#citytrolleytour

[bigcitiesonfoot]

48 Hours in Boston

With its narrow one-way streets, hidden alleys and who-knows-what around every corner, downtown Boston is tailor-made for exploring on foot. In fact, the first thing a podcast mentioned was that this is an awful city to rent a car in - the colonial made-for-horse'n'buggy streets and aggressive drivers there make that car rental insurance they push on you mandatory.

Most websites list the Freedom Trail as the top attraction in Boston, and I'd have to agree - it is a great way to explore a ton of historic sites and the city in general. A line of red bricks guarantees you won't lose the trail, but I definitely encourage taking a few turns and exploring some of the side streets and alleys, especially in the area near The Bell in the Hand (established in 1795, supposedly the oldest continuously operating bar in the US, though some websites differ on this). My favorite parts of the trail were the three old cemeteries, all of which look like they're from a Stephen King horror flick and have graves dating to the late 1600's (including the graves of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and other noteworthy patriots).

I had recently watched the Netflix series "This Is a Robbery," so I had to check out the Isabell Gardner Museum. True to the series, the 17 empty frames left behind in the $500 million unsolved heist are here, just hanging out empty! But I wasn't expecting the museum to be as awesome as it is (the series definitely did not do the museum justice here). It felt like wandering a huge mansion with all sorts of century old furniture, statues, display cases of artifacts and curios and a paradise-like courtyard. I didn't know much about the art history here, but did recognize some of the big names here from that college general ed course - Rembrandt, Raphael and Matisse to name a few.

The mandatory food requirement in Boston is the lobster roll sandwich, and I tried two (The Bell in Hand and Saltie Girl), both of which were delicious. For Boston Cream Pie go the original source, The Omni Parker Hotel, which is so haunted they will give you a list at check-in desk of the various hauntings over the years. Mike's Pastries also worth checking out!

If you're into the haunted and paranormal, check out the Ghosts and Gravestones tour (do a night booking!) - a trolley tour with a few stops in the old cemeteries and some Boston horror tales thrown in while on the ride.