A 2 hours leisury walk in Charlestown, on and off the beaten path

For years, I drove on I93 South coming from Medford, and I saw this strange obelisk on my left just before entering Boston, on top of a hill. I always meant to go and see it, yet it always seemed complicated, so I waited nearly twenty years before climbing it, and setting foot in Charlestown where it resides. What a mistake! Not to go there, mind you, but to have waited such a long time!

Charlestown is in fact much more than the Bunker Hill Monument, the name of this obelisk that lured me there and is part of a National Historical Park commemorating the early days of the American Revolution. It's a very pretty and upcoming part of Boston, the oldest part to be exact, where you'll find small streets and pretty red brick townhouses in Colonial style. It's also the end of the Freedom Trail, and for good reasons as you can also visit there the old Navy Yard, with the USS Constitution being the crown jewel of this second National Historic Park. Yet if you are like me when following the Freedom Trail, you never crossed the river once in the North End because Charlestown seemed pretty far and you were already tired.

Rejoice! Walk in Boston has a tour that will make it easier for you to cross this river. It starts at North Station and bring you back to the Aquarium, so it's a whole half day of visiting that you can do there, with stops and sights you won't find on the Freedom trail. Just look for the Walk in Boston # 5, the historic Charlestown, and if you want it in French, it's in French too. Bonne route!