Category Archives: Bunker Hill

Boston Harbor Cruise Travel Blog

We started our second day in Boston with a Boston Harbor Cruise.  If you choose to do this be sure to bring a jacket because you will want to sit on the upper deck of the boat and the breeze can be cool at times.

Sitting on the upper deck of Boat
Sitting on the upper deck of Boat

The Boston Harbor Cruise is really nice and gives you a very different view of the city.  The cruise leaves from Long Wharf near the Old Town Trolley stop number one.  The morning we went on the cruise was nice and clear with good visibility.   The air was cool blowing in off the ocean so as I said before you may need a jacket.  The ride was smooth with very little rocking.  As you leave the wharf you get your first view of the Boston Sky Line.

View as we leave Long Wharf
View as we leave Long Wharf
Leaving the Wharf
Leaving the Wharf

The Boston Harbor Cruise will take you by the Charles River and the Naval Yard.  Seeing and approaching Old Ironsides from the water was really great.  The old ship sat in the water with her penents and flag moving in the cool breeze.

Old Ironsides in Her glory.
Old Ironsides in Her glory.

From the Naval Yard you can look up at Bunker Hill.  Looking from Old Ironsides to Bunker Hill gives you some idea of the view the British Regulars had as they readied themselves to climb and face Colonial bullets.

View of Bunker Hill from Naval Yard
View of Bunker Hill from Naval Yard

After a forty-five minute cruise of the harbor the boat returns to Long Wharf.

The view as we returned
The view as we returned

After leaving the boat we walked down the street to the Rose Kennedy Garden.  My Mother had read about the rose garden built in Honor of Rose Kennedy and wanted to visit it.

Rose Kennedy Garden
Rose Kennedy Garden
My Mother walking through the garden
My Mother walking through the garden

After viewing the garden we walked on down to the Old Town Trolley stop number two at the North End and waited for the next Trolley.

Daughter and Mother at the North End
Daughter and Mother at the North End

We boarded the Old Town Trolley and rode to stop number six the Theater District.  We had just started walking down the street when we ran into someone we knew.  Edgar didn’t have much to say but seemed to be in a hurry.  As for the raven he spoke “Nevermore.”

Poe and the raven
Poe and the raven

From the Theater District we walked through Boston Common and Public Garden by the lake and the Swan Boats.  It was nice to step from the busy sidewalks into another world of green grass and trees.  The people seem to change as they enter this area.  Their pace slows and smiles appear on their faces.  I could have spent more time here doing nothing.

Lake at Boston Common
Lake at Boston Common
Swans at Boston Common
Swans at Boston Common

As much as I would have enjoyed spending more time in the Common area there was something I wanted more. Lunch.

Old Town Trolley Boston

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.