TEA AND CHEERS

This morning we walked down to the Charles River to the Boston Tea Party Museum.  We became part of the angry mob to storm The Eleanor and throw the tea overboard.  We were given our identities plus a feather for disguise, as the Sons of Liberty were disguised as Indians that night.  Actors direct the action and, in character, lead us through the events.  Before this demonstrations, the Sons of Liberty were regarded as a gang, having tarred and feathered some, plus destroyed the Governor's  and other houses.  But this was their turning point.  No ships' crew were harmed.  No other cargo except the tea was touched.

Here is "Samuel Adams" a Patriot we have heard a lot about.  It was similar to an English pantomime as we had to stamp our feet, slap the pews we sat in, cheer, boo, cry out "Well said" or "Hear, hear" in 

agreement.

We boarded the ship and went below, down stairs with handrails.  Apparently on the night, their strongest men were lowered below and they tied rope around the chests of tea, which were hauled on deck, split open, then tossed overboard.  So much tea entered Boston Harbour, it rose above the water level.  Apprentices were required to climb overboard and stamp about to ensure all tea was completely ruined.

You can just make out the Patriot above.  Below is our main guide, who took us through out our journey.  One amazing part was when we stood in a room on which many portraits were hanging.  Two of them, King George III and Samuel Adams, appeared to be paintings, but started to move and speak.  The two never met but their words were taken from actual transcripts of the times.

We walked up Summer Street, which turned into Winter Street (Boston sense of humour?) and spent time on Boston Common, originally common grazing land. Many office workers were lunching there.  A shallow pool called the frog pond was alive with young children playing in the water, or in a fenced playground next door.

We then crossed the road to Boston Public Park, where this huge statue of a mounted George Washington stands.  Both areas have huge lawn areas, numerous shade trees and paths that are edged with bench seats.

Bordering the park is Beacon Street which is home to the Cheers Bar.  It is now a tourist Mecca and has a well stocked gift shop.  We perched at the bar and enjoyed a cold ale each.

We walked back to our hotel and on the way, an enormous office building had this plaque, commemorating the history of this place.

We will head out again very late in the afternoon to look around Quincy Market and find some dinner down there.  A friend suggested Boston looked bland, but it seems to us an interesting place, at least in late summer.  I doubt I would find much positive about a Boston winter.  We find it an easy city to walk around.  It is relatively flat, as so much of it is reclaimed swamp land.  There are so many lovely parks, some enormous like Boston Common, or small pockets of land, given to public usage.  There are so many different styles of buildings, over various eras.   In expensive Beacon Hill alone, 10,000 residents live in one square mile.  We are pleased we included it on our itinerary.