We had 2 more days to explore Boston and the first of these was to use the Hop on/Hop off bus to see the city.
Arriving at the Quincy Train Station we felt really clever as we topped up our train card from the day before and hopped on the train. We left the train at South Station again and confidently back to the Boston Common where we had seen the bus stop opposite the State Legislature yesterday.
Our first chosen stop was the Boston Tea Party Museum and we found it most interesting. The tour began with a short introduction in a room prepared to look like the South Boston Meeting House as it was there that the protestors met on 16 December 1773 to plan a protest against the new Tax on tea imposed by Britain and the fact that only selected traders would be allowed to sell tea. Even then governments gave jobs to their friends!
Samuel Adams – politician who supported the actions
The tour was led by a young woman in period dress and it was her task to get the crowd angry and stirred up to throw the cargo of tea on each of 3 ships into the Boston Harbour. We were each given a character such as a merchant who would lose sales, a woman who was angry at having to pay more for tea for her household or an opposition politician. A fellow also appropriately dressed told the group that “the decision had been taken and there would be no discussion or change of mind.”
Our lovely lady leader
We were led on to a replica of one of the ships where we saw the crew’s quarters and where the cargo was stored. It certainly was very cramped. It was agreed that only the tea would be destroyed and none of the other cargo which included grains and salt among other items. On that evening more than 100 men, many in disguised as Native Americans, tossed 342 tea chests with a total weight of 9 000 pounds into Boston Harbour. 2 of these men were Samuel Adams, a politician who opposed Britain, and Paul Revere. Those of our group who wanted to could throw an imitation chest of tea into the harbour and then retrieve it and Trevor did just this.
Replica of a ship and the ramps to it
Trevor throws ‘tea’ into the harbour
After almost 2 hours at the ship we caught the bus back towards town to see how some of the older buildings had been restored and now used as hotels, markets or apartments. There was one beautiful fountain which had water spouts in lines along a section of the road median and it must Mass steam would come up into the fountain. Down one of the streets we discovered the North, South and Quincy Markets. John Quincy Adams was the 6th President of the USA and hailed from Massachusetts, hence there being places and buildings named after him. These 3 Markets were in adjacent buildings and one could purchase almost anything from here. It was from the South Market that I purchased my fridge magnet for Boston. The lady from whom we made the purchase told us that she wasn’t sure if her little business set up in a cart would survive with President Trump imposing heavy tariffs on China as much of what she sold was made in China.
Fountain with steam coming up
The Old Customs House now an Hotel
Quincy Market pedestrian area
While on the bus the driver was our tour guide and he told us about Mary Dyer, a 17th Century Puritan who converted to Quaker. She began evangelising in Boston which was strongly Puritan and the Quakers had been banned in Massachusetts. She was arrested twice and punished but returned each time to continue what she believed to be her calling. The 3rd time that she was arrested she was sentenced to death by hanging on 1 June 1660, the first woman to be hanged in the USA.
Our bus ticket included entry to the fairly new Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum and, as it had started raining quite heavily, we decided to visit this. It was very interesting and well laid out. The first, very large room housed every US President from George Washington to Donald Trump. Other persons who had been recreated in wax were the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, Queen Elizabeth, Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe among many others.
Pope Benedict, Pope Francis and Mother Teresa
Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama
Marilyn Monroe
As we left the Museum we saw a group of sports sculptures on the opposite side of the square. It was still raining hard so we stayed under the shelter to take our photographs. We then made our way back to the bus stop and caught the bus back into town.
Sporting Sculptures
Before going to South Station we looked into a number of eateries to find something interesting for supper. It was a bit like being kids in a toyshop there was so much to choose from. We eventually settled for a variety of salads and fruit which were all delicious.
By the time we reached Quincy it was about 16:30 and there was no sign of rain so we decided to go for a walk along the “Sustainable Walkway” along the Neposet River bank of which was beside the hotel. This was supposed to be an environmentally friendly and we were shocked at the amount of litter, particularly plastic and there was not a rubbish bin in sight.
Litter on Quincy path
At one point on the path was a very tall apartment block built right between the rail bridge and the freeway. The noise from the traffic on each of these must have been awful and the trains rattle across the bridge every 10-15mins 24/7. How the residents sleep with the noise that goes passed their windows day and night is an unknown.
Block of apartments with rail bridge on the left
At the other end of the walkway is the hotel gazebo which is built into the river and used for special occasions such as weddings or birthday celebrations. There are a couple of families of geese on the river and one of the hotel cleaners has to clean the path of their mess every morning.
Cleaning up after the geese outside the gazebo
Our final day in Boston was to be spent at Harvard to which we really looked forward.
