One If by Land, Two If by Sea

Back on the mainland, we went over to the visitor center for Boston National Historical Park at Faneuil Hall to get our national park passport cancellations. We also bought combo admission tickets here to tour the Revere House, Old State House, and Old South Meeting House.

Upstairs was a short ranger talk in the Great Hall, which we really enjoyed, not so much for the talk itself, but for the A/C which was on full blast inside! Can I complain once more about the unbearably muggy weather?!

After this, we decided to walk to the North End to see Paul Revere's House and  the Old North Church. But more importantly, we needed to stop at Modern Pastry to taste test their cannoli...

So good!

Just around the corner from this wonderful Italian bakery is the home of Paul Revere.

Did you know that he had 8 children with his first wife? And after her death, he remarried and had 8 more? 16 children, only 11 of whom survived past childhood. But according to the docent, probably only 5-6 of them were in the house at the same time. Still, I can't even begin to imagine that many feet in a house of this size! Aaack.

We continued on from here towards the Old North Church, passing through the mall with the famous statue of Revere on his midnight ride.

 

For a donation, you can view the inside of the Old North Church, which still has an active Episcopal congregation.

Pipe organ in the rear balcony

The chancel

After finishing up here in the North End, our last stop was to go through the museum in the Old State House, the oldest surviving public building in Boston. Celebrating its 300th year in 2013, it housed the government offices for the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1798. And, fortunately for us tired tourists, a T stop right underneath the building!