We boarded the Fitchburg Line train heading into Boston at 8:05 AM. We were going to spend the day seeing as much as possible in the time we had there (it turned out to be 8 hours)

It has been a few years since we rode on public transit. We were a bit rusty but the crew was exceptionally helpful and kind.

How beautiful is this Egyptian Revival (1840) front gate designed by Solomon Willard / Isaiah Rogers?

I was intrigued by this entrance Memorial Plaque ("Paul Revere Buried in this Ground"). It was erected by the Paul Revere Memorial Association to commemorate the opening of the Paul Revere House at 19 North Square on April 19, 1908 (a place we visited at the end of the day).

His original slate headstone reads: "PAUL REVERE. BORN IN BOSTON. JANUARY 1734: DIED MAY 1818". A taller 19th-century memorial monument and a tomb marker reading "Paul Revere's Tomb 1785" stand directly beside his primary headstone.

Three signers of the Declaration of Independence are interred here including John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Robert Treat Paine.

It is also the final resting place for the Boston Massacre Victims: Crispus Attucks, Samuel Maverick, James Caldwell, Samuel Gray, and Patrick Carr.

I'm sitting near the FRANKLIN monument. It is to honor Benjamin Franklin's parents (Josiah and Abiah Franklin).

We then strolled through Boston Common,  America's oldest park which was founded in 1634.

Throughout the day, we admired many historic artifacts. This was a bit of a surprise that fully impressed. The North Sea Mine Force Memorial, a World War I monument featuring a real modified Mark VI naval mine, honors the U.S. Navy sailors who laid and swept approximately 56,571 naval mines across a 250-mile barrier in the North Sea between Scotland and Norway from 1917 to 1919 to block German U-boats.

As we continued our stroll, we came to  the Boston Public Garden, a place special because it was established in 1837 as America's first public botanical garden. Unlike its older, more rustic neighbor, Boston Common—which was designed for practical use and militia drills—the Public Garden was created from its inception as a decorative, Victorian-style "gardener's art" showcase.

We were disappointed that the Swan Boats were closed for the season. Operating every Spring/Summer since 1877 by the Paget family, these pedal-powered boats glide around the central 4-to-6-acre lagoon. How classic that would have been!

A very big MUST for me was to experience the Boston Public Library. Established in 1848, it is a pioneer of public library service in America. It was the first large free municipal library in the United States, the first public library to lend books, the first to have a branch library, and the first to have a children’s room. As a City of Boston historic cultural institution, Boston Public Library today features THIS fabulous Central Library and twenty-five neighborhood branches, serving nearly 4 million visitors per year and millions more online.

The Central Library encompasses two buildings, both landmarks. The historic McKim building, designed by architect Charles Follen McKim and opened in 1895, houses the Library’s distinguished research and special collections. Known for its classical serenity and elegance, it features historical artwork by Daniel Chester French, John Singer Sargent, and more, as well as the magnificent Bates Hall reading room.

Walking into this room, I was struck with AWE.

Bates Hall is the original reading room at the Central Library and remains a favorite spot for reading and quiet study. The space spans the entire length of the McKim building and boasts a towering 50-foot barrel vault ceiling. Much of the room is original, including the tables and bookcases, and other features have been restored to match its 1895 appearance, such as the signature green lamps. Busts of authors and other historical figures line the walls. The space is named for Joshua Bates, the library’s first major benefactor.

The Boylston Street Building (formerly called the Johnson Building), designed by Philip Johnson and opened in 1972, underwent an award-winning renovation and reopened in 2016. The transformed 21st century library space features a broadcast studio and innovation center. While gorgeous, I enjoyed the classic original better. Wow.

Built in 1729, the Old South Meeting House was the largest building in colonial Boston and the site of the most stirring mass meetings that led to the American Revolution, including the gathering that led to the Boston Tea Party.

Saved from the wrecking ball in 1876 by “twenty women of Boston,” Old South Meeting House has been a public museum since 1877.

Constructed in 1713, the Old State House was the center of royal government in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the focal point for many of the Revolution's most dramatic events. It was here that the Boston Massacre occurred in 1770 (the mark in brick behind me). It stands as the oldest surviving public building in Boston.

"Journey through this Freedom Trail museum filled with a vivid collection of Revolution-era artifacts and other one-of-a-kind objects from the past, each one contributing to the amazing story of Revolutionary Boston. Highlights include John Hancock's lavish red velvet coat, arms and ammunition from Revolutionary War battles, and tea salvaged from the Boston Tea Party."

As our day was coming to an end, we were at the place that was quite the opposite of where we began (Paul Revere's grave). This was Paul Revere's home from 1770 to 1800.

As everyone knows by now, on the night of April 18, 1775, silversmith Paul Revere left this small wooden home in Boston’s North End and set out on a journey that ultimately made him a legend. Today that home is still standing at 19 North Square and has become a national historic landmark. It is downtown Boston’s oldest building and one of the few remaining 17th-century dwellings in a large urban area in the United States.

Of course I'd find a Disney tie-in. On display was a copy of Walt Disney’s 1957 live-action film Johnny Tremain which features Paul Revere's ride and the outbreak of the American Revolution. Cool stuff.

Our final history lesson occurred at the Old North Church. On the evening of April 18, 1775, Robert Newman and John Pulling quietly entered Old North and carefully climbed to the top of the church's bell tower. They briefly hung two lanterns near the windows and made their escape. This signal, from the tallest structure in the town of Boston, served as an early warning that a detachment of the British Army was crossing the Charles River and heading west towards the towns of Lexington and Concord. By the end of the next night, the American Revolutionary War had begun.

So much history covered in less than 8 miles of walking. Incredible!

So much of what we discovered over the last few days have left us grateful for those who sacrificed so much. The magnitude of the importance of the events we learned of is so unbelievable. It makes us so truly thankful. What history! What a day!