Boston's Early Heritage

Even if you've missed the events surrounding Harborfest, there's plenty in Bean Town to get (and keep) your patriotic juices flowing. The Freedom Trail promises a stroll through a young America's history, and underscores Boston's reputation as one of America's great walking cities. Explore the 2.5-mile self-guided Freedom Trail as it unfolds through a series of historic neighborhoods. Laid out in 1958, the trail connects 16 important sites, extending all the way across Boston Harbor to Charlestown. The signposted path is a line of red paint or red brick (or both) that runs down the center of the sidewalk. It begins at Boston Common, the nation's oldest park (1640), and runs past Colonial and Revolutionary War–era landmarks such as churches, graveyards or "burying grounds," monuments, and houses of government, as well as the USS Constitution, better known as Old Ironsides, the oldest commissioned U.S. Navy warship (1797).

The Paul Revere House, constructed of wood around 1680 and purchased by the legendary silversmith (of "Midnight Ride" fame) in 1770, is the oldest dwelling in downtown Boston. Revere's church is on the Freedom Trail, too. Still an active congregation, the "one if by land, two if by sea" Old North Church has stood in the North End since 1723 and makes a fascinating stop. Another famous house of worship is the Old South Meeting House, where disgruntled Bostonians gathered on a cold night in December 1773 and wound up throwing the so-called Boston Tea Party.

Also on the trail is Faneuil Hall (1742), Boston's original market building and once the colony's foremost meeting hall. Today it's the center of a five-building complex of shops, nightspots, and restaurants. Durgin-Park, a restaurant on the first and second floors of the North Market Building, boasts that your great-grandfather might have eaten there, which actually seems too modest—the restaurant opened in 1827. Known for its lively atmosphere and hearty New England food, its tried-and-true signature dishes are corn bread, baked beans, and Indian pudding; the prime rib, turkey dinner, and Boston cream pie all need to be sampled, too.

Just across the street from the marketplace in the tiny, ancient area known as the Blackstone Block is Ye Olde Union Oyster House, the country's oldest restaurant in continuous service. Its famous raw bar is visible from the street, and you can see the shuckers opening oysters and clams so quickly that their hands are a blur. Regional classics like oyster stew, lobster, and gingerbread are time-tested favorites here. The path to your table, across sloping wooden floors, may take you past Booth 18, where John F. Kennedy used to sit and read the paper.

Where: The trail begins at the Visitor Information Center on the Tremont St. side of Boston Common, but you can pick it up anywhere along the way. Tel 617-357-8300; www.thefreedomtrail.org. Durgin-Park: Tel 617-227-2038; www.durgin-park.com.  Ye Olde Union Oyster House: Tel 617-227-2750; www.unionoyster

house.com. Best times: May–Oct for pleasant walking weather; Apr for Freedom Trail Week; July 1-6, 2008 for Boston Harborfest; mid-Dec for Boston Tea Party reenactment.

One of the joys of tracing the Freedom Trail are the countless detours you can make into the city's various neighborhoods. One of the oldest parts of Boston, the North End is Boston's best-known Italian neighborhood and one of the nation's most famous Italian American communities. After visiting the Paul Revere House and

the Old North Church on the Freedom Trail, wander along the narrow streets of the North End, many of them lined with redbrick tenement buildings. For over a century, beginning in the mid-1800s during the Irish famines, this area teemed with recently arrived immigrants. One of the most famous North End natives was Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, a granddaughter of Irish immigrants, daughter of Boston's Mayor John F. Fitzgerald, and mother of President John F. Kennedy. Her baptism (in 1890) and funeral (in 1995) both took place at St. Stephen's Church on Hanover Street. 

Following the Irish to the North End were immigrants from Eastern Europe, Portugal, and finally, around the turn of the century, Italy. This is where you'll find some of Boston's best Italian restaurants, including the epitome of a neighborhood pizza place, Pizzeria Regina. Founded in 1926, this classic serves thin-crust pizza baked in a brick oven and, ideally, topped with house-made Italian sausage. Or just stop for a respite—an espresso or cappuccino and an Italian pastry or a scoop of gelato. Caffè Vittoria, the oldest Italian caffè in Boston, is another favorite with the locals, a bustling spot that attracts a lively mix of regulars and tourists.

You can also make the North End an evening of more formal dining without compromising its authenticity. An uncontested favorite is Mamma Maria, whose specialties are northern Italian cuisine (notably pasta creations) and romance. The elegant town house is a popular place for marriage proposals, and the osso buco is worth its weight in diamond solitaires. If you prefer your jewelry plastic and your dough deep-fried, visit the North End in the summer. It's the season for feasts, otherwise known as street fairs; many of the generations-old social clubs that sponsor them bear the names of saints, and so do the festivals. The Fisherman's Feast (August 14-17 2008), which dates back to 1911, kicks off with the blessing of the fishing waters. Just don't overindulge in the sausage and peppers and sugar-dusted zeppoles—when the band strikes up traditional Italian tunes, you may find yourelf dancing in the street. Everyone's Italian tonight. Tutti siamo italiani!

Pizzeria Regina: Tel 617-227-0765; www.pizzeriaregina.com.   Caffè Vittoria: Tel 617-227-7606; www

.vittoriacaffe.com. Cost: $7. Mamma Maria: Tel 617-523-0077; www.mammamaria.com. Best times: Patriots Day (3rd Mon in Apr) for reenactments and commemorations; weekends in late July and Aug for feasts; August 14-17 2008 for Fisherman's Feast (www.fishermansfeast.com).

Read the previous article here.

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Patricia Schultz is the author of 1000 Places To See Before You Die (Workman) and 1000 Places to See in the USA & Canada Before You Die (Workman)

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