When faced with the “Would You Rather” game question of: “Would you rather travel back into the past or into the future?” I pick the past every time. Unfortunately, I really can’t time travel (If I could I would have shared my discovery with the world by now and would have already won a Nobel Peace Prize). But there are ways I can travel back into the past without defying the cosmic laws of nature, one of which is simply traveling to the places where groundbreaking decisions took place that shaped our world today.
For me, one of these places is Boston, Massachusetts. When the average person thinks about Boston they think of the Boston Bruins, or Patriots, or Red Soxs. When I think about Boston I think about the Old North Church, the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the list just goes on and on. I recently traveled to Boston on a family vacation for the second time, and I was amazed to see that nothing has changed from 8 years ago. Boston is stuck in time, more specifically, in 1770, the year of the Boston Massacre. The air of revolution is once again in the air, as revolutionary era interpreters continue Boston’s historic legacy and hypnotize kids of all ages with talk of radical change.
One of my favorite things about Boston is that all the historic sites are within walking distance of each other, and it is easy to conduct a self-guided walking tour. Following the Freedom Trail as it takes you across Fremont Street and Park Street and into the heart of the city, feast your eyes on Boston Commons, the oldest park in the United States; the Massachusetts State House, once visited by Paul Revere and John Hancock; the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, dedicated to the Massachusetts 54th, the first African American Regiment in the Civil War, and their captain, Robert Shaw; and one of my favorites: the Park Street Church, where the Anti-Slavery Orator William Lloyd Garrison gave his fiery speech on abolition in America. If you happen to run across Faneuil Hall Marketplace, stop inside and treat yourself to a Boston Creme Pie, a traditional Boston delicacy.
Getting to and from Boston can be a struggle if you don’t know the ins and outs of Boston traffic, so I suggest taking the Ferry from Hingham, Massachusetts, just across Boston Harbor, to downtown Boston. Downtown Boston is not only where the Boston Massacre tragically occurred but the Boston Tea Party also ceremoniously shouted “No taxation without representation!” across the Atlantic.
If you’re not as much of a History Buff as I am, consider taking a quick walk through Boston Commons and riding the Swan Boats out on the lake or snapping a picture next to the Duckling Statues. The world-renowned Boston Aquarium is also situated right on Boston Harbor and delights visitors with hilarious harbor seals, sassy sea turtles, and bubbly balloon fish.
There’s something for everyone of all ages in Boston! Personally, going to places such as Boston helps me compare and contrast the changes that have occurred between 1770 to 2019. All joking aside, Boston really does give me a real power: the ability to succeed in time traveling.
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