Oh, hello.
I'm Patrick Kennedy, B.U.
employee, avid jogger, and author of this book, "Boston Then and Now."
You probably know there's a lot of history in Boston, much of it downtown just a short
train ride from campus.
To illustrate we're gonna go visit 25 national historic landmarks in 25 minutes or less.
The first thing we have to do is catch a train.
Let's go.
Our trolley to Government Center passes through our first landmark, America's first subway.
It opened in 1897.
For five cents you could ride from Boylston Street to Scollay Square which is now Government
Center.
Sears Block.
Sears Crescent.
From the Sears building, the last remnant of old Scollay Square, we head to Faneuil
Hall, birthplace of the American Revolution.
Built in 1742, this was the town meeting hall where revolutionaries like Samuel Adams railed
against the Crown.
Just down the street is Blackstone Block, the city's oldest district and home of a restaurant
that has been in business for close to two centuries.
Alright so we're here in Blackstone Block and we decided to make a quick stop at the
Union Oyster House, also a national historic landmark.
It's America's oldest, continuously operated restaurant.
Anton and the guys are setting up for the day.
I guess you're getting ready for the lunch rush.
We sell between two to three thousand oysters a day.
Wow.
I've never had a raw oyster, so can you explain to me, you know, how it's done and how people
typically eat it?
Sure.
What I'm gonna do I'm gonna shuck one for you.
Put them on the bottom.
The people they like their piece of lemon, a little cocktail sauce, a little horseradish,
a drop of tabasco, and what I'm gonna use, I'm gonna use some crackers, crush those up,
put them on top.
Oh, wow.
That's for you.
Alright.
Thanks very much.
Mmm…That's tasty.
Now we're on a full stomach.
We're still making good time.
We head back through Quincy Market and on to our next national historic landmark.
Alright, well here we are at the Old State House.
That balcony right there is where the Declaration of Independence was read.
Oh, and it so happens that we're also across from the Ames Building, which is Boston's
first skyscraper.
This is the Old South Meeting House, alternate site for town meetings.
It's also where the go-ahead signal was given for the Boston Tea Party.
Alright, this is the Old Corner Bookstore.
It was the hub of Boston's literary scene back in the day.
Authors used to hang out here like Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne.
Now it's Ye Old Chipotle.
Old City Hall.
King's Chapel.
Next up is the Boston Athenaeum, one of the country's oldest, private libraries.
Among it's holdings of rare books is the memoirs of highway robber, James Allen.
Per his will the book was bound in his own skin.
No thanks.
Moving on up the block past the Chester Harding House, I've arranged for a quick meeting at
the seat of Massachusetts state government.
So we're here at the Massachusetts State House with State Rep. Mike Moran.
Now, Mike, you're the State Rep. for the district that includes B.U.
Could you tell us a little bit about the building we're in, the State House?
The building was built in 1798.
The architect of the building was Charles Bulfinch.
Charles Bulfinch at the time was one of the premier architects.
You can see his most famous work is the United States Capitol.
The land that the Capitol is on, our State Capitol, used to be owned by John Hancock.
It sits on the top of Beacon Hill right across from Boston Common.
Alright thanks, Mike.
Now I've gotta run.
Across the street is the 48-acre Boston Common, the oldest public green in the country.
It began as a grazing ground for the cows of the original Puritan settlers.
Today it's a space for Bostonians to gather, play and chill out.
In fact I'm making such good time, I think I'll take a little break.
Okay enough fooling around.
Time to get back on the road.
Next stop: Beacon Hill.
Beacon Hill was once three hills: Mount Vernon, Cotton Hill and Sentry Hill.
Now these slopes were excavated and the earth was used to fill in the marshes on the city's
perimeter to create more land for the growing population.
In 1795 the area opened up to residential development, and now it's a neighborhood full
of beautiful, federal, Georgian and Victorian townhouses, many of which were homes to lesser
known, but nonetheless, very wealthy Bostonians.
Our 25th and final landmark is the Public Garden.
Green and serene, it's a little oasis from the bustle of downtown Boston.
This 24-acre parcel is the nation's first public, botanical garden.
It's got 60 flowerbeds, 750 trees and a 4-acre lagoon.
Well, we did it.
We saw 25 national historic landmarks in under 25 minutes.
I think that deserves a medal.
And now it's time to visit a different sort of landmark.
Since I am well over 21, I decided to cap off my historical jog with a refreshment across
the street at a place where everybody knows your name.
Well, cheers.