August 18, 2011

USS Constitution.

 To begin our first full day of really visiting Boston, Carol, Amelia's aunt, arranged for us to take a Boston Harbor cruise. So, in what would become routine, we got up early, walked down the road to the T station and hopped on the train into the Boston to meet Carol and Dave (Amelia's dad). We loaded onto the boat from Long Wharf, which didn't look especially long, and sailed out as the tour guide began talking about the harbor. As far as tours ago I was pretty impressed. The guide really knew his stuff and had enough humor to pass the time from island to island. For those of you familiar with the harbor, we left Long Wharf and sailed right. We followed the harbor for quite a-ways, eventually getting as far out as the old garbage dump and Spectacle Island (which looks like a pair of glasses) before turning left and heading back towards the airport. The highlights of the trip would have to be the great views of the Boston skyline as well as seeing the USS Constitution. According to the guide, the Constitution is the oldest continuously operating naval ship in the fleet. I don't remember what year it was commissioned, but for those to whom it really matters, I'm sure Wikipedia can help. Anyway, the neat thing we learned about the ship was that in order to remain an active ship, it has to sail at least 1 nautical mile per year, so every July 4^th they take her out into the harbor, sail her around and then head back.

Old North Church.

When we got back to the wharf after the tour, Carol decided to call it a day, so it was just myself, Amelia and Dave who continued our day of being tourists. If you're ever in Boston, I highly recommend walking the Freedom Trail through the middle of the city. (And if you live in Boston and haven't walked it, shame on you: next weekend, go downtown and spend a few hours walking around.) While we didn't start at the beginning of the trail, it was still a great and sort of surreal experience. In the middle of this modern city full of tall skyscrapers we were able to walk from one Revolutionary War era site to the next, each nestled in between the tall buildings. For us the trail started at the Old North Church where Paul Revere arranged to have either one or two candles hung depending on where the redcoats were going (“one if by land, two if by sea”) because at the time, the fifty-sixty foot steeple used to be the tallest building around. From there we followed the line of red bricks along the sidewalk to places like Paul Revere's house, the Old State House and several other buildings of historic significance. We even walked through the Granary Burial Grounds where many Revolutionary era people are buried including Paul Revere and Samuel Adams' graves. A nearby tour guide pointed out that from the bar across the street you could enjoy a cold Sam Adams while looking at a cold (dead) Sam Adams. To Amelia's despair, I really wasn't in the mood for beer so we didn't stop. (Sorry honey, maybe next time.)

Amelia and Dave at the Democrat Donkey.

The next night we went out and met Sang, a friend of mine from Yosemite last year (see much earlier blogs). He goes to Harvard and he worked over the summer in Boston, so we met up with him just outside a T station in who-knows-where and followed him around town for the night. Sang is Korean, so naturally when he asked us where we wanted to go, we told him to take us to a good Korean restaurant. And boy did he follow through. We ended up at this little place in Alston that was absolutely fantastic. The three of us split this giant spicy stew full of all kinds of good stuff. It had meat, tofu, vegetables and more. I asked Sang about the broth, which was red and very spicy (but in a good way), and he told me that it was red pepper soup cooked in the traditional way which means boiled for most of a day.

After dinner we hopped back on a bus and went near where Sang lived to a bar he really liked. Maybe it's because I've only been to trashy campus bars, but I could tell we were in a classy place because when we walked in the bartender came over to us and poured us all glasses of water. Then I saw the drink menu. It was a two-sided menu – one side was all whiskey and the other side had everything else. Sang ordered some fancy 12-year old whiskey, Amelia and I both got less classy mixed drinks. We hung out drinking, talking and people-watching late into the night and just had a blast. Meeting up with old friends is always a great experience and always worth the time.