Boston, An Old City
Boston is one of the oldest cities in the US with rich history in the making of the United States of America. It is the fifth largest combined statistical area in the US. The city thrived, becoming the largest in British America and the third largest city in the British Empire (behind London and Bristol). 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[Wikipedia].
Boston and surrounding area has many rich and high ranked educational institutions in the world such as Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Various attractions in and around city are considered to be the roots of the American independence.
Charlestown Naval Yard: This is one of the oldest naval yard in the country with capacity of two dry docks it then enabled US Navy build various types of large vessels. It also had one of the largest working chain and rope making factory of the time. Now it is a home of USS Constitution Museum, The Naval Yard Museum and home to USS Cassin Young. There is no entry fee for these attractions but you can donate if you wish. The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge connecting Boston and Charlestown is right next to this place. For photographers there is a small park which has access right next to Charlestown Naval Yard.
USS Constitution: It is the oldest and still floating US battleship preserved by United States Navy. This ship is over 200 years old. Of-course a lot of maintenance has been done. This ship is also called “Old Ironsides” because in the 12 minutes battle when HMS Guerriere fired heavy cannon balls at Constitution they bounced off the hull as if it’s made of iron and not wood. The USS Constitution museum is open for general public for free of charge. There are two places to see, one is the museum and second is the ship itself. Two desks are open for general public all the lower desks have been declared as restricted area. Ship still has its canons, dining room, captains quarters and main desk polished and well maintained which actually gives the feel of a ship in commission. USS Constitution Museum has information about the only battle ship involved including a time lined map. Exhibitions give information on the ship crew, captain’s logs, the kitchen, sleeping quarters and uniforms of different ranks. Museum is also good for kids to learn how things like canons, ships and sails work.
USS Cassin Young: USS Cassin Young (DD-793), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Captain Cassin Young (1894–1942), who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism at Pearl Harbor.
Old State House Museum: Located near Boston harbor this place holds the roots of American Independence. Old State House Museum and Boston Massacre Site, from this gallery British and later American governors used to announce new laws and decrees. From this very gallery Declaration of Independence was read to public after 18 days its has been signed in Philadelphia, PA. Place has been changed from government building to shopping center to court to old wreck to historical building over long period of time.
Prudential Center: This is the biggest and tallest building you will notice on Boston skyline. At very small fee of $11 you get to see 360 degree view of Boston from 50th floor of this building. Make sure to hold on to your receipts of any purchases including the observation deck tickets with you until you check out with a discount stamp on your parking ticket from any of the information counters inside the mall. The catch is that you have to spend $20 in Prudential Center Mall to get pretty good discount on 4–8 hours parking.
J.F.K. Library and Museum: Life of the most talked about personality in the history on United States. Know everything about John F. Kennedy. This is a huge facility with artifacts, videos, storyboards and exhibitions which take you to the JFK era. Be a witness to all the major incidences during JFK’s lifetime and impact on the world his decisions made.
Sam Adams Brewery: Though we did not get chance to take the tour of the brewery ourselves, it is one of the famous destination near Boston. Not only it is a must go destination for beer lovers like me but also is a good place if you want to add ‘How beer is made?’ to your How it’s made knowledge base.
MIT Campus: Though there is not much to see except the university museum in the campus, it gives one of the spectacular skyline view of the city of Boston.
Harvard Campus: Harvard University campus is town in it’s own. All the necessities, shops, restaurants are available at your disposal. Campus has some of the oldest structures in the town and they are pretty magnificent.
There are many other places worth visiting in and around Boston. Please check the official Boston website for more information.
Check pictures below to get idea about the city and surroundings.
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Stay: Stay in Boston City can be really costly but, we searched the surrounding area and found a lot of different well-recognized hotels for over night stay. Yelp helped us.
Tip: If you drove to Boston, drive in Boston. Parking charges are reasonable on weekends and do not seem to hype on weekdays. $15 for 8 hours is not a bad deal considering you get to park in the city near your attractions.
