August 4, 2008

August 4, 2008

We are ready now to hit the historic sights in central Boston. Boston is no place to drive a car let alone an RV. There is not a straight road in the town plus Boston has more complicated intersections than the rest of the country combined. Driving in Boston would drive my navigator nuts. Fortunately Boston has a great mass transit system and there is a local RV park that will limo us to the train station. So this morning we take the Commuter Rail to the Subway station and then make the short trip downtown.

Our first stop is the Visitor Center for the Boston National Historic Park. There are tons of historical sites in central Boston and they are all within walking distance of each other. Boston has a red line in the sidewalk (the Freedom Trail) connecting them all making it very visitor-friendly. We visit the “Old North” church where “one if by land, two if by sea” was signaled, Paul Revere’s house, the site of the Boston Massacre, and the graveyard where Sam Adams, John Hancock, and Revere are buried.

The trail then crosses the Charles River to the Charlestown Navy Yard where the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) is moored. This undefeated warship built in 1797 was instrumental in the Barbary War and the War of 1812. Uphill from the yard is the Bunker Hill Monument. A tall obelisk commemorates this first major battle of the Revolutionary War. We walk up to the top for a view of Boston but the 294 steps are a killer.

In the afternoon we take the subway west to the boyhood home of John F. Kennedy. Unfortunately it is closed on Mondays. Nevertheless we can see it is a very modest house. I guess Joe Sr. had not yet made his millions. Our feet are tired so we return downtown, take a relaxing stroll thru the Boston Commons (city park) and sit for a beer in the “Cheers” bar. I take Norm’s spot and Aimee sits on Cliff’s stool.