Tag Archives: Old Town Trolly

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.

 

 

 

Boston’s North End: Little Italy

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On our first day in Boston we decided to take a tour of the city. After looking at several options we chose Old Town Trolly because it is a company we were familiar with from visits to other cities.  The package we selected was the the two day pass which included either a harbor tour or free admission to the Boston Tea Party Ships.

My daughter and son-in-law met us at the Homewood Suites Hotel.  We then used Uber to get to Boston Harbor.  This was the first time I had used the Uber service and found it to be great.  The driver was very nice and knowledgable and the car was clean.  The Uber driver delivered us to the harbor and let us out beside the Old Town Trolly office.

Feneuil Hall

We started our tour of Boston by walking through Faneuil Hall which was built in 1742.  Faneuil Hall is called the cradle of liberty, because it was in this building that Sam Adams would deliver his speeches on freedom and human rights.

Where Sam Adams would have stood
Where Sam Adams would have stood

Near Faneuil Hall is Quincy Market built 1824-1826.  It’s Greek Revival architecture stands out in a city that jumps from colonial to modern America.  Both inside and outside are many interesting shops and places to eat.

Boston harbor notice the old sailing ship
Boston Harbor (notice the old sailing ship)

After looking at the shops we walked down to Boston Harbor and Rowe’s Wharf, where we boarded the Old Town Trolly.  Our first stop was just a short distance from the wharf. Little Italy is located in the North End of Boston and includes many historical landmarks.

We crossed the street from the Trolly stop and followed a narrow street up a small hill into the heart of the North End to find the Paul Revere house.  The three story house was built in 1680 and is the oldest house in downtown Boston.

Paul Revere House

From the Revere House we walked to St. Stephen’s Church.  One of the most famous members of the church was Rose Kennedy.  A short distance from St. Stephens is the statue of Paul Revere, making his midnight ride.  Behind the Revere statue is the Old North Church.

The Old North Church was built in 1723 and became known to all of us through the poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.”  Visiting the church really brought the history alive for me.  From the church a person could have commanded a view of Boston Harbor to track British movements.  It would also have been easy for Revere to see the signal from his house.