Boston - Day 3

Our second morning was timely and smooth. We left the hotel on time and headed for our 9:30 AM tour of Fenway Park. For those who don’t know, Boston is a BIG sports town and I’m not sure there’s any team more adored by Bostonians then the Red Sox. I mean, it feels like Bostonians REALLY love the Red Sox. 

~ Click Here To See All The Photos From The Trip ~ 

Our tour guide was an old Irish guy named Joe who knew more about the Red Sox: the stadium, the team, their history, the players, the traditions, the heartbreaks, the triumphs, etc., than anyone I can imagine.  Coupled with his thick Boston accent, we couldn’t have had a better tour guide. 

 

Joe told us stories past and present - from the type of grass they use to re-sod the field each year, to the longest home run ever hit in the stadium, to the visitors locker room sponsors, to the line of people who have owned the team,  to the type of wood the stadium is built with, to where the steel used to build the seats is imported from, to the history of the Red Sox announcers, to the reasoning behind the architecture of the stadium and the "green monster", etc...  Basically, he knew everything and loved everything Red Sox which made our tour all the better. 

 

 I think even the non-baseball fans in the group enjoyed the tour. After we left the park, we walked a few blocks into Boston University, where we stroll through the campus briefly before walking down the Charles River Esplanade.

 

 After a stroll along the Esplanade, we found lunch at the "Timeout Market".  The food market is compromised of 15 eateries with a variety of foods from some of Boston’s top chefs and restaurants. Apparently, all the eateries are handpicked by an editorial team of Bostonian foodies. It was perfect for our group. 

 

 After lunch, we took the subway back to Boston Common, where we started our "Freedom Trail" tour. The tour takes us from Boston Common (the park) to Granary Burying Ground (cemetery) to the Old State House & the site of the "Boston Massacre" to the Paul Revere House and the Old North Church (lanterns: "one by land, two by sea") to the Bunker Hill Monument. 

 

 Along the way you see the gravesites of John Hancock, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams; places where the Sons of Liberty met to plan the Boston Tea Party, balconies where the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians in July of 1776, the site of the old school attended by Benjamin Franklin, Sam Adams and John Hancock, and the meeting hall that the Marquis de Lafayette called the "Cradle of American Liberty."  

 Essentially it’s a U.S. history teachers' dream... and I think most of the students got at least something out of it 😀. We ended the afternoon with a pastry at the famous Mike’s Pastry Italian bakery followed by a short rest before dinner tonight.  Tomorrow morning board Amtrak - headed for New York City.