Drive. Pray. Scream?: Day 78: Tips and Tales

We completed the Freedom Trail today, picking up a few more pieces of it that we missed two days ago. Two that stand out are Fanueil Hall and the Old North Church. Fanueil has been a public meeting house since its construction in 1742. It was modeled after English commerce houses that had a market on the lower level and a large meeting room on its upper. Another aspect borrowed from the British...a golden cricket on the weathervane, a symbol of commerce. Nicknamed Gus, the cricket is original, having survived numerous hurricanes. And speaking of hurricanes, it was hard to believe Boston was facing that threat yesterday. Aside from a few downed limbs in parks, the city was unscathed. The Old North Church, from which Paul Revere's signal of lanterns shown, still has an active congregation. Its tall steeple, which used to tower over Boston, has been lost to storms twice in its long history; it was wonderful to visit it intact the day after Irene.

We picked up a big tip from locals today: avoid being out and about in the city this coming Thursday...Move-In Day for Harvard, MIT and Boston College. The number of Uhauls driving around the city (often by people who otherwise never drive) leaps exponentially, and a surprising number get into accidents, including stuck under the bridges. In fact, a couple of the campus radio stations run contests, with cash prizes and concert tickets, about what time and location those bridge bumps will happen. Glad we're leaving on Wednesday!

Some of those same students will more than likely be involved in some of the legendary pranks at MIT. Most of them involve a round-topped building (we can't remember its name) that looks a bit like the Jefferson Memorial with solid walls. Perhaps the most famous trick was when a group took apart a decommissioned campus security car and reassembled it on top of the building, complete with a mannequin patrolman, coffee and donuts. The car is now on permanent display in MIT's museum.

And finally, a bit of our learning curve re: the Big Dig (also known as the Big Leak). This public works project, the second largest in the nation's history, involved the move of Boston's section of Interstate 93, and its complicated interchanges as it moves through downtown, to tunnels. The topside space was unburdened of unsightly concrete bridges that blocked views, and the opened up ground was changed into beautiful parkland. But the project, which had unbelievable leaks and other structural issues, ran over budget by years and Billions of dollars. Final totals: 28 years, $15 billion. Ouch.

Thanks to my mom's offer of babysitting, Stan and I enjoyed a rare treat...a dinner date. We ate near Faneuil Hall in The Green Dragon, a tavern that's been around since 1657. It was considered by the British Loyalists to be a hotbed of Revolutionaries, and was frequented by Samuel Adams, Daniel Webster and Paul Revere. It wasn't a particularly hopping place tonight, but we'll cut it some slack for being a Monday. Our lobster roll was delicious (couldn't resist another chance to indulge!), and the Samuel Adams Brick Red, an ale available only in Boston, was perfect. Mom heads home tomorrow afternoon; we're so glad of the many fun memories we've made together in this amazing city.