Boston Pops

We began our first 4th of July in the United States in what seemed like the only logical fashion. With a brewery tour. The Samuel Adams brewery was just around the corner from our apartment. It was also free. First you get taken on a tour of the brewery and a run down on the process of making beer. Then you are lead into their sample room, where the guide talked us through a very funny beer tasting lesson. They ran a free Trolley Car down from the Brewery to Doyle's Irish bar. One of the oldest pubs in Boston, featured on countless TV shows apparently. The Trolley Driver was a right hoot. He'd rigged up disco lights and a mirror ball.

We had been told to try the Lobster Roll at Doyle's. So we did, seeing as it was a Boston favourite anyway. They were excellent. As was the Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat I had with it. We had a nose at the various historic artifacts on the walls, many referring to key moments in the Kennedy dynasty's political ascendency. Then we took what in retrospect was the foolish decision to walk to the near by Forest Hills cemetery. Far too hot. By the time we got there we had barely enough energy to half-heartedly flop about under the shade of trees. Then we commenced the slog back to shower off and recharge for the evening.

Not wanting to get lifted for street drinking, we had our first six-pack of the night down by the harbour out-of-the-way. We followed the coast round as the sun started to set, stopping for a quick Jaeger in one bar to help us along. As we got closer to the main event, it was clearer as long as we did keep our containers covered, no one was going to bother us. So we ducked into a liquor store and grabbed a few more cans.

We followed the crowds and managed to squeeze ourselves onto the top of some footbridge down by the waterfront just in time to catch the start of the fireworks. It was a good show. Very like the Festival fireworks back home, timed to classical music. Here you had the added bonus of the water reflecting the fireworks back and lighting up hundreds of little boats floating on its surface. When it finished we followed the crowds again, eventually cutting off for some pizza. A fantastic pizza as it turned out.

[Pic: Fireworks over the Charles river in Boston, 4th July]