Time for a Tea Party

Back to the US after leaving Canada, destination Boston. Boston was the scene of the Tea Party, which was instrumental in kicking off the Revolutionary War leading to American Independence. The Bostonians were mightily displeased about the British imposition of taxes (“taxation without representation is tyranny”), so when tea was taxed, a pot of trouble was brewing. They made the World’s Biggest Cuppa by chucking all the tea into the harbour.

To find out what it was all about we went to the excellent Boston Tea Party Museum which ran a role-play style tour. We were herded into a meeting room, issued with our Mohawk Indian disguise (one turkey feather) and given our characters. I was Obadiah Curtis, who stole some tea rather than dumping it all (desperate as I am for a good cuppa!), and Mike was Thomas Porter, a Tea Party leader who was also a notorious gambler and drunk. We were fired up by speeches against the British colonial rule (a British couple on the tour kept a low profile!) and with a cry of “Huzzah” we stormed the ships and threw the tea overboard. Conveniently the tea bales were on ropes, so we could jiggle and dangle a giant tea bag to our heart’s content. After that there were a number of displays including holographic characters talking to us about the events of the Revolutionary War which followed as the Brits objected to the actions of the colonial upstarts.  With a slightly ironic twist the tour ended in the tea room with a cuppa. Mind you, it tasted like it could have come from the bottom of the harbour.

Begone evil tea

Do you jiggle or dangle?

The brown and green building is the site of the original Tea Party

Next we did a walking tour with costumed guide – the costume shops must do a roaring trade in 17^th century costumes! Boston has some beautiful old buildings and we gained a good understanding of American history and where all this rampant patriotism comes from. We went to a cemetery where significant historical figures were buried. Many of the graves had skulls on them rather than angels and crosses we see in most cemeteries – apparently the Puritans didn’t allow such ‘idols’.  

The State Capitol with 22 carat gold dome

We finished the day at the USS Constitution, the oldest warship in the US Navy, commissioned in 1797.  We were intrigued by the English cannons in place – shoot those Brits with their own cannons.

We caught the bus up to Concord New Hampshire and met up with Becky and John Blair, ex Flying Padre in Broken Hill. They live in a beautiful shingled house on a ridge in rural NH, with a spectacular view. They drove us to many gorgeous spots in the area, including a number of lakes – the autumn colours are starting to appear gradually so it’s looking really pretty. Mike saw a bear disappearing into the woods but I missed it – how unbearable!

We visited a historic “Shaker” Village with loads of character and gracious old white timber buildings. The Shakers were a religious group known for their vigorous worship, simple community and being up with the latest technology, such as inventing the washing machine. Obviously they were real movers and shakers. Our enthusiastic guide exhorted to “look beyond the objects and see the Shakers”. Not sure what that meant really, but it was an interesting afternoon.  We also went to the historic Mt Washington hotel for great views of Mt Washington, which cheerfully boasts the worst weather in the US. Buildings near the summit have been chained down due to the wind that blows up there. We were fortunate to have a clear and calm day.

Mt Washington Hotel

Hebron Village Green - Becky and John's village

After a few days in NH we headed back to Boston for a brief visit. We fitted in a harbour ferry to Spectacle Island which wasn’t much of a spectacle really – it used to be a glue factory and waste dump before being regenerated as a park. It was a plane-spotters dream though overlooking Logan airport.

The wonderful thing about cities is people spotting, and we have observed some true “individuals”. Boston’s contribution included a gent wearing cammo pants and a hi-vis shirt – to be seen or not to be seen, that is the question. He accessorised with a snake coiled around his neck – at least the snake matched his duds. Another interesting chap was wearing a pin-stripe flared pantsuit with a baggy peaked cap – very natty. We are looking forward to Washington & New York offerings.