Added: 08/08/2005 |
Walking Tour - BostonWhen you are staying in Boston it is natural to choose a walking tour. The city is great for walking, there is a lot to see there, and there is a variety of guided walking tours offered. But it is not all.
It was Boston where the first National Walk to Lunch Day took place on Wednesday, May 1, 2002. The purpose of Walk to Lunch Day is to promote walking for everyday activities. The idea of this action is that walking is good for our own health and for the health of our communities! Take a walk to lunch, or a walk at lunch, on National Walk to Lunch Day! People of all abilities can walk at lunch. The walk might be to a food cart or a restaurant, to a park or plaza with a brown bag from home, or just around the block after eating. Celebrate walking, and support local pedestrian-friendly businesses. So choose a walking tour either of your own or a guided one and support National Walk to Lunch Day.
So what to see on a walking tour?
Massachusetts State House. It has long been one of the city's main landmarks. The cornerstone for the building was laid in 1795 in a ceremony overseen by Governor Samuel Adams, and Grand Master of the Masons, Paul Revere. The building stands on land once owned by colonial Boston's wealthiest merchant, John Hancock. It was designed by Boston native Charles Bulfinch who would become the leading architect of his day. At the time of its completion, the State House was praised as the finest public building in America.
Today, the building's gleaming dome, which measures 50 ft. in diameter and 30 ft. high, is gilded with gold leaf. Originally, it was covered with wooden shingles, and in 1802, sheathed in copper manufactured by Paul Revere. The original brick building now has wings on either side and an extension in the rear. These additions haven't detracted greatly from Bulfinch's original design. The State House is the seat of the Massachusetts government. Inside you will find the Senate Chamber and the House of Representatives where the "Sacred Cod" a five-foot-long carved wooden codfish hangs. This symbol marks the importance of the fishing industry to the Commonwealth.
Boston Common. In the center of the city, on 44 acres of open land, you'll find Boston Common, the oldest public park in America. This land was once the pasture of William Blackstone, who first arrived in the area in 1622. Over the years, it has served many purposes. It was a place for grazing cattle and sheep (until 1830), the site of the town gallows, a training field for the militia, and during the occupation of Boston, it became a British army camp. At the foot of the Common (near what is now Charles Street) on the evening of April 18, 1775, the British Regulars left for their expedition to Lexington and Concord.
Today citizens of Boston use the Common as a place to relax and gather with friends. Children get wet in the Frog Pond during the summer and ice skate there in winter. People stride by the Soldiers and Sailors Monument and stop to stretch out on the grass or sit on park benches. Concerts can be heard at the Parkman Bandstand. At the far end, near the State House, one can view the monument to Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-fourth Regiment immortalized in the 1989 film Glory. During the holidays, the trees on Boston Common are illuminated and magnificent ice sculptures appear ... all a part of Boston's annual First Night celebration.
King's Chapel. It is located on the corner of Tremont and School streets. When the Puritans settled Boston in 1630, they fled England's Anglican Church. Fifty years later, King James II ordered that an Anglican parish be established in Boston. Angry Puritans would not sell any of their land for this purpose so the Royal Governor seized a section of the town's burying ground and a small wood chapel was built there to house the first Anglican congregation in North America. Membership in the church grew, and the building was enlarged in 1710. By 1741, plans were being made to replace the wood chapel with one built of stone. Once the funds had been raised, construction began on the granite version of King's Chapel in 1749 and it was completed in 1754.
In 1785, the remaining congregation adopted a new theology and became the first Unitarian Church in America. On October 27, 1789, President George Washington attended a concert here and sat in the Governor's Pew, pictured below. In 1790, a front portico with columns was added, and the building soon resembled the King's Chapel that Bostonians recognize today. In 1816 a bell for the church, weighing more than one ton, was cast at the Revere Foundry. Paul Revere called it "the sweetest bell we ever made." Today, the bell is rung by hand for all church services and special occasions. The interior of the church is elegant and one of the most beautiful in New England. The pulpit and its sounding board date from 1717 and were once used in the original wood chapel.
Old North Church. The Old North Church, or Christ Church in Boston, was built in 1723. The walls of the church are over 2 1/2 feet thick, and the building contains over 500,000 bricks! At 191 feet, its steeple has always been Boston's tallest. The original steeple was blown down by a hurricane in 1804, and its replacement was blown down in a similar storm 150 years later. Today, the steeple of Boston's oldest church matches its original colonial design. Inside the building's brick tower, are the first peal of eight bells brought to English America. They were cast in 1744 and still ring today. On the front of the tower, a tablet commemorates an historic event that took place here in 1775. It helped make the church a patriotic landmark.
You may also visit Boston Massacre Site, Park Street Church, Old Corner Bookstore Building, Old State House, Site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market, Paul Revere House. Do not limit yourself with building observance and visiting museums, relax in the parks, and visit outdoor concerts and festivals.
Go and enjoy!
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