Best historical places to go/see in Boston? New York?

What are the best historical places to go to or see in Boston and New York.

Public Comments

1. NY: Ground Zero. Boston: There is a nice, free walking tour of historical sites
2. NY: Liberty Island, Ellis Island, Groud Zero, Central Park, Times Square, Chinatown, City Hall, Court, Plaza Hotel, 5th Avenue, Empire State Building. etc....etc.... Boston: never been there. harbor maybe? the big dig? irish pubs ?
3. the big dig !! there is so much to see in boston , great place to be. Plenty to do. I use to live 15min from there. Go to salem,ma not to far from boston! (witch trial stuff there) best time October.
4. Plymouth Rock, Mayflower II (I think that's what it's called), Boston Aquarium just to name a few
5. There are SO MANY in Boston. The Freedom Trail (which is the free walking tour mentioned previously) touches on a good many of the historical landmarks and is always a good idea. Others include Trinity Church (the oldest church) in Copley Square, Paul Revere's House on the border of Haymarket and the North End, the Boston Public Library (oldest in the country) also in Copley Square, the "new" State House (which is the one actually in use and has been forever), the "old" State House (which is now State Street T - subway - station but has some neat information in it), Quincy Market (the site of most of the official "rabble rousing" during the revolution), and the Constiution (Old Ironsides.) Sadly, the Tea Party Ship and Museum are currently closed. :( This is a long list and it still doesn't touch on everything. The Duck Tours are always fun, too! If you leave your hotel room at all, you'll see the Big Dig! The entire town is still under construction ~ although it's getting better. NYC: Depending on your tastes...Ground Zero, Grand Central Station (seriously, gorgeous and seeped in history), the UN, and the Library. Yeah, this list isn't as long but I don't know NY as well as I know Boston. ;)
6. The trolley tours are actually excellent. Most board by the harbor and north end and will stop at several histoical places like Faniel Hall, Paul Revere and North Church, Uss Constitution, boston common, etc.
7. Take a tour of Fenway Park...home of the Red Sox. http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bos/ballpark/tour.jsp
8. New York: Wall Street - the site of the first Capitol, Greenwich Village Boston: The North End and the Freedom Tour.
9. My personal NYC favorites are the Tenement House Museum http://www.tenement.org/ and the Merchant House Museum http://www.merchantshouse.com/index.html