What to do in Boston

Hey, I'm Chenny Mick. Travel is back. I've got a new car. We've all been home for a year and a half and a mitchee to get out today. Let's head to Boston. Yeah, the one in Massachusetts. That one. Now, what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna park the car under Boston Common. I've done this in the past. I don't find the parking to be that expensive, and it's just handy. It's right in the middle, and it's right where I want to start, big gigantic underground lot. Just put your car there and don't worry about it. Then take the elevator up to the top. Now you're in Boston Common. That's the big green area right in the middle of Boston. Just walk around and soak it in. People wash. There's always like some kind of like performance art or a concert or something going on. It is great enjoy events such as concerts, protests. Yeah, the people get there and like speak their mind. Carousel rides. I love carousels. We gotta get into that in one of these shows. I love carousels, softball games, keeping cool in frog Pond's giant spray fountain and in the winter ice skates frog, a pond, a spray pool, fountain, an ice rink. Is a year round recreational facility. The Frog Pond offers ice skating in the winter and a spray pool and supervised waiting for youngsters in the summer. The Common is really fantastic if you're a New Yorker, kind of sort of Central Park, but not nearly as big yet somehow just as cool Austin Common. Now, while you're there, you are right by Cheers. Now. When I first went to the Bull and Finch Pub as it used to be known, the Bull and Finch was the original inspiration for Cheers, it was cool. It was a neighborhood bar. On the inside, it did not look like Cheers at all. It was just a neighborhood bar with you know, your standard rectangle bar, not one of those bars in the center where everybody sits around. It was just like a normal bar. And I had a couple of drinks there, had a good time. Then I went back. Not too long ago they have rebranded it as Cheers. Oh hey, fine, I get it. And at that time they had a menu posted out front, and I wanted to throw up. The menu had stuff like now I'm vamping here, but this is the gist, like Carla's spaghetti, Cliff Cleaven's cheeseburger coaches, I don't know Cobs salad. It was just like nauseating tourist trap hell. So I did not go in. Now, as I researched this week's podcast, I went on to their website. The menu seems like they've gotten away from the nauseating, you know, Woody's wood seven nonsense type thing. I didn't see any direct tie ins with Cheers. Maybe they gave up the licensing, who knows, but it used to be cool. So you know what, You're right there by Boston Common anyway, walk across the street, take an Instagram photo in front of Cheers and the Cheer sign. You recognize it from the credits. Do you need to go in? You really don't, so let's hit the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail is a two and a half mile route that takes you to sixteen important sites that happened during the Revolutionary War. I'm surprised it's only two and a half miles. It always feels longer to me, like not in a bad way. I'm just surprised it's that short. The walk starts or ends depending on the direction you choose to walk. It at the Boston Common and ends or starts at the US Constitution and Bunker Hill. We're starting at the Boston Common. Along the walk you will visit historic churches, meeting halls, cemeteries, and battlegrounds. Like I said at the open, leave the car, you're gonna walk today. So from cheers, go back to the Boston Common, look around again and go wow, Johnny Max, right, this is cool. Now you're almost at the Massachusetts State House, built in seventeen ninety eight. This is the state capitol building and the seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It's free to visit and open during the weekdays from nine to five. Next up the Park Street Church, a landmark in Boston and a site where slavery was protested and women's suffrage was supported. Then number four the Granary Burying Ground, search for the tombstones of All Revere, Samuel Adams, and Benjamin Franklin parents. Next up is the King's Chapel and Burying Ground, established in sixteen eighty six. Now Here in the States we don't get things much older than sixteen eighty six. When I went to London and I saw buildings that had like established six eighty six. It really put things into perspective for this Yank but established in sixteen eighty six. King's Chapel is one of the oldest churches in Boston. It houses the oldest pulpit still in continuous use in the United States. Number six the Benjamin Franklin Statue, and the Boston Latin School, America's first public school. Benjamin Franklin attended school there. Number seven the Old Corner Bookstore. This was once a bookstore selling works by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa may Alcott. Now it's at Chipotle. Sorry. Number eight the old South Meeting House. It was here that people protested the tax on tea, which led to the Boston Tea Party. Just across the street, one Milk Street is where Ben Franklin was born. Number nine the Old State House, site of many debates that led up to the Revolutionary War. Number ten is very powerful. It is the Boston massacre site. On March fifth of seventeen seventy, the skirmish broke out between Redcoats and a crowd of Boston residents. Five of these Bostonians were killed, which Paul Revere called a bloody massacre. The event is memorialized with a plaque on the ground. If you watch the HBO series John Adams, you will be familiar with this site. Now we'll take a halfway break at number eleven Fanuel Hall. This originally was a meeting venue where people protested against the British. These days a complex of novelty cards, distinctive shops, national chain stores, performers, food stands, and restaurants. Good place to get a quick bite. Now, don't pig out, because we're going to go to the North End and pick out. But if you're a little hungry or you want to drink, sit down by the way I had. I went there one time and I ordered a cider and the waitress is like, do you want that on ice? And I was like what. Signer on ice is not a thing. I'd never heard of this before, and I was like, sure, cider on ice is amazing. I brought this Massachusetts innovation back to New Jersey and introduce my friends to it. The waitresses at my local bar were like, you want ice in your beer? Yes, I want ice. Put my cider over ice. Oh my goodness. Those go down smoothly. So that's my lasting memory of Faniel Hall, sitting in an outdoor bar enjoying cider with ice. But again, you'll find novelty cards, distinctive shops, and national change stores. You want to take a little break, do a little shopping, get a little nash, have a cider an ice, Faniel Hall is the spot for you. Meanwhile, the cobblestone promenades are filled with the music and jaw dropping routines of world renowned street performers and musicians. Yeah they are