Day 6 - 9/29/2026 - Out & About In Boston (Daily Diary)
We started the day fairly early because we had an hour-long drive to Boston. Mary and I had breakfast at the inn while Robin packed up and transferred rooms from the third (scary) floor to the more mundane second floor.
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A great way to start the day!
Down nthe highway we fly!
Heading into Boston
The Rose Kennedy Greenway is a mile-long series of parks and public spaces in downtown Boston. It was built over the Big Dig highway tunnels and runs through several neighborhoods, including the North End, Wharf District, and Chinatown.
It features gardens, fountains, public art, places to sit, and seasonal events and food vendors. It's free and open to the public.
Smackdab in the middle of Boston!
Robin spotted the sign to our destination!
The Paul Revere House is a historic house museum at 19 North Square in Boston's North End. Built around 1680, it is one of the oldest surviving homes in downtown Boston.
Silversmith and patriot Paul Revere lived there with his family from about 1770 to 1800. On the night of April 18, 1775, he set out on the ride that warned communities outside Boston that British troops were moving toward Lexington and Concord.
Today, we toured the restored house and see period furnishings and objects connected with Revere and his family. The surrounding North End is also full of historic sites and restaurants, so the house is easy to include in a walk through the neighborhood.
Fireplaces were everywhere!
It is surrounded by large buildings today!
Amazing 200+ year old house still standing.
Here is "Paul Revere's Ride" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:
Paul Revere's Ride
Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-Five:
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,—
One, if by land, and two, if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.
Meanwhile, his friend, through alley and street,
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers
Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry-chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,—
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town,
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night-encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,—
A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide, like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle-girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry-tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height,
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns!
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet:
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders, that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.
It was twelve by the village clock
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, blank and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadows brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket-ball.
You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,—
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard-wall,
Chasing the red-coats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,—
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo forevermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
We were happy to see it restored and taken care of!
In the early 1900s is was even more "original"
The rooms were small
Paul Revere bought the house in 1770 and lived there with his family for about 20 years. On the night of April 18, 1775, he left from his home to warn people that British troops were moving toward Lexington and Concord. Revere was not born in the house; he was born elsewhere in Boston.
Revere sold the property in 1800. Over the following decades, it was used for various purposes, including as a boarding house and commercial premises, and parts of the building were altered.
In 1902, Revere's descendants and supporters formed the Paul Revere Memorial Association and acquired the house. After restoration, it opened to the public as a museum in 1908. Today, visitors can explore the historic rooms and learn about Revere's family, work, and role in the American Revolution.
Cheers is a Boston pub made famous by the 1980s TV sitcom of the same name.
The real bar is at 84 Beacon Street, on Beacon Hill. It opened in 1969 as the Bull & Finch Pub; the show's producers used its exterior for the establishing shots of the fictional Cheers. The sitcom's interior, however, was a studio set in Los Angeles—not the Boston bar.
Today, the pub is known as Cheers Beacon Hill. Visitors can see its familiar exterior and a recreated version of the show's bar inside. It's a popular stop for TV fans, though it's a real restaurant and pub rather than a museum.
Traffic was heavy!
The girls can spot a souvenere store from 100 yards away!!!
We made it to the Commons
Boston Common, at the heart of downtown Boston, is widely described as the oldest public park in the United States. It was established in 1634, when Boston's Puritan settlers set aside common land for the use of the town. The area was part of the homeland of the Massachusett people; its conversion to colonial public land took place amid the broader dispossession of Indigenous communities.
For its first two centuries, the Common was practical working land as much as open space. Residents grazed cattle there, and the town used it for military training. It also became a site of public punishment and executions. One of the people executed there was Mary Dyer, a Quaker, in 1660.
During the American Revolution, British troops camped on the Common before the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. After the war, it continued to serve as a gathering place and parade ground, while gradually becoming more recreational. Grazing ended in 1830, and the area was increasingly treated as a public park.
Some landmarks reflect later periods in the Common's history:
• Central Burying Ground, established in 1756, is one of Boston's historic cemeteries.
• The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, completed in 1877, honors Massachusetts men who served in the Civil War.
• The Frog Pond, now a popular spot for children and seasonal skating, became a familiar feature of the park.
• The Parkman Bandstand, built in 1912, has hosted public events and performances.
The Common has also remained a place for civic life and protest, including antiwar demonstrations and major public gatherings. Today, its roughly 50 acres of lawns, paths, monuments, and recreation areas preserve traces of Boston's colonial, revolutionary, and modern history. It is next to—but distinct from—the Boston Public Garden, which opened in the 19th century.
The houses were minimally decorated!
We found it!!!
The real flag was there and the weather was cloudy/misty
We expected it to be crowded and average food but found it charming and the food was outstanding. Iy was a pleasant experience.
Just us!! Paul & Mary study the menu!
We had a corner booth and could see all the activities going on!
Paul, Mary, Robin, and Colleen (Thanks Cassie for the photo)
The menu was quite diversified!
We kept the bar busy!!
Cassie finally got into the pictures! Colleen made sure!
We had some of their excotic drinks!
Looks average but it was done perfectly and the fires were outstanding
The flat bread disappeared rapidly.
Time to head out.
Colleen, Mary, Robin, and Cassie
Bye bye Cheers
.. we will see you again soon!
Colleen is an excellent driver, we felt very safe in her hands!
One last look!
Old town; modern bridge!
It held up!
In 1994, Massimo Morgia opened the doors of Ristorante Massimo, celebrating his lifetime dream of running his own upscale and truly authentic Italian restaurant. Born in Italy and growing up with a first-generation Italian family in America, he envisioned a restaurant that felt like it belonged in his hometown of Portecorvo. Massimo believed then, and still today, that a guest's experience should mirror a Sunday meal at the Morgia home – earnest preparation, the freshest ingredients, plenty of laughter, love, and hospitality.
In 2017, another dream of Massimo's was fulfilled by acquiring a ground level space, providing the opportunity to create another dining room for more casual fare. This is known as Upstairs at Massimo's. Depending upon your mood, today you can have a tuxedo service formal dining experience at Ristorante Massimo, or lighter fare with a more vibrant atmosphere at Upstairs at Massimo's. In either case, you'll discover the same authentic Italian cuisine accompanied by exceptional service and hospitality.
Collen and Jon were well known there!
Wonder why???
Jon even licked the plate!
Oops!
I went for the seafood, naturally!!!
We love family get togethers!
Sarah, Jon, Colleen, and Mark
Sarah was quite animated!
Stories were shared!
