For over a decade I have been visiting Boston to see my older daughter Cynthia which usually includes visits to Boston bookstores, such as Raven Books, the Harvard Book Store and the MIT Press Bookstore. Also in the past, these trips have included visits to various Boston-area landmarks – the Emerald Necklace, Walden Pond and the Lord Hobo bar.
One Boston historical site that has eluded me until recently has been the Walking Tour of the Freedom Trail a 90-minute stroll of historical Boston. Hosted by a guide wearing a three-cornered hat and knee -high compression socks, my tour included the Granary Burial Ground, the Boston Common next to the Massachusetts state house and the scene of the Boston Massacre (all shown in the collage). One caveat, though, is that this is no “trail” per se. When I think of trails, I think of the Oregon Trail, The Trail of Tears, or Roy Rogers (singing “Happy Trails to You”). This “trail” doesn’t have that same vibe, it is buried among the Boston high rise buildings.
In addition to learning about the details of Paul Revere’s ride and that our forefathers were not all choir boys, the Freedom Trail took us near a bookstore that I had not visited in all my years of book shopping in Boston – Commonwealth Books.
Commonwealth Books
After the tour, Cynthia and I walked over and spent considerable time in this used bookstore. This shop embodies the way we like to think about used bookstore: charmingly disheveled and packed but decently organized. Lots of older books of history, biography, fiction of books which I had not seen in years, along with crates of vintage maps, which I always like thumbing through. I found the quotes about writing and books taped to the worn shelves particularly funky and inspirational. It’s a place for book people.
Flush with a renewed interest in American history, I looked for, but failed to find, a paperback copy of Gore Vidal’s Burr. Admittedly I was reluctant to purchase much else as my backpack was already full and heavy, but Cynthia was not to be denied. She found something worth buying and shipping (at minimum expense) as a gift to my longtime partner Denise – a cookbook Mediterranean Vegetables (2001) by Clifford A. Wright. Cynthia knew that Denise and I are now proud stewards of a community garden plot and for the first time we have an opportunity to grow our own vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes and zucchini are already in the ground). We’ve already tried the recipe for roasted, saffron-infused cauliflower. Thank you, Cynthia and Commonwealth Books.