pretty cool. Now, let's break away from the Freedom Trail for a little bit and head scards the water. There you're gonna find Boston Harbor Walk. It's a pedestrian only walkway along Boston Harbor. And as part of that brisk walk from Faniel Hall. Over there, you're going to find the New England Aquarium, voted by Johnny Mack to be the second best aquarium in the United States that Johnny mac has been to. The one in Baltimore is number one, and if I want to include North America, Vancouver's will be number two and Boston will fall to three. But don't at all take that to be a complaint. Just the other two are even more amazing. I love the New England Aquarium. Its interior is a giant, four story cylindrical tank in the center. You kind of start at the top of the aquarium and you walk down this big circular path in the middle, just this big tank with big fish going around. It's just it's you know, I'd love it. There's also a penguin colony around the bottom. And if you don't have time to go inside, the seals are in the outdoor tanks outside, so you can stop by and get a little feel for it. But I would highly recommend you spend some time at the aquarium. So do that that I'll get you in the air conditioning for a little bit because when we come out, we're heading to the North End. Okay, so we're coming down of the aquarium. We're gonna hang a right, We're gonna kind of walk along the water and we're gonna head up to the North End. In the North End on the Freedom Trail, we'll find Paul Revere House. You've heard of this, Paul Revere We'll built in sixteen eighty. Paul Revere House is the oldest building in Boston, Paul Revere purchased this house when he was thirty three years old and lived there in seventeen seventy five when he went on his famous midnight ride. You're also going to find the USS Constitution and Museum. The USS Constitution also called Old Ironsides, constructed in seventeen ninety seven, used during the Battle of eighteen twelve. Also check out the Old North Church originally called Christ Church. It's the city's oldest church, built in seventeen twenty three. You may be familiar with the Old North Church's steep well. That's where you hang one lantern if the troops are coming by land, and two if by sea. That's sound familiar. Yeah, check it out again. You're gonna take an insty do it now. The North End it's just fun. When you walk there, you'll be like, ah, I see what he's talking about. It's just like cool restaurants. Some great pizza shops. Check out Modern Pastry. They offer Old World cakes, cookies, pizils, chocolates. If you want pizza, how about Galleria Umberto. Regulars lined up at this old school North End takeout joint as early as ten thirty in the morning. They know not so risk missing out on thick, chewy, delectable and super cheap Sicilian slices. Those are the square ones. Even diners waiting for a table at nearby restaurants have been known to grab a slice or head over to Pizzeria Regina. I've eaten there, this classic North End pizzeria which could double as a movie set with its well worn boots and frame celebrity headshots. It's the oldest in town. Pizzas come out hot and fresh from the brick oven. There's often a weight due to its well deserved popularity, but it's worth it, eyestud online outside it was great. How about Neptune Oyster It opened in two thousand and four, but as a simple retro interior and an excellent selection of seafood, is always a weight out the door, but it's worth it. You hear what I'm saying. All these places have lines out the door, but and yet it's cool. That's how cool The North End is Terremina has served elevated Italian fare since nineteen ninety three. Try creative, seasonally inspired interpretations of Italian classics, or stick with excellent versions of standbys like spaghetti con palmadoro or these magnature open face ravioli served with sea scalops, shrimp, fresh ukiti. You see why I told you not to load up at Faniel Hall. If you load it up at Fanniel Hall and you had like a pretzel, now you're regretting this eat at the North End. If you're going to Boston, you gotta visit Fenway Park. Now, listen to me. There's no parking at Fenway Park. There's no parking. Now there might theoretically be parking, but if there is, it's going to be fifty dollars. Now you're talking to somebody who one day took the family back when we lived on Long Island. Wow, it's a long time ago. Now. We drove up there. We were an hour and a half early, and this man that is speaking in your ears drove around looking for anywhere to put the car, any place at all, willing to pay fifty bucks, hunter buck whatever. I could not find anywhere to put the car, like nowhere cost no issue. There was nowhere to put the car. Do not drive to Fenway Park, take the subway. Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox, over one hundred years old. They've done some modernization in the last few years. It is cool. You can also take a tour. Tours leave from the Souvenir store. They last one hour. Tours are daily year round except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, every hour on the hour from nine to five. Please note on game days the last tour leaves three hours prior to game time. You might want to try and take the last tour of the day, then go grab something in the Fenway neighborhood and then hit the game, or just soak it in Fenway Park, especially if you can do a day game at Fenway. It is wonderful. Another thing that I want to do that I have not yet done is visit the Sam Adams Boston Brewery. You can take a tour there, learn about the brew process, or do what I really want to do. I don't really care about the tour. I just want to sit in the beer garden, a tap room featuring a constant rotation of limited release beers. I'm looking right now, the Wicked Hazy, the Wicked Easy, just the Haze. Everything is Haze, Samuel Adams Seasonal Poor Tracker. These all sound great. The SIPs of Summer, the Samuel Adams seasonal Jacko interesting. Now I really want to go all right, If I had one day in Boston, I'm parking at the Boston Common, I'm going upstairs. I'm spending on ninety minutes at the Boston Common, just soaking it in. Then I'm gonna start walking the Freedom Trail so I get Safaniel Hall. I'm gonna go have a cider over ice at the outdoor bar. Then I'm going to the aquarium. Gonna take my time at the aquarium, soak it in. Now I'm starving. I'm heading up to the North End and I'm gonna find a place with a short line and go in because every place is awesome. Astro's sure not every place is awesome, you know what I'm saying. I'm gonna find something looks good, gonna pig out, and then I'm probably exhausted to just go the back. If I had two days, I'd tack on the Brewery and I would definitely hit a Red Sox game. But if you only have one Boston Common, Freedom Trail, Aquarium, North End, Travel is Back. Follow this show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, where we get your shows. Next week, Montreal, Meet You back here,