| If you want historical sites of the American Revolution, | | | | the Northend of Boston with its combination of New |
| you need to visit Boston. Of course there are other | | | | England and Italian inflections.After wadling out of |
| reasons to visit, also: the food, the people, and the | | | | Mike's we started on our version of the Freedom Trail. |
| accents.Having experiencing a detour within seconds | | | | I quickly regretted eating the Lobstertail when I passed |
| after we picked up our rental car at Boston's Logan | | | | an Italian deli. I just couldn't eat any more, so with tears |
| Airport, we didn't want to brave the hand directed | | | | in my eyes we ventured on. We visited Paul Revere's |
| traffic of the streets of Boston. Instead, we opted for | | | | House, the oldest structure in Boston. It was built in |
| Harbor Express, a passenger only ferry out of Qunicy, | | | | 1680 and purchased by Paul Revere in 1770. I knocked |
| which is just across the harbor. The Harbor Express | | | | on the door, but Paul didn't answer, so we moved |
| lands you just yards from the Quincy Market and this | | | | on.Next on the trail was Paul Revere Square and a |
| is a great place to start any adventure in | | | | beautiful statue of Paul riding his borrowed horse for |
| Boston.Quincy Market is one long food court with | | | | the midnight ride. Legend has the name of the horse |
| restaurants above and below. Fast food options | | | | as Brown Beauty. Brown Beauty or not, the staue is |
| abound. We noted that Vietnamese noodle soup | | | | magnificent. The statue is found in tree studded square |
| shops were missing, but most other ethnic foods were | | | | adjacent to the Old North Church, also known as the |
| present. Peg picked a quiche for lunch, while Al had | | | | Christ Church. It was here that Robert Newman hung |
| scallops and lobster bisque (his two favorite choices at | | | | the lanterns signaling the approach of the British troops |
| every seafood establishment we selected). I chose a | | | | in the War for Independence. Less than twenty feet |
| lobster roll and giant steamed prawns with lemon juice | | | | from Paul there were tee shirts and sweatshirts for |
| and cocktail sauce. The lobster roll was only okay, but | | | | sale to tourists. We declined to buy.We walked past |
| the prawns were succulent and excellent.We took our | | | | the lines waiting to enter the church and continued up a |
| food outside and sat on a stone bench. The weather | | | | small hill to Copp's Hill Burying Ground, which is the |
| was pleasant and the food was good. We began | | | | resting place for many of the colonial Bostonians. The |
| laying out our plans for the afternoon. Overhearing us | | | | British set up a battery there and used it to fire on |
| was a shopping cart sourvineer salesman named | | | | Charlestown. It was interesting to see how small the |
| Guiness. He was pleasant and funny. We talked for a | | | | hills were. We walked down towards the water and |
| few minutes. He didn't try to sell us anything, which | | | | saw the Bunker Hill Memorial across the Charles River |
| was nice. I'm sure he had enough people buying.We | | | | standing high behind an office building. Copp's Hill and |
| decided that Peg would take a taxi to the Boston Fine | | | | Bunker Hill were only small elevations . . . and of course |
| Art Museum and meet us three hours later near the | | | | the first major battle of the revolution, Bunker Hill was |
| statue of Sam Adams in front of Fanuel Hall, which | | | | really fought on Breed's Hill, but history sometimes gets |
| stands in front of Quincy Market. Al and I decided to | | | | some things right . . . and sometimes gets them |
| start off on the Freedom Trail. Al is even less inclined | | | | wrong.The U.S.S. Constitution, also known as "Old |
| to walk than Peg and I, so this worked out fine. The | | | | Ironsides" is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard |
| Freedom Trail starts just a few feet from where we | | | | less than a quarter mile from Bunker Hill. The ship was |
| dined."In 1958, local journalist William Schofield had the | | | | launched in Boston on October 21, 1797. Old Ironsides is |
| idea that Boston's sites could be more accessible to | | | | the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the |
| residents and visitors, and conceived of the Freedom | | | | world.Each year the ship sails for a turn-around. |
| Trail. A natural and easily-accomplished idea, the | | | | Passage is arranged via a lottery. You can submit |
| sixteen historic sites between Boston Common and | | | | your name on the office Navy site for Old Ironsides.Al |
| The Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown were | | | | and I continued our walk along the waterfront and then |
| connected by a red line, and The Freedom Trail was | | | | stopped at a small park. We approached a bocce ball |
| born. In addition to the historic sites, the beauty of the | | | | court and watched a game between two older |
| sights, sounds, and neighborhoods along the way made | | | | men."Bocce had its beginnings in the Italian Alps during |
| walking The Freedom Trail an instantly popular activity. | | | | the early Christian era, when players tossed stones at |
| In 1964, the Foundation was incorporated as a | | | | a target (the object being to land as close as possible |
| nonprofit organization. From 1958 to 1992 the entire | | | | to the target). Roman soldiers, employing balls instead |
| Foundation was run, organized, and maintained by | | | | of stones, spread the game throughout the Roman |
| volunteer support-its early success was due solely to | | | | Empire, where the game evolved to boules (France), |
| the spirit and leadership of the people of the City of | | | | lawn bowls (England) and bocce (from the vulgar Latin |
| Boston. Now the Foundation continues to produce real | | | | word for ball, bottia) in Italy."The two men played out |
| accomplishments in the areas of education, marketing, | | | | their game and then some fellows who had been |
