Neighborhood Tour in the North End

Spending a Saturday afternoon in the North End taking in the aromas and admiring the architecture seemed fabulous enough for me, so I was pleasantly surprised when this explorations tour went beyond the usual tourist fare.

While at first glance the churches and buildings along the brick sidewalks may seem like facades on a movie set, our group got a hearty helping of history, anecdotes, and trivia that seasoned the tour like a fine marinara.  From the colorful maritime history of North Street to the St. Lucy statue in St. Leonard's Church that deserves a "second glance" there was plenty of local lore to absorb and scribble onto the map handout (if you want to impress your future visitors).
 
As expected, there was commentary on Sacco & Vanzetti and the Molasses Flood of 1919 as well as some tie-ins to colonial days.  However, we saw not only shadows of the neighborhood's past, but also a glimpse of the present.  As our group strolled down and around the streets and alleyways, we encountered many friends of our tour guide which gave the tour a feeling of taking a leisurely stroll around a friendly lived-in neighborhood.  At times when our group stopped into people's hidden gardens or surrounded a quaint corner house, the excursion seemed to be, as our Boston Cares project coordinator Tiffany put it, the "home invasion tour."Fortunately, our group was not unwelcome, mainly because of our enthusiastic and well-liked guide.

Our tour guide's excitement about the North End was contagious.  Among the numerous factoids served up on this tour, I was intrigued to learn in the Old North Church that Paul Revere's famous signal of "two if by sea"referred to the Charles River.  Additionally, we got to visit with a long-time resident whose basement houses some now blocked off tunnels with a curious connection to some allegedly stolen statues in the Old North Church.  These elements made the trip feel like a true exploration of the neighborhood.

Even though our guide successfully impressed upon us the importance of seeing the North

End beyond its eighty-six restaurants I can guarantee that if by the end of the tour you are not craving some pasta or gelato, the free cannoli will certainly pique your appetite for more of what this Boston neighborhood has to offer.
 
 ~ Lisa Gallegos