Catch up on my other Boston blogs here.
USS Constitution
The USS Constitution was the first stop of our second day in Boston. A destination on the Freedom Trail, we didn’t have time to visit on Saturday, so Sunday morning we took the train to the North End and walked to Constitution Wharf via the N. Washington Street Bridge. The middle section of the bridge is made of metal grating and I could see the Charles River below my feet…which I tried not to think about!
View from the N. Washington Street Bridge.
Erin and I spent an hour at the Constitution, but we could have easily spent a few more. We didn’t even visit the Museum next door! This was a special stop for me, as one of my dad’s many interests is the Constitution and the Age of Sail in general. The ship was first launched on October 21, 1797, construction having begun in 1794.
I was surprised at how spacious the the gun deck felt! Of course, my experience of gun decks is limited watching Master & Commander or Horatio Hornblower and I’m on the shorter side; no doubt that, crammed with a full crew, the space would feel pretty cramped.
The majority of the guns were named, like this one: Liberty Forever. One of the active duty sailors informed us that each cannon weighs 6,500 pounds.
Abigail’s Tea Room
After the Constitution, we headed back across the North End to Abigail’s Tea Room, adjacent to the Boston Tea Party Museum. I love tea and one of the top items on my “Boston Wish List” was to have a nice cup of tea somewhere. Thankfully, Erin also enjoys a good cuppa and didn’t mind adding this rather touristy stop to our agenda. We enjoyed lunch with hornpipes playing in the background. While in line, we met the first of three sets of UK tourists we encountered on our trip: a couple from Manchester in the States to attend a wedding at Manchester by the Sea, north of Boston.
I would have loved to linger and try each of the five different teas on offer, which are the same kinds of tea thrown into the harbor at the Boston Tea Party. Of the two teas I tried, the Souchong was definitely the most memorable: it smelled exactly like a campfire and tasted a bit like chai. (I learned souchong is a smoked tea, hence that campfire smell.)
The walk to and from Abigail’s was the chilliest part of our whole trip (not counting the first night at our AirBNB when the thermostat was stuck at 65°F). This surprised me, especially after visiting Rockport the next day, which is on the coast northeast of Boston. I had anticipated being colder when right on the ocean.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Our next stop was the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, by way of the metro system. The museum is situated in a section of Boston that felt a little like the Domain area of Austin.
The museum houses the collection of Isabella Stewart Gardner and contains over 2,500 paintings, tapestries, pieces of furniture (so many chairs!), and sculpture. Construction of the museum began in 1899 and was mostly complete by 1901. Gardner arranged the works in the facility personally and the collection remains largely unchanged, according to her wishes in her will.
In March of 1990, the Gardner Museum was the sight of the single largest property theft in the world, involving 13 pieces of art collectively valued at more than $500 million! Amongst the stolen works are paintings by Vermeer and Rembrandt. Two men disguised as police officers were admitted to the museum in the early morning of March 18, 1990. After tying up two security guards and leaving them in the basement, the thieves spent the next 81 minutes removing 13 works from multiple locations in the museum. The thieves’ identities are still unknown and the stolen artwork has never been recovered. The empty frames remain hanging throughout the museum.
The museum wasn’t quite what I expected. I had briefly explored their website, which features thorough photographs of each room and is absolutely wonderful! I high recommend taking a look! When we arrived, I was surprised and dismayed at how dim each room was. We learned that both natural and electric light are limited for preservation purposes, but I found it difficult to appreciate art that I couldn’t really see. The museum also has an incredibly eclectic feel and appearance, which I found a little overwhelming during our visit.
I didn’t take many images of the actual art, instead focusing mostly on the architecture. Regarding the actual paintings, drawings, etc., far better images than what I could capture are already available on the internet. Looking back, I do wish I had taken a photo of the empty frames in the Dutch Room. Though, again, the images on the museum website do exist, and I suspect their photographer had the advantage of more light! One piece I did photograph was John Singer Sargent’s El Jaleo, which was enormous!
This work is housed in the Spanish Cloister, which was probably my favorite room in the museum, just because of its simplicity. Many of the other rooms felt crowded to me, with frames covering every available surface, even down to the backs of doors. The Cloister was refreshingly spartan by comparison.
I’m glad we were able to visit, though I believe I would have enjoyed my experience a little more if my expectations hadn’t been quite so different from the reality. I do wonder if visiting earlier in the day would have any impact on visibility in the rooms due to change in light quality
Beacon Hill
We ended our second day by traveling across town to the Beacon Hill area, to simply walk, take pictures, and enjoy the picturesque neighborhood.
Beacon Hill was picturesque, even down to the Starbuck’s on the corner. I loved this neighborhood.
Our last stop of the day was DeLuca’s Market, which Erin said was a favorite of Julia Child! We sat in a back storage area on plastic lawn chairs while Erin charged her phone and got a few snacks.
As we made our way across the Common toward the metro station and home, Erin and I talked about travel companions and our own personalities. We were happy to be traveling with each other because we felt our personalities complimented each other well. I tend to be reserved, more comfortable with familiar things, and reluctant to venture into the unknown. Erin was a blessing! Her confidence and easy-going nature encouraged me to be more bold. She did practically all the navigating while in Boston, for which I was exceedingly thankful. Our strengths benefited each other, which made for a wonderful travel experience!
