Thanksgiving in Boston, MA
I love historical places and the exciting vibe of a big city, and Boston is the perfect combination of both. My family stayed in the North End, also known as Little Italy (although the locals don’t call it that) and we loved the wonderful neighborhood feel. Cobblestone streets, narrow alleys, great architecture, historic sites and the food - oh the food! The entire North End is easily walkable and it was so fun walking the maze of streets, guiding ourselves along the Freedom Trail as we discovered the markings in the cobblestones. We followed it to Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church, the Harbor views, and the significant graves at the Granary Burying Ground near the Boston Common. Every corner brought new views and great glimpses of the past.
We enjoyed new places to eat everyday, and there are so many to choose from, that I can only highlight a few. The main thoroughfare through the North End is Hanover Street and it’s lined with wonderful little restaurants and pastry shops. Our favorite was a the tiny establishment The Daily Catch, where we watched them prepare our Italian seafood meals right before us. It was worth the wait! Dessert was across the street at Mike’s Pastry - we couldn’t pass up the cannoli. Lulu’s Sweet Shop on Parameter St. was also a favorite of our daughter’s, who couldn’t decide which cupcakes to try. One night we ordered pizza in for the kids from Regina Pizzeria and the adults wish we had more of the wonderful brick-oven pizza. Instead the adults enjoyed some night life at the Black Rose pub on State St. - a quintessential neighborhood pub with good, local music.
Another day we shopped at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace (which has fun Christmas lights this time of year) and were inspired at the nearby Old South Meeting House which was where the Tea Party met and revolution started. Further afield we crossed the iconic Bunker Hill Bridge and visited both the USS Constitution Museum in the harbor and the Museum of Science on the Charles River which was a fantastic mix of various branches of science and engineering and one of the best science museums we had ever been to.
After gaining such a personal sense of history from walking the streets where so many significant events took place in the birth of our country, we drove the distance from Paul Revere’s House to the town of Lexington, past the ivy covered buildings of Harvard and the boats rowing on the Charles River. We were struck at how far it was by car, let alone by horseback in the middle of the night. We talked of how the houses surrounding the green were so close to where the troops and townspeople clashed and how sons would be beside their dads trying to protect their homes and families.
Our family only spent a few days in this historic city, but we gained so much!
