Uri and I typically do a lot of walking if we are going into a city, mainly to maximize the site seeing since we only have a weekend to explore. Case in point: we clocked about 26 miles in Boston on May 7th 2021, and there isn't anything I would change about it. Our walking route can be found here. Be warned, it's a little crazy with an obvious lack of destination.
We rented an AirBnB in Sommerville, a couple miles away from the beginning of the Freedom Trail in the northern part of Boston. The AirBnb was absolutely adorable, and the host was a super hip and friendly woman in her 40s. The place was bright and colorful with plants all around and rooms named The Green Room and The Orange Room. Cookie the cat was such a snuggly and surprise guest.
The following morning, we hiked from Sommerville to Bunker Hill in the North of Boston. This is where the New England troops had the first standoff with the British army during the Revolutionary War in 1775. I admit that we aren't exactly the history-seeking tourists, but rather, we enjoy art, cafes, and getting lost in pretty neighborhoods. So, after paying a brief visit to the Bunker Hill monument, our coffee pangs kicked in, and we made a pit stop at Tatte Bakery, a beautiful and savory place to get incredible middle-eastern style brunch. I highly recommend stopping here for a bite to eat.
Properly filled and caffeinated, we crossed the North Washington Street bridge which takes you to North End. Copp's Hill Cemetery was one of the first places we stopped at, which is a quiet, small, and raised burial ground from the mid-1600s. It was pretty wild to see such aged headstones that dated back hundreds of years.
Winding through the streets of North End and Little Italy, we checked out the Old North Church and Paul Revere House. This was the famous church where Revere hung the lanterns one if by land, two if by sea to warn if/how the British were coming. Afterwards, we, of course, picked up an amazing cannoli at Modern Pastry, a no-frills kind of place with authentic, top-notch pastries. We hoped to stop at Mike's Pastries later in the day but never got around to it.
Continuing loosely along the Freedom Trail, we thoroughly enjoyed our time downtown. The streets were so beautiful with the mix of brick walkways and old buildings. We went to the Boston Public Market where all kinds of vendors sold homemade crafts and foods, and we shopped around Hay Market, the outdoor marketplace with loads of fresh produce. Nearby was the Feneuil Hall Marketplace, a bustling square with musicians and vendors during night and day.
During our walk, a couple structures caught our eye. Six very tall, glass prisms beautifully jutted into the sky, and we discovered that this was the Holocaust Memorial. There were haunting quotes and numbers etched into the glass, and you could walk through the prisms, being enveloped in steam that rose from the ground. In stone, a quote was etched that has since stuck with me. I recommend visiting this very impactful memorial.
For the rest of the morning and early afternoon, a lot of our day was spent around the Boston Commons, the Boston Public Gardens, and Black Bay. A lot of outdoor activities were happening in the green spaces. Talented musicians were surrounded by flowers in the public gardens, and we sat by the willow trees next to the water to enjoy the break. This is where Robin Williams and Matt Damon have the famous chat in Goodwill Hunting (quote at end). In Black Bay, we window shopped all along Newbury Street and walked along the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. We paid a stop at Trinity Church and walked through the outdoor vendors selling more homemade arts and crafts. Afterwards, we spent time on the Charles River Esplanade where people picnicked, biked, and recreated. On the dock overlooking the Charles River, we took a nap in the sun.
A neighborhood nearby was Beacon Hill which is known for being a beautiful, residential community with cute streets and charming lamp posts. We meandered through these brick streets, admiring the houses and flowers, and we returned again in the evening to enjoy all the lights ignited.
In the late afternoon and evening, we took a dive through China Town and down to the South End. There were many small parks around, and quaint restaurants lined the areas around Tremont St. We grabbed a delicious pizza at Picco and some beer, our feet starting to ache from the day of walking.
As we slowly made our way back north, we headed closer to the water and went through Christopher Columbus park. We happened upon a really neat walk-thru tunnel that was glowing with blue lights.
Heading back through Little Italy, it was about 9 PM and properly bustling with people. Lights were strung across the alleyways, and restaurants were packed with people drinking and laughing. We managed to squeeze through the crowds to grab a gelato before starting our trek home.
After walking back through the not-so-pretty side of town again, we were relieved to make it back to our Airbnb, completely crashing on the bed.
The next day, we snuck in an extra 14 miles, but, this time, we went to Cambridge. We stopped to get gooey Boston Cream Donuts on the way, and the day was sunny and bright. It was graduation day at Harvard, and the trees were blossoming. We briefly toured through the Harvard campus amongst all the happy picture taking, and we explored the surrounding side streets, enjoying the shops and neighborhoods. After getting a quick bite to eat at Life Alive Organic Café, we were properly exhausted from the weekend and ready to head home.
Another successful city exploration!
"If I asked you about art, you’d probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I’ll bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling.
If I asked you about women, you’d probably give me a syllabus of your personal favourites. You may even have been laid a few times. But you can’t tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy.
You’re a tough kid. If I asked you about war, you’d probably throw Shakespeare at me, right? “Once more unto the breach dear friends”. But you’ve never been near one. You’ve never held your best friend’s head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help.
I’d ask you about love and you’d probably quote me a sonnet. But you’ve never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable, known someone that could level you with her eyes. Feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you, who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn’t know what it’s like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn’t know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes that the terms ‘visiting hours’ don’t apply to you. You don’t know about real loss, ’cause it only occurs when you’ve loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you’ve ever dared to love anybody that much."
- Robin Williams in Goodwill Hunting
Comments