The Price of Freedom: Boston Freedom Trail & Havard University

Boston, Massachusetts - where the heart of America history lies. One of the oldest city in the United States, this city-by-the-bay is famed not just for its historic roots, but also for its splendid seafood selection. The New England Clam Chowder has now become synonymous with Boston and its lobsters-one of the best in the world. Food and history, the perfect combination for a historic foodie like me!

First up - Quincy Market. This is the Number one place anyone would recommend for any newcomers to Boston. Although critics might say that this place is over-touristy, over-priced and you can probably find better chowder elsewhere, Quincy Market is still one those locations that you have to see for yourself.

Quincy Market

For those who have no idea what Quincy Market is - it is basically a historic marketplace near Faneuil Hall with two rows of food stalls on each side of the market. You can get a huge selection of food, ranging from burgers to sushi and Mac 'n' Cheese to Rice 'n' Vegetables. Obviously, the main fare people always go for is the New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Roll, which can be found throughout the entire market.

Long aisle of food

We started with the one that was recommended to us by our friends - the award winning Boston Chowda Co. No prizes to guess what we ordered.

Boston Chowda

So how what was the verdict of our first-ever Native New England's Clam Chowder - Read on to find out...

As we settled in, there was a buzz of excitement (for those first-timers) on how New England's Clam Chowder would actually taste like (as compared to those we had elsewhere in the world). The verdict: No one does it better than the New England people. The chowder was rich and creamy with huge chunks of clams inside. The only thing was that I finished it so fast that I was craving for another bowl minutes after I'm done (What was I thinking, ordering the medium portion).

I'll definitely be back for another bowl. Lovely stuff 8.5/10

New England Clam Chowder and Lobster Bisque

The Lobster Bisque was actually pretty awesome too. If its not for the authentic feel of the clam chowder in Boston, the Lobster Bisque would definitely give it a run for its money.

Our seating area

Beside the two soups, the others ordered the Mac 'N' Cheese too. I forgot as to which type of Mac 'N' Cheese they ordered but I can remember that it was pretty decent. Something that I would order on my own.

Mac 'n' Cheese

Next up, we went on the famous Boston Freedom trail (lead by Andre). The Freedom Trail is a pathway designed to give us a greater understanding of the sights and history of Boston and the United States. It is usually marked by a red bricked pathway and would bring the "trailers" through to historic sites like the Boston Commons, Paul Revere House, Bunker Hill, etc. Most of these sites are free but some (including the Old State House, Paul Revere House & Old South Meeting House) needs a small admission fee.

First Stop -Visitor Information

The first stop for the Freedom Trail is the Visitor Information Center located within Boston Common. Go in there to grab any information you can find and start your tour from the official first stop - Boston Common. 

Boston Common - since 1634

I won't be giving you the tour right here within my blog (I'll leave it up to you to explore it by yourself). Instead, here are some of the highlights.

Massachusetts State Hall

Located up on Beacon hill near Boston Common, the 2nd stop for the Freedom Trail offered a view of the Massachusetts State Hall (or better known as the "new State Hall"). Entrance to the State Hall is free and they offer a free walking tour periodically. Unfortunately, we were pressed for time, so we took the option of a quick walk by ourselves instead. 

Interior of the State Hall

Hall of Flags

Stop 3 for our trail - the Granary Burying Grounds. Home to notable historic personnel like John Hancock (NOT the Will Smith character), Paul Revere (the guy who sounded the bell), Peter Faneuil (of the Faneuil Hall), this age-old burial grounds is one of the oldest burial grounds in Boston. A monument dedicated to Benjamin Franklin can also be found here.

Granary Burying Grounds

For Franklin

King's Chapel, formerly known as "Stone Chapel", was built in the 1600s and is still an active Ecumenical Church affiliated with the UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association). The interior of the church is characterized by the "wooden columns with Corinthian columns" (wikipedia) and lavish velveted seatings.

King's Chapel

Interior design

Exclusive seating for some

After the King's Chapel, we skipped a few stops and ended up at the Old City Hall. Nothing much there, except a Donkey Statue - representing the Democratic Party. The footprints opposite the Donkey are obviously for the Republican's Elephant.

Name says it all...

The Democratic donkey

Last stop before lunch saw us going to the Old State House. The oldest administrative building in Boston, the Old State House now serve as a history museum of Boston operated by the Bostonian Society and would require a small fee $7.50. 

Old State House

Unfortunately, due to a lack of time (I would love to take the walking tour of the museum), we were unable to go for the museum and the museum tour. 

Nearby (viewable from the windows of the Old State House), we chanced upon the cobbled streets where the Boston Massacre took place. For the non-history buffs, it would be just another cobbled street with traffic lights on them. But for the history lovers, this place was where 11 Americans were killed or injured and was widely considered to be one of the prelude to the American Revolution War.

At this point, it was a perfect time for lunch. The timing was good and we were actually pretty near the Quincy Market, so we took the opportunity to try out the next famous Bostonian dish - Lobster Sandwich.

Having fun before lunch

We chose to go for the same stall to have our lobster sandwich. No particular criteria or reason for chat choice.

Lobster Sandwich galore

We took the Sandwich and Soup set, which came with the Lobster Sandwich and a side of Lobster Bisque Soup. 

Lunch for the day

Verdict for the lobster sandwich: A decently good choice. The part I liked best was the chunkiness (like the chowder) of the lobster bits. It makes it feel like you're eating a whole lobster with sauce and sandwich. Also, did I mention--the lobster tasted really fresh, so a mega plus-point for them.

After lunch, we took a break from our tour and headed down to Harvard University to take a look around the world-renown Ivy league university. We had to rush down in time for their scheduled tour, which took us around the campus on foot. At this point, I can't really remember the where's where, so I'll leave you with some photos of my tour.

Stay tuned for the remaining sites of our Freedom Trail and our visit to the famous Union Oyster House.