Boston: Day 3

On our third and final day in Boston, we started our day by having an early lunch at the Union Oyster House. This is the oldest restaurant in the United States, opened in 1826, and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2003. Even though is has only been a restaurant since 1826, the building has stood for over 250 years. The restaurant’s claims to fame is that Daniel Webster was a constant customer, and it was the first place where a toothpick was used in the United States. However, I would have to say that the corn bread and oyster chowder should also be on that list.

This is one of the booths inside the restaurant:

After lunch, we decided to make use of our Old Town Trolley passes again. We rode the trolley from the waterfront to M.I.T. where we got off to take the subway to Harvard University (commercial vehicles are not allowed around Harvard). We took a stroll through campus and walked around Harvard Square. Here is a picture of the library entrance:

The famous John Harvard statue standing in Harvard Yard now has a nickname, “The Statue of Three Lies.” Its inscription states, “John Harvard, Founder, 1638.” First, there is no known portrait of John Harvard, so the sculptor used a model instead; second, John Harvard did not found the university (it was named after him because he donated so much money to the university); and last, the university was actually founded in 1636. It’s quite interesting that such an established institute’s centerpiece is historically incorrect!

We also decided to go back to the Old State House Museum (we received a free ticket with the trolley ride). There were numerous interesting artifacts, but the one I found to be most intriguing was the tea that was found in Thomas Melville’s boots after the Boston Tea Party.

Our final event of the day was a cruise on the Boston Harbor (this was also free with the trolley ride). We were able to view the USS Constitution. This ship was first used in the War of 1812 and is the world’s oldest warship still afloat. Every July 4^th, it still sails into Boston Harbor and continues to be commissioned in the US Navy.

We couldn’t leave Boston without eating some delicious Italian food in the North End. Jared received a recommendation from a fellow sailor at the marina, and it was definitely worth it. It felt like we were back in Italy! We spent one last night at the marina (I miss those wonderful showers) and set sail the following morning to head to Glouchester, MA. Here is a picture of me driving out of the harbor: