North End, Boston

I arrived in Boston last night. This is the last of my six trips to Boston. Going forward this trip will now be crewed by our Boston base instead of our London base, so I am glad I have made the most of these three weeks!

It was a grey and wet day - even some of the taller buildings were in the clouds!  I decided to spend most of the afternoon at North End which is the Italian neighbourhood. I started my tour at Haymarket, just south of North End, and briefly visited the moving New England Holocaust Memorial (middle-left) before spending the rest of the afternoon wandering around North End proper.

This neighbourhood was one of the earliest settled areas of Boston and is filled with historic buildings, lovely gardens, Italian restaurants and bakeries, churches and statues. The middle picture in the collage is Paul Revere, an important patriot from the Revolutionary War. Behind him is Old North Church, a key location during the war.

The middle-right picture is what’s know as ‘The Skinny House’. This four-story home is claimed to be the narrowest house in Boston at just 10.4 feet at its widest point. It was built by a Civil War veteran as a ‘spite house’ after his brother spent all of the inheritance and only left him this sliver of land on which to build. (More pictures and info here!)

There was plenty more to explore in North End but sadly I ran out of time. I hope I will get back there one day!  

I ended up back at Haymarket for dinner before taking the subway back to my hotel. I ate at The Bell in Hand Tavern (top-left and bottom-right of the collage), which is America’s oldest continually run tavern, established in 1795. The first owner was Boston’s last known town crier, hence the name. Many of Boston’s best known patriots were early patrons, such as Sam Adams and Paul Revere. The location has changed and I’m sure the menu has too. Interestingly, women were not allowed in until the late 1960s! Thankfully I was allowed in and enjoyed a delicious Lobster Roll.