Congress Street is wedged between Boston's City Hall Plaza and Faneuil Hall, and there's actually a lot to see and do around this area!
City Hall Plaza is bordered by Congress Street, and has always been bustling with people since it's opening in 1968. This is where all of the sports championship rallies are held, where the parades end, and where many festivals are held throughout the summer such as the Pride Festival and the Jimmy Fund's Scooper Bowl. From here you can peek down toward State Street and see the (super small) Old State House.
There's a great statue of Celtics legend Bill Russell at City Hall Plaza too. He was a five time MVP and won 11 (!!!) NBA championships when he played for the Celtics between 1956 and 1969. There are 11 smaller statues surrounding Russell here, each representing one of his championships.
While City Hall itself might be the ugliest structure in the entirety of Boston, there has been a lot of construction around the area, particularly north of here.
I love this Boston sign and I love seeing Faneuil Hall peeking out over the top of it.
Speaking of Faneuil Hall, it's right across the street from Boston's City Hall, also on Congress Street. Although Peter Faneuil was a known slave trader, he built Faneuil Hall as a gift to the city of Boston (I dunno, send it back?) He died in 1743 and the building actually burned in 1761, but was rebuilt in the same spot at the same dimensions with a new roof. It was expanded to look as it does today in 1806, AND Mayor Josiah Quincy added the rest of Quincy Market (behind it) in the 1820s. So IS this even Faneuil's hall? He wasn't a very important guy - just a guy with money who didn't do very good things with it.
However, Samuel Adams stands in front of Faneuil Hall!
Not too far from Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market is the Union Oyster House, a National Historic Landmark. The sign says, "The oldest continually operated restaurant and oyster bar in the United States. Constructed between 1716 and 1717, it is a rare surviving brick example of Boston's Georgian architecture." (As designated by the National Park Service in the Department of the Interior in 2003.) The restaurant has actually only been here since 1826, and prior to that it was Hopestill Capen's silk and dry goods store (since at least 1742.) The bay backed right up to the store at the time, so it was convenient for ships to make deliveries here. In 1826, Atwood and Bacon started selling oysters, clams and scallops among other things. Did you know that the toothpick was first used in the US here at the Union Oyster House?
The superlative next door is the Bell in Hand Tavern, which wins for the oldest continuously run tavern in the United States (from 1795 onward, but not during Prohibition from 1920 to 1933!) The first owner was Jimmy Wilson, who was Boston's last known Town Crier who established the first Bell in Hand in Congress Square under the Exchange Coffee House. It was then moved to Williams Street at Pi Alley, and eventually to 81 Devonshire Street before landing here on Union Street. Samuel Adams, Daniel Webster and Paul Revere were known to visit the Bell in Hand! Lights and darks were only served until 1919 with liquor added to the menu after Prohibition ended.
The nearby Green Dragon Tavern, although not the original that was founded in 1654, was the site of many meetings that were had regarding the "detested tea" leading up to the Boston Tea Party. While the Freemasons held their meetings on the first floor, secret meetings of the Sons of Liberty were held in the basement. Historians call this tavern the "Headquarters of the Revolution."
The original Green Dragon Tavern was demolished in 1832, but was rebuilt very close by the original. On the night of his famous ride, the Green Dragon Tavern was Paul Revere's starting point on his way out to Lexington.
The Boston Tea Party was planned right here! (Ok, not RIGHT here because that building was demolished but in this vicinity!) Other famous patrons of the Green Dragon include John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Dr. Joseph Warren.
On my way back home, I walked through the very powerful Holocaust Memorial (which basically sits in front of the Bell in Hand, right along Congress Street). This memorial was founded by Holocaust survivor Stephan Ross who lost his parents, a brother and five sisters before being set free at Dachau by American troops when he was 14. When I walked in, you can read "First They Came" by Martin Niemöller, a German, once-Hitler-supporter-turned-anti-Nazi Lutheran pastor.
The memorial has six 54-foot glass towers - and the website reads, "The number six has many meanings here: the millions of Jews killed in the Holocaust; the names of the six main death camps; a row of memorial candles; and the six years, 1939-1945, during which the infamous “Final Solution,” the most deadly phase of the Holocaust, took place. In addition, millions of numbers are etched in the glass, representing the infamous tattoos inflected on many of the victims’ arms." If the sun is out and it hits you just right through the glass, you might find yourself with one of those numbers etched on you, as well.
Steam rises up from the grates as you walk through, and along with the numbers on the glass, there are short stories and messages about people's time in the concentration camps that are INCREDIBLY moving. This is one of the most compelling memorials I have ever been to, aside from the actual concentration camps. It's very thoughtful and well done, and I definitely shed a tear here.
Until next time, Boston!
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