Professional Roommate: Boston Finale

My final day in Boston was a self-exploration (aka getting lost a lot).

I decided to make a list of the most important things to do and in what order. It’s best to make a list in a new city, especially because there is always so much to see and do!

So, to begin, I found the Brattle Bookshop

Not only are the books extremely inexpensive, but half of the shop is outside in the adjoining lot, next to the main building.

If you are looking for old books that are in pristine condition, this is the place to shop. I found Walt Whitman’s “Leaves of Grass” anthology for only $15. Now that’s an amazing deal, but it was also printed in 1930!

Complete Walt Whitman --> here!

The multi-leveled shop is an amazing place to browse, enjoy old and new books, and discover something new. The prices range from $1 sales to regular prices novels.

After my literary exploration, I decided to try the Tea Party Museum.

Located in the harbor, the museum is a retelling of the Boston Tea Party with new guests. We begin in a meeting room, given a brief update, inducted into the Sons (and Daughters) of Liberty, and led to the harbor.

We were all taken onto the ship, built to exact scale, and given the chance to participate in the Tea Party. On the count of three, the kids of the group were excited to throw the tea into the harbor.

Of course, in history, the tea was not in tiny, easy to lift parcels. The tea was in heavier boxes filled with hundreds of tea boxes.

After our victorious revolution against the Tea Tax, we were given free-range of the ship, exploring every nook and cranny. Excitedly, I wanted proof of participation.

Once I grazed the gift shop (and bought some delicious tea) I decided I was extremely hungry, and made my way to my cousin’s favorite lunch spot.

SAM LAGRASSA’S

If you live in Boston, or visit Boston often, please go to this sandwich shop. It’s only open for lunch on the weekdays and the line is always to the door, but oh my goodness the sandwich was delicious. Everything was delicious and I wish I could eat there every single day.

Obviously I wasn’t alone.

I ordered a roast beef Panini with roasted red peppers. My mouth is watering just thinking about it now.

After lunch I decided to wander and take a trolley-tour of the city, this way I was able to see everything I missed. I would recommend trolley-tours or duck-tours to anyone in a new city. Most of the tours are “jump-on, jump-off” and you can take all day to explore the major cites of the city.

First we wound our way past the city hall, gilded roof and all.

That pesky clock tower kept peeking it’s lying faces around the corners.

Behind the buildings, we saw the Old North Church, you know, “One if by Land, Two if by Sea”? The church is still standing when Paul Revere took his midnight ride to warn the Bostonians the British were coming.

We passed the Zakim Bridge, one of the most famous landmarks in Boston, on our way to the USS Constitution (which was closed that day for some strange reason).

If you drive away from the USS Constitution, you can see the Bunker Hill Memorial. The memorial is a huge, rising obelisk, high in the distance.

The buildings in Boston are almost all gorgeously old. Architecture shows how much attention was given when places were originally built. Including the South Station –

- King’s Chapel

- And Faneuil Hall (aka Quincy Market)

The New England Holocaust memorial came into view near the end of our tour. Each of the six glass tower reaches over 50 feet high and is illuminated. The six towers represent the six main death camps and the six years during which the Holocaust took place. In addition, six million names are etched into the glass, symbolizing the numerical tattoos given to the victims.

Located on the Freedom Trail, near Quincy Market, it’s worth the quick visit to honor and understand the past.

Again, the clock tower was watching us as we toured the city.

Finally, for the Boston sports fan, we saw the famous Bobby Orr statue, celebrating his game winning goal clinch the 1970 Stanley Cup. The statue sits directly outside the new TD Garden, home to the Bruins and Celtics.