(June 8 – 11 2017) Boston, Lexington, and
Concord, Massachusetts
My son Harry and oldest grandson, Will, and I
spent four glorious days checking out American history and culture in America’s
Cradle of Liberty. We headquartered in Back Bay Boston in one of America’s trendiest
neighborhoods.
During our few days in Bean Town we explored
America’s founding and though we barely scratched Boston’s surface we checked
off many must see boxes. The best part in addition to learning was bonding as
Rosenthal men. It was wonderful. Harry and Will were first timers, though it
was a return trip for me.
Our itinerary included the Freedom Trail, Museum
of Fine Arts, Boston Public Library, Harvard Yard, Lexington, Concord, and
Bunker Hill battlegrounds, a Red Sox – Tigers game at Fenway Park, and the
Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Boston Science Museum.
Highlights of our first day were visits and tours
at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Public Library and checking out Boylston and
Newbury Streets. Our first stop was a quick lunch at Luke’s Lobster, where I
consumed an appetizing Back Bay Shack crab roll with blue coleslaw, and craft
root beer (cane sugar). We window-shopped after lunch and walked to the Museum
of Fine Arts.
Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) is among America’s top
five arts’ palaces. Our focus was on American art and we weren’t disappointed.
After a quick walk through of the massive American Art wing we found the
visitor’s center to join the 3 o’clock tour of American masterpieces. Promptly
at 3 we found our terrific volunteer docent, Sharon Johnson, who was holding a
small paddle indicating Free Tour!
For nearly two months Boston had experienced
dismal weather but the sun began shining on our arrival that morning. The
weather during our stay was nearly idyllic, sunny and seventy. It was Boston’s
first nice day after two months of a dismal spring sending locals and most visitors
outside, not inside museums; consequently our free public tour was exclusive.
Ms. Johnson began our orientation in the
courtyard of the American Art’s wing at the Dale Chihuly glass sculpture, “LimeGreen Icicle Tower.” She explained
the Tower had been placed at the MFA for the opening of the new American Arts
wing and when the people of Boston saw it they fell in love. Enormous and
amazing, Bostonians decided to make it theirs and a public campaign commenced to
raise the substantial sum necessary for the Towers purchase.
Sharon’s anecdote about the Chihuly Tower emphasized
her theme; Boston is City with a Strong Spirit and a Can Do Attitude!
Her theme resonated throughout our stay.
The quantity of great art at MFA is not surprising,
but many of the pieces are not just interesting but historically significant. Two
signature pieces of significance were John Singleton Copley’s ”Portraitof Paul Revere” 1768 and Revere’s silver “Sons of Liberty Bowl.” Our
docent’s interpretation of these two objects revealed insight to Revere ‘s
character and highlighted the role the Sons of Liberty played in the Colonies’ quest
for American independence, freedom, and self-government.
In the American wing we viewed one of the
important and unique features of the MFA, the imposing and massive John Singer
Sargent murals. Before leaving the MFA we spent a brief thirty minutes at the
Museum’s current special exhibition, Matisse in the Studio. The exhibit detailed
Henri Matisse’s life and art technique.
Preparing for our trip I checked out Fodor’s
Boston Travel Guide. Fodor led us to an overlooked Boston gem, the Boston
Public Library. We scheduled our Library visit to attend the 6pm Thursday
public tour, Art and Architecture of the McKim Building.
The Citizens of Boston built a new library
building on Copley Square in 1895. The architect selected was Charles Follen
McKim, America’s foremost Beaux-Arts architect. Following his mandate for a
building that would inspire (learning and the arts) a gorgeous building was
constructed. McKim’s masterpiece cost 2
million dollars.
The building is inspiring and a wonderful special
place. A few spots are in need of a little freshening up. Renovation is not
being ignored but our guide acknowledged funding is not sustaining the
building’s needs.
Sidebar –
ALL of the important cultural venues in Boston have their hand out. While
Boston has large resources (State Street Bank, Fidelity, John Hancock, Liberty
Mutual among many others) the Goliath cultural icons need deep pockets.
Adorning the Library’s walls, inside and out are
sculptures and murals by various important artists including (again) John
Singer Sargent, Edwin Austin Abbey, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Daniel Chester
French. I particularly liked Abbey’s murals portraying Lancelot in pursuit of
the Grail.
While the reading rooms are spectacular, the
building’s Courtyard and garden was dazzling. The McKim Building is used solely
as a research library. The lending library is contained in an adjacent
building, another spectacular architectural feat. Designed by important 20th
century American architect, Philip Johnson, the lending library was constructed
in 1972. Contained in the Johnson Building are also other treats including the
Leventhal MAP Library (fantastic), and a WGBH television studio. I am passionate about libraries but without
Fodor’s heads up I would have missed this delight.
For dinner, our destination was EATALY at the Prudential Center. EATALY
is one a few but growing chain of Mario Batali large food boutiques containing
gourmet Italian foods and restaurants. Will, Harry, and I each chose satisfying
pasta dinners at La Pizza and La Pasta sit down restaurant at EATALY.
