last day in beantown

Hold on, folks. There's a ton of pictures in this post so give it some time to load. We packed in the touristy landmarks on our last day in Boston. Here's the Old North Church that the revolutionaries used to signal the movements of the British troops with lanterns. You know the drill: "One if by land, two if by sea."





















Here's a view of Paul Revere's house in Boston. It's not much to look at now but, back then, an accomplished silversmith probably had one of the best places in town.
















Where everybody knows your name. This is the outer facade of the Bull & Finch Pub on Beacon Street. It served as the inspiration for Cheers.
















They've got a free Shakespeare festival in Boston Commons. Here's the stage for their production of As You Like It.
















The memorial to the victims of the Boston Massacre.





















Then it was up to the memorial to the Battle of Bunker Hill.





















Looking straight up.





















It's 294 steps to the top of the monument. The first 50 were okay but, by the time I got to the top, my heart was about to jump out of my chest. Luckily the view is worth it.























William Prescott commanded the revolutionary forces at the battle. In order to get his soldiers to conserve ammunition he famously said, "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." It's amazing how much of this stuff gets into your unconscious. Is it just me or does this not look at all masculine and commanding? I'm just saying...





















From there it was down to the wharf to see the USS Constitution. I remember reading about "Old Ironsides" (although her sides have no metal in them...just a sailor's nickname) in 7th grade Social Studies class and it was way cool to see her up close. I guess the Constitution is the oldest warship still afloat. She's arguably the most famous vessel in American naval history.















Let's run down some stats:
**Oldest fully commissioned vessel afloat in the world. The honor of "oldest commissioned" goes to the HMS Victory which, although older, is in permanent drydock.
**1 of only 6 presently commissioned vessels in the US Navy to have sunk an enemy vessel.
**The only surviving member of the six original frigates commissioned by Congress in 1794.

Do you suppose they had these back in 1790s? The sailor that served as our tour guide told us that they still take her out a few dozen times a year.
















The officers' quarters were each no bigger than a closet. But they were by far...















...better than the privacy afforded the enlisted men.
















Each of the guns had a name and I can't remember a single one. I think the guy said they fired a 24-pound shot up to 1,400 yards or something like that.
















My week out east was a lot of fun and, should Emma decide to go to college out here, it will be nice to have a good excuse to get back out this direction. Here are some final pictures from the trip. It was a wicked pissah.