This city has pretty much everything a tourist can ask for- quite some history, a good share of the look and feel of the “old world” and the driving spirit of a Union that never stops to reinvent itself. By chance, (or careful planning) I happened to come to Boston for the 4th of July. The whole city is dressed up for Independence Day and the fire works is an experience of it’s own.

Walking the cradle of Liberty

I got into a pace of combining rail fanning with sight seeing which is easy in Boston as on one hand side there is lots of public transportation by rail which has to navigate across large bodies of water and on the other hand there are numerous historical points of interest scattered within walking distance. Following a hint of friend and co-worker Tim, I hiked the “Freedom Trail. This route, marked by a line of doubled brick stone guides the history savvy tourist from city center to Bunker Hill. As I stayed across Charles River in Cambridge, I started at the latter. On my way I came to a pair of railroad swing bridges which are heavily traveled by Amtrak and MBTA trains ging to and from North Station. In addition the bridge got lifted every so often due to boats coming down the river. The neighborhood near Bunker Hill is pretty neat- residential buildings in a kind of New England, “very British” style line up on twisted roads. Not what one is used to living in NWI. From Bunker Hill Monument I walk down to the Navy Yard to take a look at the old Ironside “Constitution”. Well, it looks like they have some restoration going on. Right now it’s kind of a sad sight and a good reason to come back in some years to check the fully restored ship. Anyways, on we go over the bridge towards down town, passing Converse world HQ (now I know wehre the money for my sneakers went) into “Little Italy”. I seldom have seen so many Italian restaurants in one spot so maybe the Bostonians invited the folks form the Apennines after chaising out the British (I am sure they had to promise not to tax wine). On my walk I learned more about the founding fathers of the Nation, like Sam Adams and Paul Revere. And yes, Sam Adams very likely had a small brewery but that has nothing to do with the beer brewed by the Boston Beer Company, founded in the 1980s. Anyways, good beer and good marketing help to keep the name alive outside Massachusetts. I kept walking through downtown, enjoying the nice weather, the sights and the people who got ready in position for the fire works. Crossing the river again to circle back to Cambridge, not without stopping by at the MIT. The day ended with the traditional fire works- a great show finalizing this awesome day.

Rail fanning in “Beantown”

The following day was a dedicated train watching day. Unfortunately the weather changed from shine to rain but I did not mind the refreshing mist. I went back to the draw bridges next to the old Boston and Maine tower for watching morning rush hour action for some time. Bedside of modern passenger diesels from Motive Power some older FP40s as well as GP40s adapted for commuter service roam the rails in a flashy paint scheme. Then there is the occasional Amtrak train with heavy electrics by Siemens as well as Acela sets on the NEC line. After riding the T subway lines for a while, I finally took the blue line to the airport in order to pick up the rental car that will accompany me on my next leg of the tour.

There are some interesting hot spots for train watching in the greater Boston area but this is part of a different post- stay tuned!

Food and lodging

Yes, I know- I should have gotten seafood while out here on the New England coast. Well, I was not in the mood for oyster, crab or fish so I choose a local Indian restaurant, two minutes form the hotel for dinner.  Royal Punjab, 251 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA 02141 fulfilled my desire for Indian food to the point. The dinner combo for one fed me still the next day as I took home at least half of the meal. Something I almost never do- unless it is really good. Still refusing complementary Continental breakfast at hotels I am always in for a family run breakfast place. As luck will have it, 2nd Street Cafe, 89 2nd St, Cambridge, MA was also close. The hand made, cooked to order breakfast sandwich as well as the cup of awesome coffee got me started for a day of watching trains. I like those little places that still prefer cash, everything is a little bit off and lopsided.I shared the few seats with the folks working on the construction site across the street. Brown bag country at it’s best!

Holiday Inn treated me well again. The HI-Express in Cambridge located at 250 Monsignor O’Brien Highway, Cambridge, MA 02141 is in walking distance to Bunker Hill as well as very close to Lechmere station on the green line. Therefore no need for a car as long as one stays in the city.