today was no exception. I asked some locals where was a good place to eat and they told me Union Oyster House. As luck would have it, we were very close to there when our tour of the Freedom Trail ended!

We had heard that John F. Kennedy had a booth there that was reserved for him. We were hoping to get a picture of this, but we were even luckier. They sat us in this particular booth because there were 5 of us.

Well, sitting at this table came with some responsibility! You had to host and greet everyone else who came over to take the picture also!

I had the clam chowder and crab cakes. Some of the best I have ever had. It was a really nice experience and the atmosphere was great!

Faneuil Hall

At Faneuil Hall is where Americans first protested against the Sugar Act in 1764. This inspired the doctrine that became known as 'no taxation without presentation'.  Following this protest were more protests including the Stamp Act, the Townshend Act, and the Redcoat occupation followed.

A statue of Samuel Adams appropriately sits in front of Faneuil Hall. Here is where he was considered to do his greatest work, dominating town meetings and holding a funeral for the victims of the Boston Massacre. 

Boston's most famous weathervane sits atop of the Hall. It is a Golden Grasshopper. Stories have it that this was used to spot spies during the war of 1812. Anyone who did not know "What is on top of Faneuil Hall?" was considered suspicious!

Old State House & Site of the Boston Massacre

This was the center where ideas were born and events that later sparked the American Revolution were born!  This is the oldest, and one of the most beautiful buildings still standing from the original 13 colonies.

• On the town square outside of the Old State House is where the Boston Massacre took place in 1770, which resulted in the death of 5 men and began public opposition to British authority. 
• The Declaration of Independence was read from the buildings balcony in July of 1776.
• John Adams claimed it was here that "the child independence was born".

Old South Meeting House

We did not get to go into this building, only passed it on our tour. Nonetheless beautiful structure!

The Old South Meeting House sets the stage for some very dramatic events that lead to the American Revolution. One of the most notorious being the meeting on December 16, 1773. Thousands of Boston residents protested what they felt was an unfair, burdensome duty on tea that was sitting in the harbor. After an attempt to send the tea back, Samuel Adams stated, "Gentlemen, this meeting can do nothing more to save the country." Men disguised as Indians later marched down and destroyed the 342 crates of tea. This act later became known as the Boston Tea Party.

MA State House

The land the State House sits on was originally a grazing field for John Hancock's cow pasture. Completed in 1798, the most unique and magnificent feature is the golden dome on top. Originally made of wood, it was later overlaid with copper by Paul Revere. I

n 1874, it was covered with 23 karat gold leaf for the first time in 1874 and then later painted black during WWII to protect the city from bombing attacks. In 1997, it was recently gilded and the golden dome shines once again!

As we toured the Boston and Concord areas, I noticed there were some other gold colored domes on several buildings.