Boston, Massachusetts

Boston was our penultimate stop and is one of the USA's oldest cities and the capital of the state of Massachusetts.

In 1630, Puritan colonists from England founded the city. During the late 18th century, Boston was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Several early battles of the American Revolution, such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston, occurred within the city and surrounding areas. Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the peninsula. After American independence was attained Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing center, and its rich history now helps attract 16.3 million visitors annually. The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635), and the first subway system in the United States. It is also home to the world famous Harvard University.

While here we spent time exploring the city centre which is one of the nicest that we have been in on our travels. It was exactly as we like it - large, spread out over a huge area with plenty of things to see and do. It was easy to tell that this was a city set up by the British with the grid like streets, cobblestoned paths, plenty of great buildings and churches as well as some nice parks.

The city was also quite varied and we were able to walk through an area that was like a Little Italy where all the shops sold Italian souveniers and there was Italian flags, signs and street names everywhere and we also heard many people speaking Italian too. This is due to people of Italian heritage accounting for around 8% of Bostons population, second only to Irish immigrants at 15%.

We took a walk along a route called The Freedom Trail, which is a 2.5-mile-long route marked on sidewalks by a redbrick or painted red line. This winds along some of Boston's and the nation’s most noteworthy historical sites, including the Paul Revere House, Old North Church and its lanterns ("one if by land, two if by sea" to warn of British attack) and Old South Meeting House, where Colonists in 1773 orchestrated the less than genteel Boston Tea Party. Extending from the Boston Common to Charlestown Navy Yard, the Freedom Trail can be covered at a reasonable pace in an hour or so, with more time required for stops at any of the 16 sites along the way. Costumed characters at various points illuminate Colonial life.