| capital improvements and income-generating | | | | playing cards nearby put their table and chairs away in |
| projects."One of the sites that Al wanted us to visit | | | | a locker and joined the first two players. It was |
| was the New England Holocaust Memorial. The | | | | obvious that everyone new each other. They were all |
| memorial is located right near the Freedom Trail. It was | | | | between 65 and 85 . . . maybe older. The park had |
| beautiful and emotionally breathtaking."The New | | | | three separate bocce ball courts. Each one is played in |
| England Holocaust Memorial was built to foster | | | | a pit surrounded by granite blocks. The floor of the |
| memory of and reflection on one of the great | | | | court was stone dust.The group of players laughed |
| tragedies of our time, the Holocaust (Shoah). The | | | | and chose up sides by playing odds and evens with |
| effort was begun by a group of survivors of Nazi | | | | their fingers. It was so sweet. They were more than |
| concentration camps who have found new homes | | | | just friends, they were community. This quiet scene |
| and new lives in the Boston area. Dedicated in | | | | that lasted for maybe ten minutes is one of my |
| October, 1995, over 3000 individuals and organizations | | | | favorite memories of Boston. We said our goodbyes |
| from across the community joined in sponsoring the | | | | and headed back downtown. I enjoyed the walk and |
| project. The Freedom Trail location, in downtown | | | | frequently stopped and read the menus of Italian |
| Boston, is near Faneuil Hall and many other treasures | | | | restaurants taped to their windows.We arrived back at |
| of America's history. The site offers a unique | | | | Faneuil Hall and Sam Adams before Peg arrived from |
| opportunity for reflection on the meaning of freedom | | | | the museum. It was a great day for girl and people |
| and oppression and on the importance of a society's | | | | watching. There was a wide variety of ethnic |
| respect for human rights . . . Six million numbers are | | | | backgrounds represented. Most of them looked like |
| etched in glass in an orderly pattern, suggesting the | | | | Bostonians. The tourists came in a wide variety, also. |
| infamous tattooed numbers and ghostly ledgers of the | | | | Just before Peg caught up with us a group of black |
| Nazi bureaucracy. Evocative and rich in metaphor, the | | | | young men set up a microphone and speaker system |
| six towers recall the six main death camps, the six | | | | and began calling people over, "Come and see black |
| million Jews who died, or a menorah of memorial | | | | men dance." And, that's what they did. Well, actually, it |
| candles. "Before we could start on the Freedom Trail, | | | | took them quite a long time to start. Not wanting to |
| Al had one more stop to make. He was anxious that I | | | | perform before a sparse gathering, they kept hyping |
| should try the La Sfogliatella (Lobstertail) from Mike's | | | | themselves and the crowd. I said to Al, "Their preamble |
| Pastry.A photograph of President Kennedy with | | | | is too long for their constitution." I lost interest about the |
| originators Mike and Annette hangs on a wall behind | | | | same time Peg arrived and the three of us walked off |
| the counter, while a portrait of Frank Sinatra looks | | | | to dinner.We decided to have a quick dinner at the |
| down from another. The Lobstertail was a little too | | | | Cheers. We each ordered drinks in a Cheers mug plus |
| sweet for me, but Al loved it as did everyone else I | | | | one drink in a Cheers glass. The food was decent. |
| saw stuffing them in their mouths."The history of this | | | | Again, we sat outside and enjoyed the views of |
| extraordinary and popular item dates back to a 16th | | | | people walking by.By the time we finished our meal it |
| century convent on the Amalfi Coast near Naples. This | | | | was almost sailing time for Harbor Express. We |
| original ancestor of the lobstertail was called La | | | | gathered up our shopping bags and coats and started |
| Santarosa (named after the convent, now a popular | | | | off for the wharf.We hadn't gone more than a |
| motel, where the owner of Fiat Italy is said to | | | | hundred feet before we spoted Red Auerbach, the |
| frequent), and its filling was a creamy white, which | | | | great coach of the Boston Celtics. I had to sit down |
| oozed out of the sides, and was typically served up | | | | and talk to him. He listened well enough, but never |
| hot. In Naples coffee shops, this is still something to die | | | | really spoke his mind, which I thought was a little |
| for. The white fresh cream filling of the Santarosa was | | | | unusual for him. When Red refused to give me his |
| replaced as well with a yellow custard filling, thick, | | | | cigar, we left in a huff and barely made it onboard our |
| chewy and delicious. The modern day versions of both | | | | catamaran in time to sail back to Quincy.We really |
| of these that Mike's Pastry carries are both the white | | | | enjoyed our short stay in Boston, but it was just that. It |
| cream and yellow cream filled. The best of both | | | | was too short. Next time we will arrange a stay of |
| worlds, and a cake version is available as | | | | several days, so we can see more sites and talk to |
| well."Personally, I got the biggest kick out of Maria | | | | more people.Don Doman is a published author, video |
| (probably not her real name). I think she was the boss | | | | producer, and corporate trainer. He owns the business |
| of everyone . . . at least she certainly acted like it. | | | | training site Ideas and Training ( which he says is the |
| When any production company begins a new TV | | | | home of the no-hassle "free preview" for business |
| show or feature film based in Boston, they should | | | | training videos. Don and his wife Peg also travel in the |
| have her tutor the actors on correct pronunciation for | | | | Pacific Northwest writing of their fun and adventures. |