Boston's Freedom Trail: Boston Common to the Old North Church

Welcome to Boston, Massachusetts! Do you remember when you went on field trips in grade school and the last thing that you were interested in was the tour or the tour guide? Well full disclosure: I was the nerd in the back of the school bus with his face pressed to the glass, taking notes in a spiral ring note book and hanging on every word the guide said at the Old North Church! More than half a century later, I have not lost my passion for history, art and architecture, and I am so excited to show it all to you! A bit about me, I grew up in west suburban Boston and am a recently retired administrator from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, MA. I began doing guided tours of Boston on weekends and holidays in 1980. I was an art history major as an undergraduate, and of course I love talking about the art and architecture of the city, but also Boston's pivotal role in the events that led to the American Revolutionary War. My work at MIT awakened an interest in civil engineering, so I'll talk about projects like "The Big Dig" or the filling of the Back Bay. My tours will also recognize the cultures of the First Nation peoples who had been living in our area for at least 2, 000 years before even Europeans arrived! Along the way, you'll make some nifty discoveries. Did you know that Boston has the oldest underground transit in the Western Hemisphere? Or that native people used finely woven fences made out of branches and twigs called "fish weir" to catch fish in the tidal areas? In my free time, I enjoy all this city has to offer. I love biking along the Charles River Esplanade. I live about 5 blocks from Fenway Park, and can easily hear the crowds roar from my open windows when there's been a home run or a base hit. I love to go to our lovely Museum of Fine Arts and the English and American "Period Rooms" have been my favorites since I was a kid. Boston is compact but delivers a historical bang for the buck that cannot be matched! Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts and French from the University of Massachusetts. Master's Degree in Education from Simmons University. Regular contributor to the Fenway News (neighborhood newspaper) under the byline, "The Urban Detective". 40 years plus experience navigating the legend and the lore of Boston. For the Boston based tours we will be walking or in the case of the Cambridge Tour, we will be traveling by MBTA Red Line subway.