In a historical city like Boston, there are important landmarks and eye-catching attractions around every corner. These five curious markers may not be on any tourist's map of the city, but they are certainly worth a visit and a photo-op!
1. Staircase to Nowhere
Where: Exchange Place, 53 State
Exchange Place is a modern skyscraper in Boston's Financial District. When it was first built in the late 19th century, a Victorian era staricase in the Gilded Age style adorned the lobby. It's beauty is preserved in the modern building's atrium. However, it no longer has a destination, ending abruptly in a wall!
2. Golden Grasshopper Weather Vane
Where: Faneuil Hall, 1 Faneuil Hall Square
The Faneuil Hall grasshopper weather vane dates all the way back to 1742! It was repaired by a local blacksmith in 1763. The young man created a time capsule in the insect's belly with the words ‘food for the grasshopper’ and artifacts such as coins, newspapers, and notes from the era.
3. The Steaming Kettle
Where: 63 Court St.
The massive copper kettle first was placed above the Oriental Tea Company in 1873 to draw customers. It is considered one of the nation’s oldest animated signs — it actually produces steam! It currently hangs above a Starbucks in Government Square.
4. Scarlett O’Hara House
Where: Rollins Place
The Scarlett O'Hara house isn't really a house and doesn't really have anything to do with Scarlett O'Hara. The faux façade of a southern plantation house with Greek Revival-style columns was painted over an unsightly wall in Beacon Hill a few decades back. Although the painting is relatively new, the home it is painted on dates back to 1843. The landmark home went up for sale last year with an asking price of $1.475 million.
5. 9/11 Memorial at Logan Airport
Where: 1 Harborside Dr.
Boston features several small tributes to the victims and heroes of 9/11. There is the Garden of Remembrance in the Back Bay and the 9/11 Memorial Labrynth in Chestnut Hill. One lovely tribute that is often overlooked is the shimmering glass cube at Logan Airport. The 20 x 20 structure is strung with additional pieces of glass featuring the names of the passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, the two planes that were hijacked and flown into the towers that fateful day.