CHARLESTOWN

 

Charlestown

In Charlestown, you can grab a pint of beer at the same pub where Paul Revere hung his hat. Follow the stops along the Freedom Trail where American history was made in Charlestown.

Docked at the Charlestown Navy Yard, the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy. Nicknamed "Old Ironsides"; it won 42 battles in the 1812 war. Every Fourth of July, the USS Constitution takes a ceremonial tour around the harbor amid a spectacle of fireworks and music.

Be sure to visit the USS Constitution Museum (426-1812) which uses hands-on, multimedia techniques to explain the history and structure of the great ship. Also at the Navy Yard is the USS Cassin Young, a restored World War II Destroyer.

You’ll get a real workout up the nearly 300 stairs to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument. After you catch your breath, you’ll remember that the real battle of Bunker Hill was fought on Breed’s Hill. It was here that thousands of British Redcoats lost their lives, and eventually retreated from the area. This was where Colonel William Prescott ordered his troupes not to fire "until you see the whites of their eyes."

Hood Milk and Schrafft’s Candy were both located in Charlestown, and most of the local blue-collar folks walked to work. Both companies have closed shop and left the area, but inside the Schrafft’s lobby (which is now an office building) you can see some old photographs and artifacts from the days when the factory was booming.

Charlestown has now become gentrified, and it is populated by yuppies in charming brownstone homes and condos, along crowded, hilly and narrow streets. There are specialty shops, gourmet restaurants and cozy pubs along the way.

Take a well-deserved break at one of the oldest bars in the nation, the Warren Tavern (2 Pleasant Street, 241-8142) In this cave-like atmosphere, you can almost hear Mr. Paul Revere plotting his famous midnight ride. It’s a great place to order a frosty mug of beer, and it offers some surprisingly good cuisine.

For more upscale dining, visit Olives, (10 City Square, 242-1999) home to one of Boston’s hottest chefs. If you can’t get in there, they also own the nearby gourmet pasta and pizza place called Figs. (67 Main Street, 242-2229)

If the weather cooperates, (and as the saying goes, "if you don’t like the weather in New England, wait five minutes") you can take a water shuttle back to the city. They leave from the Charlestown Navy Yard and take you back to Long Wharf. The ten-minute trip only costs a dollar, and it’s worth it to rest your feet and glide along Boston Harbor.