Day Seven: Upper Crust, Cannon Hugs and the USS Constitution

On the subway trip from the Alewife station to downtown Boston we passed Harvard, and decided to stop in. A quiet Sunday in Harvard Square seemed like it could be relaxing and fun. Then we got off the subway and realized that it was Oktoberfest. You could not see around the people. We spent about 45 minutes there and I do not think that we even saw a sign that said Harvard.

So - we got back on the subway and headed back to the city. First up was lunch at Upper Crust Pizza (thanks Audra!). The restaurant is very small, and it was SO crowded. I had to wait outside while Bryan folded himself into the corner to wait for our name to be called. We ate on the bench outside, which was much better than trying to get a seat inside.

I LOVE that they deliver them on bicycles.

This is the Old South Meeting House again (see yesterday).

When I was in Boston the last time I was told that some pillars on the side of the Meeting House were markers of the places that the victims of the Boston Massacre were killed. That was entirely false. The actual place that it happened is in the middle of an intersection.

I truthfully cannot remember who this is a statue of. Anyone?

This McDonald's has a Walk-Thru. Isn't that awesome? Actually, I could not find the walk-thru - but the sign says there is one, so I bet there is.

I should also mention that I went into that McDonald's to use the restroom and you had to have a token to get in the bathroom door. Customers only! McDonald's is my go-to place for bathrooms. Luckily no one followed the rules and everyone just held the door open for the person behind them.

It is a good thing that we had great weather because the walk to the North End was very long. The area was cute - almost as cute as Beacon Hill.

This is also where Paul Revere's house is. We did the tour - though it was only half as long as it used to be. You could not see the kitchen anymore - I remember that room specifically because when I was there last time I tripped and my arm went over the rail and set the alarm off. It was pretty embarrassing. Maybe they only closed that part off because I was coming. It was the same ticket woman who was working at the Old South Meeting House when we bought tickets there - she must have sounded a warning. Much like Paul Revere. You have to love a story that comes full circle.

This is where tiny people enter this house. Maybe Dobby?

Next on the agenda was the Old North Church, from which Paul Revere announced that the British were coming.

We had to walk across a bridge over the Charles River to get to the northern end of the North End.

This (as the tablet says) is where the Battle of Bunker Hill took place.

Near the end of the Freedom Trail was the USS Constitution. There were two options for touring the ship, a quick self tour, and a longer guided tour. Mostly because we were tired of walking, we decided to have a seat and wait for the longer tour. I think it was worth the wait.

The guided tour included some stops on the lower decks of the ship, which, if nothing else, provided some excellent cannon-hugging photo ops. It is also worth noting that despite the nickname "Old Ironsides," the ship is made of wood.

It really was pretty cool to see how people lived on the ship. It is actually still a commissioned war ship. As a matter of fact, it is the "oldest commissioned vessel afloat in the world." There is still a crew assigned to the ship, and they give the tours - that seems like a safe assignment.

This is where the crew would have slept. Comfy.

In the back of first deck were the officers quarters. They were nicer, with nicer beds.

The ceilings were very low. We had to go down backwards on rope like ladders to get in, and I hit my head!

The crew stationed at the USS Constitution have housing in the immediate area.

I asked Bryan to move this anchor out of the way of my picture of the ship - he was not successful.

After the tour we walked back down to the Charles River, across the bridge and into Little Italy, where we went in search of dinner. Mostly because we were both starving and a little crabby, and because my feet hurt worse than at any other time in my life, we could not find a single place to eat that sounded good to either of us. I think we were both over-hungry. We walked back down to Beacon Hill where we had seen quite a few good places the night before, but did not find anything there either. Seriously, in BOSTON we could not find any food that sounded good. So, we went back to the subway and back to our car, and drove to a restaurant near the hotel called "Joe Sent Me." It ended up being kind of a hidden gem. The food great and the service was exceptional. We did not take any pictures, but here are some thanks to google.

Tomorrow is Philly - and a story about a philly.