Category Archives: Boston

Union Oyster House Boston

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After a day of riding the Old Town Trolley and seeing the sights of Boston, deciding where to eat was an easy decision. Boston is the home of Union Oyster House, which is the oldest restaurant in America.

The Union Oyster House is housed in a building that is over two hundred and fifty years old.  This historic building served as an office for the Continental Army in 1775.  In 1776, Louis Phillippe lived on the second floor while he was in exile from France.  He later returned to France to serve as King from 1830 to 1848.

In 1826 the building became a restaurant.  Over the years the Union Oyster House has had many famous customers.  One of the most famous regulars was perhaps Daniel Webster, who enjoyed ordering a plate of a half dozen oysters so much that it is said he would have six plates each visit.

You still see famous people in the Union Oyster House
You still see famous people in the Union Oyster House
My Mother with Ben
My Mother with Ben

In more modern times the Union Oyster House was often visited by members of the Kennedy Family.  JFK enjoyed the privacy of eating upstairs in his booth.

JFK's booth
JFK’s booth

Sorry about the photos.  It is a bit dark in the restaurant but that seems to just add to the atmosphere and the enjoyment.

We had a short wait at the Union Oyster House, which was not a problem.  The wait gave us time to look around and to stop by the bar where ladies ordered cokes and my son-in-law and I ordered a Sam Adams OctoberFest (what else could it be.  We are in Boston).

Waiting to be seated
Waiting to be seated

We were seated upstairs, and this is a must.  If you go to the Union Oyster House request to sit upstairs.  It is darker and not as lively as the first floor but it gives you the feel for the history.

We started our meal with Fried Crispy Calamari and without question Union Grilled Oysters.  Both the calamari and oysters were great but the oysters were the best I have had.  The only place that I have eaten which could compete with the Union Oyster House is The Southern Steak and Oyster in Nashville.

The five of us ordered a wide selection of food from the menu. I ordered the “Ye Old Seafood Platter”.  The platter comes with deep fried shrimp, clams, scallops, calamari, oysters and fillet of fish topped with onion rings.  The meal was great and everything was cooked to perfection.

Sitting with my Mother at the Union Oyster House
Sitting with my Mother at the Union Oyster House

My wife ordered the “Sauté Seafood Medley”.  Her meal included shrimp, cherry stone oysters, mussels, fish and calamari sautéed in a spicy marinara sauce served over linguine.

If you are in Boston for only one day the place you must go to for a meal is the Union Oyster House.  It has everything that is Boston.

Old Town Trolley Boston

Boston, Boston Tea Party, Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, History, Old Ironsides, Tours, , ,

After a some great food at Caffe Vittoria and several cups of their wonderful Italian coffee, we walked back to the Old Town Trolley stop.  We boarded the next trolly and traveled to the next stop which was the USS Constitution and USS Cassin Young at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Old Iron Sides
Old Ironsides
My mother by the ship
My mother by the ship

We toured Old Ironsides and enjoyed the displays the Navy had set up for the weekend.  From the Navy Yard you can see Bunker Hill.

View of Bunker Hill

 

The walk from the Navy Yard to Bunker Hill is not an easy walk.  It is a twisting path uphill and is steep at times.  The day we visited there were some people dressed in costumes with muskets telling the story of the battle.  To me, a person with several graduate hours in history, the walk was well worth it.  On the bright side the walk back to the trolley stop was all downhill.  The next stop for the trolley was the home of the Bruins and the Celtics, TD Garden.  Due to time restraints we decided to stay on the trolley instead of getting off at this stop.  Stop five was a great historical site.  At stop five you can tour the Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre, Old South Meeting House and the Kings Chapel and Burying Ground.

Stop six was another where we decided to stay on the trolley, but went back to visit the following day.  Stop Six was Boston Public Garden and the Theater District.  Stop Seven is Cheers and would be our lunch the next day.  Stop Eight is Trinity Church and shopping.  Stops Nine through Eleven were pretty much shopping so we stayed on the trolley.  Stop Twelve is the home of the Red Sox and I would have enjoyed getting off but I decided to wait until I could come back to a game.

Stop Thirteen is MIT and Harvard Square.  Again, we stayed on the trolley because my daughter attends Harvard and we  know the area pretty well. Stop Fourteen has many interesting sites including the State House.

State House
State House

Stop Fifteen has several historical sites but our time was too short for us to stop.  Stop Sixteen is the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum and is a fun stop that brings the history to life. This stop is worth your time as you help the Sons of Liberty throw the King’s tea into Boston Harbor.

Boston Tea Party Ship
Boston Tea Party Ship

Our remaining stops were along the Harbor and we decided to stay on the trolley until we arrived back at our starting point.  As we exited the Old Town Trolley we began to discuss where to eat dinner.