Boston is the statue capital of the world

DAY 121: Boston, MassachusettsMiles traveled: 15,812
States visited: 43
Weather: 80, sunny
Boston is really, really old. When I started my trip in the Virginias and Carolinas, it was cool seeing artifacts from the Civil War, but in Boston we’re talking about artifacts from the Revolutionary War, buildings still standing from the early 1700s, and all sorts of monuments and statues.
Downtown Boston is great. There’s a huge, lively park that is the best place for people watching I’ve seen on the entire trip.

There’s also a really old cemetery downtown that houses Paul Revere, John Hancock, Sam Adams, and other important figures.

Like everyone else in Boston history, Sam Adams has his own statue.

Not far from there is the site of the Boston Tea Party. The spot where the original colonists revolted and ignited the American Revolution! Surprisingly, there isn’t any sort of monument here, but one is being built. But I just enjoyed standing at the same spot where it happened. I wanted to throw a tea bag into the river to show my support, but I neglected to bring one.

Bunker Hill, by contrast, is not lacking for monuments. It has a giant obelisk that you can walk up – 240-some steps in all. I don’t remember why Bunker Hill is important, but I just remember that it was the most-discussed battle site in middle school social studies class. Everything was The Battle of Bunker Hill, The Battle of Bunker Hill! So I went there. They had a dude dressed as a colonist with a musket, re-enacting some scene from that time.

I loved Boston for all its history. I’m awestruck walking through streets and past buildings that have been standing since 1713. The Boston area has lots of other fun stuff too, like the town of Cambridge. Cambridge is home to Harvard and is one of the more lively communities in the area. I stumbled upon Newbury Comics, a record & comics store that is kind of legendary.

It was funny walking around Boston seeing everyone with their Red Sox paraphernalia. It seemed so quaint – the idea that anyone still cares about baseball. But I guess in Pittsburgh we see things differently. Who needs baseball when you have the Stanley Cup and Super Bowl champions?
We also spent a lot of time in Jamaica Plain, a fun neighborhood where I’d probably live if I was a Boston resident. I’d been wanting to see Boston for a long time and the payoff was great!