Prior to my trip, another heads up was from a
friend’s son who was visiting his Dad in South Dakota. The son, a New Hampshire
resident, advised when touring Boston’s Freedom Trail be sure to employ a
costumed guide. His tip was good advice.
We joined our tour guide at the Visitor’s Center
on Boston Common the morning of our second day. Our guide outfitted as a
British Revolutionary War officer, was a sixty some year old history professor
from one of the Boston area’s 52 colleges and universities. Our guide was garrulous
and extremely knowledgeable.
His tour was a combination of sightseeing and
college lecture. The Professor described the historical sites along the Freedom
Trail and interspersed his lecture with insights of events of the Revolutionary
period (circa 1765 thru the securing of Independence.)
Our tour ended at Faneuil Hall where we lunched
at Boston Chowda on a lobster roll and fries – a solid B, just above average, overpriced
and on par for a tourist stop.
After lunch, we looked over the merch at the
Faneuil Marketplace and Ubered to Breeds Hill in Charlestown to view and learn
about the Bunker Hill National Monument.
The site and the monument are impressive. Learning
of the battle put in better perspective the Sons of Liberty’s role in
fermenting our Revolution. In particular I learned of the leadership role
played by Dr. Joseph Warren (who died in the battle). The monument and Ranger’s
narrative improved my understanding of the strong relationship between
Freemasonry and the American Revolution.
The Bunker Hill Obelisk was constructed as a
result of the efforts of local Masons. In 1825 Marquis de Lafayette laid the monument’s
cornerstone and Congressman Daniel Webster gave the oration. To facilitate
construction, the first commercial railroad in America (Quincy to Charlestown)
was constructed to transport the granite for the monument. The capstone was
laid in 1842 and the monument dedicated in 1843 and again Secretary of State Daniel
Webster orated.
Unlike my high school history, scant mention was
made of the
Colonist’s being ordered, “Don’t shoot until you
see the whites of their eyes.”
We next stopped at the Old North Church and
adjacent Paul Revere Mall on Hanover Street. While I was historically enchanted
by Bunker Hill, the most emotional place visited on our stay was the Mall.
Central to the Mall is the statute of the mounted Paul Revere. Surrounding the
park like mall are bronze plaques memorializing North End Bostonians who made
the ultimate sacrifice for their Country in America’s Wars. There is plaque for
each War.
The spirit in the North End is the story of local
guy’s banding together and through action becoming the catalyst for the Colonies
to take up arms in revolt to overthrow the King.
Boston’s North Enders and the Son’s of Liberty
are the embodiment of the aphorism, “All Politics is Local” that is closely
associated with another Bostonian, former U. S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill.
The Old North Church, gained notoriety as a
result of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s 1861 poem, “The Midnight Ride of Paul
Revere.” The North Church is significant and one of the must sees on the Freedom
Trail. The Church and the history it contained are engaging. Will was
enchanted.
Harvard Square was our next stop. It was fun
checking out the Harvard campus, nearby trendy shops, and so many
bookstores. Just in front of the entrance to the campus was a freestanding
small but very extensive newsstand. Going inside to look around was a living in
the past moment. I guess old school newsstands only exist at old schools.
From Harvard and Cambridge we headed back to
Boston for dinner. We went to Legal Seafood. As named it was a seafood
restaurant with proficient service but not very good food, especially given its
$$$$ rating. My son always makes good restaurant choices, but he and the Legal
Seafood don’t get a passing grade.
Our third day began with a bus tour of Lexington
and Concord greens and battlegrounds. A Grey Line like bus tour is not the best
way to tour these important historical places but it was efficient. In part the
tour was very scenic and did allow us time at both villages to get off the bus
to view the statuary and historic landscape. In Lexington after viewing the
Battle Green, we went into Buckman Tavern, where Paul Revere stopped when he
reached Lexington. In Concord we viewed the North Bridge where the Colonists
and the Red Coats skirmished and nearby is the famous Minuteman statue sculpted
by Daniel Chester French dedicated on the Centennial of the Battle of Concord
in 1875. History is not settled precisely where the first shot of the War was
fired. However Concord is most attributed to where “the shot heard round the
world” happened.
Returning to Boston, after two and one half active
days we ran out of gas. We took the late afternoon off before walking from our
hotel to relatively nearby Fenway Park for the evening Red Sox game.
The current ownership of the Sox has done an
excellent job of updating the Park while retaining it’s historic and intimate
feel. I was not only impressed by the Green Monster, but also how the under the
stands concessions were laid out, and vendors were aligned outside the Park
along the adjacent Avenues. Both the game and the prices at the concessions
were Major League. The game was competitive. The concessions are monopolistic.
I ate a modest dinner, cheeseburger, 16-ounce
coke, and small bag of crackerjacks, $19.00. The food was worthy. Price tag
aside, we had a great time at Fenway, a memory maker!
Sunday we were up, packed and hustled to make a
couple of last stops before flying home mid afternoon. We had a yummy breakfast
at Trident Booksellers and Café nearby on Newbury Street, a unique combination.
Then quickly we returned to Cambridge and the Hayden Planetarium located within
the ginormous Boston Science Museum. As expected the Planetarium show was top
notch.
Boston is a great destination with a great
history and Great Spirit.
