Back to New York, New York Day 12 - Plymouth Rock, Harvard, Boston, Times Square and Lillies, NYC

 

On day 2 of our road trip outside of New York, we started off the morning with a visit to Plymouth Rock and a replica of the Mayflower.

Plymouth Rock is protected by a pergola-like structure: 

The rock itself is tiny - I don't now what I expected, but this wasn't it:

On board the replica of the Mayflower, actors dressed as pilgrims tell you stories about ship life in response to your questions:
 

From Plymouth Rock, we drove on to Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and found Harvard yard to be a sea of chairs in preparation for graduation and other ceremonies:

While we were there, an alumni event was being held:

and they were getting ready for some kind of military ceremony:

There were also normal student graduations under way.  Here is a happy family posing in front of the statue of John Harvard:

Tourists rub the shoe of the statue for good luck, not realising that students urinate on the statue.  It is also called the statue of the three lies for certain inaccuracies, which you can read about here.

Here are a few more views of Harvard:

My favourite building is the Harvard Lampoon Building, home of the college newspaper:

From Harvard, we drove on to Boston, Massachusetts:

 

Our first stop was Copley Square on Boyleston Street, dominated by the imposing Trinity Church:

Copley Square is also home to a sculpture of The Tortoise and the Hare, because Copley Square contains the finish line of the Boston Marathon:

Copley Square is named after John  Singleton Copley, an American painter, whose statue graces Copley Square:

From Copley Square, we drove to the start of the Freedom Trail, marked by Massachusetts State House, a very grand, golden-domed building:

Across the road from Massachusetts State House, there is an impressive memorial marking the start of the Freedom Trail:

We walked on past various other historic sites to the Granary Burying Ground, where the grave of Samuel Adams is located:

We continued to walk along the Freedom Trail, and came across a mosaic in the footpath commemorating the site of the first building of the Boston Latin School, established in 1635, being the oldest public school and oldest existing school in the United States: 

Nearby is the Old City Hall building:

outside of which presides a statue of Benjamin Franklin:

At the front of Old City Hall, you will also find the "Stand in Opposition" Republican shoe prints, complete with the elephant symbol of the Republicans inside:

and a donkey statue representing the Democrats:

If you are interested in knowing the story behind the donkey and the elephant, you can read about it here.

We continued along the Freedom Trail until we reached our lunch spot, Quincy Market:

We met Betsy for lunch at Quincy Market, where we dined at the Quincy Market branch of McCormick & Schmicks Seafood and Steaks:

Here is a photo of Betsy and I at lunch:

We had a marvellous time, and once again, it was like catching up with an old friend.

It was a bright, hot day, so I could not resist a glass of bubbles:  
 

Tim had the lobster salad ($19.99):

and I had the Maine Lobster Bisque ($13.25):

Good food, great company - it was the perfect lunch, and sadly too short.

Quincy Market is located next to Faneuil Hall, a marketplace and meeting hall named after a wealthy merchant and established in 1742:

There is a grasshopper weather vane on top of the hall, and Samuel Adams, among other patriots, gave speeches there.

 

Our next stop was the USS Constitution Maritime Museum:

 

I am not much one for maritime museums, so I was glad our stay here was short.

We then drove past Charlestown Square, where Paul Revere began his famous midnight ride in 1775:

After that, we began a long, four hour drive back to New York, entertained by Meet the Parents and/or sleep.  It was an anti-climax to a really good trip.

It was then sadly our last evening in  New York.  Tim and I went for dinner at Lillie's Victorian Establishment, an old-fashioned restaurant and bar near the Eugene O'Neill Theatre that we spied when we went to see The Book of Mormon:

Lillie's is named after the actress, Lillie Langtry, whom you can read about here.  I thought the Victorian style interior and decoration was exquisite:  

Here are Tim and I posing on the velvet corner lounge with our drinks:

I am wearing my dress from  Artists and Fleas at the Chelsea Market, by Sohung Designs.  I love the retro print and the triple zip down the front.

At Lillies, Tim ordered the Fish and Chips (beer battered cod with thick cut chips):

while I ordered the Roasted Free-Range Chicken with mashed potatoes, sautéed spinach and a lemon butter sauce:

I can't speak for Tim, but mine was delish.

We also had dessert - Tim ordered the almond cake with smoked maple syrup, candied figs and chocolate gelato:

I ordered the chocolate pudding with walnut cranberry biscotti:

I was a little surprised when my dessert arrived because I forgot that the American use of "pudding" is different to the Australian and British use, but it was delicious nevertheless.

For our last night in New York, we splurged on accommodation at The Marriott in Times Square, where we got fabulous aerial views of Times Square in all of its glory: 

I did not like The Marriott as much as our other hotel, because I found its size made it too overwhelming and impersonal, but it was fun to have a view of the lights of Times Square for our last night in New York.  Unfortunately, because we got back quite late, we didn't have much time to admire the view from our room before we went to the land of nod.  As Tim said, this hotel had the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in.

McCormick & Schmicks Seafood & Steaks

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

1 North Market St

Boston, MA 02109

United States

Ph: +1 617 720 5522

Lillie's Victorian Establishment

249 West 49th Street

New York, NY 10019

United States

Ph: +1 212 957 4530