Category: travel

The area of Cambridge, Massachusetts near Harvard University includes plenty of open spaces to walk around including Harvard Yard, Cambridge Common and, if you want to do some shopping or grab something to eat, Harvard Square by the Charles River.

The Boston Naval Shipyard was originally known as the Charlestown Naval Shipyard and began operations in 1827.

The shipyard closed in 1974 and became part of Boston National Historic Park.

It is in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston and is now the home of the USS Constitution, which was launched by the Navy in 1797, and the USS Cassin.

During the winter, the USS Constitution is open to the public Thursday through Sunday. Unfortunately, my only chances to visit the location were on a Tuesday and Wednesday, so I could only take pictures from a distance.

Official site: National Park Service

The Bunker Hill Monument is on Boston’s Freedom Trail in the Charlestown neighborhood.

The monument is at the site of the historic Battle of Bunker Hill in 1775 during the American Revolutionary War.

Official site: National Park Service

The Rose Kennedy Greenway runs through part of Boston and is crossed by the Freedom Trail.

The Greenway is best known as a 1 1/2-mile long downtown urban oasis and was created in 2008.

www.rosekennedygreenway.org

The Old South Meeting House is a church building along the Freedom Trail in downtown Boston. It was built in 1729 and was the meeting place for the planning of the Boston Tea Party in 1773.

The Old State House is about a block away on Washington Street. It was built in 1713 and served as the location of the Massachusetts General Court. The Boston Massacre occurred in the square in front of the building in 1770.

Official site: National Park Service: Old South Meeting House

Official site: National Park Service: Old State House

When you are in the historic parts of Boston, you expect statues of people like Paul Revere, George Washington and Ben Franklin.

There are a number of other statues nearby including “Dying of Hunger” and local boxing legend Tony DeMarco. Here are a few I spotted while walking near the Freedom Trail.

A line of red bricks shows you the way for about 2 1/2 miles through downtown Boston along the historic Freedom Trail.

The trail starts near the northeast corner of Boston Common. Along the way you see places like the Boston Latin School site and Ben Franklin statue, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House and the Old North Church and Paul Revere Statue.

The Massachusetts State House is in downtown Boston, just across Beacon Street from Boston Common. This building is also known as the New State House.

The building was completed in 1798. The interior was renovated in 2014. There is currently work going on outside the building.

Park Street Church in downtown Boston was founded in 1809 near one end of what is now known as the Freedom Trail.

The church is located across from historic Boston Common at the intersection of Park Street and Tremont Street. The 217-foot-tall steeple is visible from much of Boston Common. It is now dwarfed by many of the city’s modern buildings.

The church’s engagement efforts include a homeless outreach ministry and a food bank.

Park Street Church website: www.parkstreet.org

Boston Common is one of the best known city parks in the world and is older than the United States.

Citizens of Boston purchased the land in 1634 for the purpose of having a shared area to graze cattle.

I’m guessing the days of cattle grazing on the Common are long gone, I least I didn’t see any.

A few of the trees were showing their autumn colors during my recent visit in the first week of November.