Another trip to Boston

July 22 – We were up and headed back in to Boston today.  First stop was Frederick Law Olmsted NHS to pick up the video camera Bill left last week.  As our luck would go, they could not find it or anyone who knew where it was.  I waited quite patiently while they made phone calls, checked emails and looked in what they considered appropriate places for it.  When the person in charge finally said I’d have to come back, I told her that was not going to work for me.  I rehashed what my last email with the ranger conveyed that she would let the volunteers know and so the volunteer said he would look around in his area but that was no note.  He finally found it in a desk drawer with a note on it that we would be in today to get it!  Phew!

Inside the Artillery Museum

Bill waited in the car and thought I had gotten lost!  We were then off to downtown Boston to Faneuil Hall.  We didn’t get lost or rerouted once and turned right into a parking garage.  The thing was we didn’t see a sign about the cost, that should have been our first clue!  We were downtown about 2 hours and it was $35, yes, $35!  I was majorly bent out of shape!  The sign is below the machine to pull your ticket and you can’t even see it!  Oh well!  We did get more special stamps at Faneuil Hall and were able to visit the artillery museum upstairs that was closed on our last visit.  It’s called the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company and was chartered in 1638 by the Great and General Court of MA Bay Colony.  The headquarters and armory have been in Faneuil Hall since 1746.  It’s a huge meeting room with rows of bench seating and all around the walls are photos of all of the past Commanders of The Ancient & Honorable as well as uniforms, weapons, and other memorabilia.  There are original uniforms and reproductions of uniforms from all the wars these soldiers participate in since inception.  It is still an active organization.

Bunker Hill National Mon

 We did some walking to gather more stamps for my park book and decided to eat at one of the food stalls in the Quincy Market.  I went with a clam chowder bread bowl and Bill had burnt ends.  My chowder was very good but the bread doesn’t compare to San Francisco.  Bill drove me to the Paul Revere House and waited while I got my stamp, then again at the Old North Church.  We have been to those before also.  It was a short drive to Bunker Hill and no parking so Bill waited with the car while I went for the stamp and then we went to Charlestown Navy Yard.  The park service validates parking there so you at least get a $5 discount on the parking. 

USS Constitution

Since it’s a Navy yard we had to provide photo ID, go through airline type security before we could visit the USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship.  We’d been before but we went again.  It’s a beautiful ship and still part of the Navy fleet.  Parked behind it for 4 days

Charles Morgan Whaling Ship

is the Charles W. Morgan.  Today was the last day of a 4 day visit.  Its home base is Mystic, CT.  It is the last wood whaling ship.  It whaled for 80 years and would traditionally go out for 3 years at a time.  Across from the Morgan is the USS Cassin Young, a restored WWII destroyer.  It was really hot out and we were getting tired so we didn’t go on the Young.

Traffic out of Boston was not bad until we got on the Interstate and then it super slowed down.  Our only detour was for an iced coffee to enjoy on the ride home.  Once we got back to Dayville we make quick stops at Target and Stop & Shop.  We got a rotisserie chicken for a quick dinner then settled in for the night.