Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Sure, Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market make up the most touristy part of Boston, complete with street performers, a light show, and the obligatory Yankee Candle store and Cheers restaurant; we nonetheless defy you to stay away. This part of the Boston waterfront has thrived on commerce since colonial times: Faneuil Hall was crowded with merchant’s shops as early as 1743, and the larger Quincy Market was added in 1824 to provide more space (it also was the site of speeches by Samuel Adams and other early patriot leaders). If you’re looking for a Red Sox hat or a “Boston Strong” T-shirt, you’ll find it here, along with a classic New England boiled dinner served with attitude at Durgin Park. The restaurant’s basement beer garden, the Hideout, is aptly named for the shopping widowers passing time at the bar.

Steps from the waterfront, the historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace dates back to 1742 and is home to more than 100 shops and specialty pushcarts and 14 restaurants and pubs, plus 36 international food vendors inside the Quincy Market Colonnade. Street performers and special events help create a festive atmosphere.

Named after Mayor Josiah Quincy, Quincy Market was designed as an extension to Faneuil Hall in 1824 by architect Alexander Parris in the Greek Revival style to house meat and produce merchants. Today the building contains a variety of food vendors (including Pizzeria Regina, a North End favorite) restaurants and shops. Restored in 1976, it was the country’s first “festival marketplace” a model that has been emulated in other historic cities. Throughout every season there are outdoor performances and exhibitions and for many it is one of Boston‘s premier tourist attractions.

Since Colonial times locals & visitors have come to Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market to experience a unique experience that is locally loved, and nationally recognized with over 70 retail shops while indulging in the worldwide cuisine the number of restaurants & pubs. The cobblestone promenades are filled with world-renowned street performers and musicians.

I had come to Boston to experience this city in the autumn as the leaves began to change and the days turned cool (being a SoCal native that was a novelty in itself). Not knowing where to start a friend of mine suggested I follow the Freedom Trail; I’d get to know the city and it was free. The Freedom Trail is often crowded with school children an reenactors sharing the story of this nation’s birth. The trail is 2.5 miles long with many stops along the way so I never felt crowded. I would stroll past reenactors telling tales picking bits of information. I often stepped off the trail to explore the surrounding neighborhoods. I was walked into a pizza parlor where, though from the ‘Left Coast’, I was treated like family. I came across an old shipyard, past a row of houses waving Patriots flags, and past a Holocaust Memorial. The day was drawing to a close and as I made my way back to the beginning I stopped by the Faneuil Hall Marketplace for a bite to eat and was shown a beautiful sight of the fog from the harbor creeping in on this historical yet welcoming city. The Freedom Trail is the spine to a wealth of discoveries in Boston.

The South Market building house specialty stores and eateries. It is part of Faneuil Hall Marketplace which include the Faneuil Hall, North Market and Quincy Market. The marketplace is on the path of Freedom Trail, which makes it a “must see” when in Boston.