BOSTON, MA

Feel like exploring a little bit of Boston with me today?

Yeah? Great! Well, put on some comfortable shoes. We’ll be doing a lot of walking!

Sunday, October 6, 2019. It was a cruel, blistery minus 22 degrees in Boston that day! Wind gusts at 80 miles per hour. Complete and total whiteout Conditions!

Yes, folks, I was caught in the middle of a DEADLY NOR’ EASTER !!

…..okay, I’m exaggerating. Again. It was more like 47 degrees with clear skies.

Brisk. Lets call it a brisk morning.

I started off my day watching the sun slowly rise over the Charlestown Bridge. From the waters edge along BatteryWharf, where the Mystic, Chelsea, and Charles rivers merge. The North End. Boston’s old Italian neighborhood.

As usual, I had arrived early so I parked on Hanover street, right outside Mikes Pastry (more on that in a minute), and set out to tour the area on foot.

It reminded me of an inner-city movie set. Old brownstones and rent controlled apartment buildings. Narrow alleyways with iron fire escapes. Catholic Churches, basketball courts, restaurants, and bakeries.

With the exception of the random morning walker here and there, the residents were largely still asleep. Or eating breakfast. Or dressing for church. The streets were quiet as local proprietors prepared for their day. Morning deliveries were being made as shopkeepers silently hosed down sidewalks. The aroma of baked goods wafted through the air.

It felt good to be in Boston. This was another one of my “milestone” cities that I wanted to make sure to visit on my travels. And It’d been a long journey getting there. 10 months! So it was more than a milestone now. It was an ACHIEVEMENT! To be honest, there were a few times along the way that I didn’t think I’d make it up to Boston. But I did!! And there I was now, footing it through the city!

I aimlessly strolled through North End, enjoying the peace and serenity of the early morning. With no direction in mind, I wandered, taking lots of photos along the way.

There’s SO MUCH history in Boston! And the North End is just the tip of the iceburg!

After all, this was Paul Revere’s ‘hood!

After about an hour and a half, I had circled my way back to Hanover and Mikes Pastry.

Mikes pastry has been a Boston institution for over 70 years and is the one place every ( I mean EVERY!!) person I talked to said I had to check out.

A word of advice, if you go to Mike’s don’t make the same rookie mistake I did. Know exactly what you want when you step to the counter. The place is busy from the moment they open to second they close so they have little patience for questions or indecision!

“What can I get you?”, the girl hurriedly asked.

“Good morning!! I’d like some cannolis!!”, I replied.

“I know. Which ones?”

“Um….ah….what’s good??”

“They’re all good. Which one?”

“Can I get a…ah….”

Then she started to get hostile, “look, there’s pictures on the wall. Just pick what you want. If it’s not up here, we have them in the back. Whaddya want?”

Under hasty duress (and slightly intimidated) I blurted out, “one espresso, one pistachio, an amaretto,  limoncello, and a mint chocolate chip!”

Feeling a sense of accomplishment I smiled! She smiled back! She placed my cannoli in a bakers box and wrapped it in twine. And I was on my way

After paying the Cannoli Nazi I stepped outside and noticed there was cafe next door. I went in and ordered a double espresso from the beautiful Italian barista, who was gracious enough to let me bring in my pastries. It was a cool little coffeehouse. It felt very European!

I sat at a table and sipped on my coffee and ate my limoncello cannoli. Rich and creamy lemon ricotta, slightly sweet, slightly tart, inside a crisp, flaky shell, with powdered sugar on top!

WOW!!! AMAZING!!

Not like the little whip cream filled puff pastry you buy at the supermarket. THIS was a cannoli. Now I knew what everyone was talking about!

Fueled by delicious espresso and Italian pastry, I was now ready to explore!

I wanted to walk the Freedom Trail later, which starts near Beacon Hill, so I drove to the Financial District and parked at High and Congress. This was kind of central to everywhere I planned to go.

A few blocks west was the harbor. First I crossed over to Rowes Wharf and took some more pics as I let the sunshine warm me up a bit.

From there I cut back and traversed the Financial District on my way to Boston Common.

I was once again surrounded by beautiful architecture. An eclectic assortment of modern skyscrapers and revolutionary era buildings towered above and enveloped me.

You wouldn’t have known it was a Sunday. The street corners and historic sites were bustling and crowded with tourists.

I made my way through the crowds and to Boston Common, marveling at the homes along Beacon street.

There was a charity walk for Autism going on that day at the park. A very lively event. There had to be thousands of people there!

I met a few of the locals before grabbing a map to the Freedom Trail at the visitors center…

I wanted to get a shot a Ben Franklin but he was busy texting behind a tree at the time!

The Freedom Trail tour is 2.5 miles and starts at the Old State House. It’s defined by a red brick trail in the sidewalk that guides you through the historic sites. In the interest of time, I’ll give you the cliffsnotes version…

From the Old State House I went to the Granary Burial Grounds, where John Hancock, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, Mother Goose, and several other notable figures rest….

…the old city hall…

…downtown crossing, where I got photobombed by a pigeon…

… the Old South Meeting House. Now a Chipotle…

…the site of the Boston Massacre…

…of course I took pictures of things not relevant to the American Revolution, but historic, nonetheless…

As I wound through the city streets, not knowing where I was exactly, but still following the trial, I soon found myself back in the North End.

Perfect! It was lunchtime!!

I ate at Dino’s, where I rested a bit and had a gigantic Italian sandwich!



I was nearing the end of the trail. I had one last stop to make before heading to Finn McCools, back at the Financial District.

Paul Revere’s house!

The Freedom Trail is an important part of our history as a nation. I think it’s something everyone should experience if they come to Boston. I’ve seen a lot history on my journey and it always puts me in awe think about those Patriots who sacrificed so much in the past so that today you and I are free to travel and live our lives the way we want. And enjoy the freedoms that we sometimes take for granted.

There’s still a lot of Boston I didn’t get to see! Maybe I’ll have another chance before I hit the road again.

But now it was time to meet up with Swoop and Liz at Finn McCools! The Eagles were playing that afternoon and the bar was filled with Philly fanatics!!

Who knew there were so many Eagles fans in Boston??? For a minute I thought I’d left Beantown and ended up in the city of Brotherly Love! It was a great time!

It was a great day!!

I loved exploring Boston. I hope you did too!!

Oh, and the Eagles kicked the Jets ass that day!! 31 to 6!! As Swoop might say, “FLY EAGLES FLY!!”