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Each one a single question, answered in fullI
The articles
- 01
Faneuil Hall and Quincy MarketWhy is Faneuil Hall called the Cradle of Liberty?
How a Boston market hall opened in 1742 came to be known as the Cradle of Liberty, and what to look for inside today.
- 02
Boston Common and the Public GardenWhy is Make Way for Ducklings in the Public Garden?
The story behind Nancy Schön's bronze duck family near the Public Garden's Charles Street gate.
- 03
Boston Common and the Public GardenHow do the Swan Boats in the Public Garden work?
A visitor's guide to the Public Garden's pedal-powered Swan Boats, the lagoon they circle, and how to plan a ride.
- 04
The Freedom TrailWhat happened at the Old South Meeting House before the Tea Party?
How a plain Puritan meeting house became the hall where Boston decided to throw British tea into the harbor.
- 05
The Freedom TrailWhere are Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock buried?
Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and John Hancock all lie in one small burying ground on Boston's Freedom Trail.
- 06
Getting HereHow do you get from Logan Airport to downtown Boston?
Logan sits in East Boston, across the harbor from downtown, so every route into the city crosses the water. The Silver Line bus to South Station, the Blue Line from Airport station, the Logan Express, the boats and the car through the Ted Williams Tunnel, and which suits where you are staying.
- 07
Ferries & IslandsHow do you get to Martha's Vineyard, and do you need a car?
Martha's Vineyard has no bridge: you arrive by ferry or small plane. Which harbor to sail from, the one ferry line that takes cars, why most visitors leave the car behind, and how to get round the island by bus, bicycle and on foot.
- 08
The Freedom TrailHow long does it take to walk the Freedom Trail?
The Freedom Trail is only two and a half miles long, but its sixteen stops can fill a day. How long the walk takes with and without the buildings, where to break it in two, which stops need the most time, and how to get back from Charlestown at the end.
- 09
PlymouthIs Plymouth Rock really where the Pilgrims landed?
Plymouth Rock is honored as the Pilgrims' landing place of December 1620, but neither of the colony's own chroniclers mentions it, and the claim was first made in 1741. How the legend began, how the rock was split, moved and rejoined, and what to see in Plymouth when you go.
- 10
Lexington, Concord and the Old North BridgeWhat happens on Patriots' Day in Massachusetts?
Patriots' Day marks the first battles of the Revolution on April 19, 1775. On the third Monday in April, Lexington and Concord reenact them at dawn, riders retrace Paul Revere's ride, the Boston Marathon runs from Hopkinton to Boylston Street and the Red Sox play at home. How to see it, and how to plan around it.
- 11
Cape Ann: Rockport and GloucesterWhy is Motif Number 1 the most painted building in America?
A plain red fishing shack on Bradley Wharf in Rockport is called the most often-painted building in America. Why painters chose it, how it got its name, why the one you see is a replica built after the Blizzard of 1978, and how to see it and the rest of Cape Ann's painters' coast.
Written one at a timeII