Col. David Wallace - 48 Hours Boston: Timed Tours For Short Stays

THE HUB OF THE HUB

8:00 AM The Paramount has been serving cafeteria-style food to the savvy since 1937. Carbo load with hearty eggs cooked your way or omelets, waffles, and daily specials. Line up to tell the cook your order, then watch as it is prepared. After paying, custom dictates that once the food is handed to you, you can take your tray to claim a table and you wont be rushed to leave. At dinner traditional table service replaces the trays, and comfort-food favorites, like minestrone soup, get a modern kick. The Paramount 44 Charles St, 617/720-1152, paramountboston.com. Open for breakfast and lunch MonFri 7:00 am4:30 pm, SatSun 8:00 am4:30 pm; dinner SunThurs 5:00 pm10:00 pm, FriSat 5:00 pm11:00 pm. BEACON HILL

9:00 AM Its a 20-minute walk across the Boston Common and through downtown to see the morning feeding at the New England Aquarium. Observe penguin training just inside the front door. Take the elevator to the top and then walk up a halfflight of stairs to see the open top of the four-story-tall Giant Ocean Tank, home to 150 different species including Myrtle the sea turtle, barracuda, sharks, and blowfish. Then descend using the circular ramp that runs around the tanks exterior. Divers feed this crowd at 10:00 am, 11:15 am, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm. Pause to enjoy the hands-on exhibits of starfish or see patients at the marine rescue hospital. Even if you just walk by, you can enjoy the free attraction of seals frolicking in a giant glass tank. The New England Aquarium 1 Central Wharf at the foot of State St, 617/973-5281, neaq.org. Open weekdays 95, SatSun 96 Admission for adults $19.95, children $11.95, seniors $16.95. WATERFRONT

11:00 AM Stroll the harbor side, enjoying the marina views and open spaces made possible by the Big Dig. People from all over the world ask about this $15 billion engineering wonder (or boondoggle), which removed an elevated highway that separated Bostons waterfront from downtown. It took more than a decade to replace it with an underground road system. City neighborhoods from the North End to Chinatown that were construction zones for years are finally enjoying parks and walking paths along Atlantic Avenue. Harbor Side Atlantic Ave between State and Broad Sts. Free. WATERFRONT

11:30 AM American history or political buffs might be familiar with the debates on the subject of independence from the British that took place in this building during the American Revolutionary War. Take a brief look around this 1742 market building and meeting hall, donated to the city by Peter Faneuil (pronounced Fan-yul), a prosperous merchant. Upstairs, the grand meeting hall is still used for civic gatherings and to swear in new U.S. citizens. The first floor has shops for purchasing Boston memorabilia and ye olde post office for sending postcards. Across the way have a browse in the shops that line the main building. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is the original festival marketplace that revitalized shopping and dining in the 1970s and spawned imitations in Miami, Jacksonville, Baltimore, and New Yorks South Street Seaport, Faneuil Hall Marketplace 4 South Market Building at State and Congress Sts, 617/523-1300, faneuilhallmarketplace.com. Open MonSat 109. Sun noon6. Free. GOVERNMENT CENTER

12:00 AM Quincy Market food court is a solution for quickly feeding kids or sampling a few choices in a single seating. From the ubiquitous bowl of chowder to spicy Indian vindaloo (very strong curry), more than 40 local restaurants offer tastes for any palate. Pizzeria Regina, the home of Bostons reigning pie in the North End, has a branch here if youd like a sample without the wait. But the real flavors are so close! If the suns shining, consider a real Italian hero sandwich from Paces (pronounce it Pa-cheez like the locals) on Cross Street, a five-minute walk away, just past Hanover Street in the North End. Take a picnic out under the arbor in the small park on Atlantic Avenue. Its also hard to resist the tastes and smells of Hanover Street, the North Ends culinary Main Street. From the coffee and pastries to the freshly baked breads, pizzas, and groceries, its difficult to say no. Tables are few at Modern Pastry, so opt for a cannoli wrapped to go and enjoy it two blocks away in the small park outside the Old North Church. Quincy Market Food Court (See Faneuil Hall Marketplace information on p. 5.) GOVERNMENT CENTER

Pizzeria Regina 11 Thacher St, 617/227-0765, pizzeriaregina.com. Open for lunch and dinner MOnThu 11:00 am11:30 pm, FriSat 11:00 ammidnight, Sun noon11 pm). NORTH END

J. Pace & Sons 42 Cross St, 617/227-9673. Open for lunch daily 112. NORTH END

Modern Pastry 257 Hanover St, 617/523-3783, modernpastry.com. Open daily 7 am10pm. NORTH END

TIME TRAVEL

1:00 PM The oldest building in downtown Boston is the brown, wood-frame house built in 1680 where Paul Revere, one of the most celebrated figures of the American Revolutionary War, lived and began his famed midnight ride in 1775. Explore the daily life of Revere, his wife, five children, and mother, with historians as guides to answer questions. The home has been restored to its late-17th-century style and includes some of the familys furnishings and a selection of Reveres etchings and letters. Paul Revere House 19 North Square, Boston, 617/523-2338, paulreverehouse.org. Open Apr 15Oct 31 9:305:15, Nov 1Apr 14 9:304:15. Closed Mon JanMarch. Admission for adults $3.00, seniors and college students $2.50, children $1.00. No public restrooms. NORTH END

1:45 PM Walk back to Hanover Street and turn right toward the Old North Church, the oldest place of worship in Boston. It was here on the night of April 18, 1775, that two beacons warned of British troops advancing on Lexington and Concord via the Charles River at the start of the American Revolutionary War. A courtyard, entered from Hanover Street, extends from Hanover to Salem Streets, dotted with historical markers, and, according to legend, the first memorial statue honoring George Washington once stood here. Old North Church 193 Salem at Hull St, 617/523-6676, oldnorth.com. JanFeb weekdays 104, weekends 95; MarMay and NovDec daily 95; JuneOct daily 96. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sun services 9 am11 am. No admission, but a donation is suggested. NORTH END