Batty for Boston
After seeing all the awesomeness of Connecticut and Rhode Island, I had visions of Boston being a let down. Boston was going to be the big destination, and I assumed, it wouldn't live up to the hype. And to be honest, it didn't...on the first day. The first day we were there was a total washout. It poured buckets! There's only so much food you can eat in so many restaurants before you get really bored and really grumpy. We were finally able to duck into a trolley that at least let us see the city without getting too drenched, but even that was wrought with issues since we bought the wrong ticket for the dumb trolley that took us nowhere we wanted to go. By 7:00 in the evening, I was bored, wet, grumpy and not overly optimistic.
But 12 hours later, it was bright, sunshiney and the start to a beautiful day. After that, it was smooth sailing. The city was walkable. Our hotel was right in the middle of everything we wanted to see. The weather was gorgeous. And there was so much to see just laid out all over the city waiting to be seen. It was much quieter than NYC and much cleaner. And I think I may have loved everything about it! It's the perfect city for kids, and pets and grown-ups too. I have to say it definitely ranks up there in some of my top 5 cities and i just know I'll be going back again one day.
My most favorite thing of the trip and the one thing I was most looking forward to was the Whale Watching cruise sponsored by the Boston Aquarium. The boat took you 3 hours out into the ocean, and made a guarantee that you will see whales or you'll get a rain-check for another cruise. For the first 1.5 hours we saw nothing, so I was a bit worried. But they just started appearing everywhere. We didn't get the money shot that you see in all the nature films (whales leaping out of the water!) but we did get some serious tale shots which was awesome. To top it all off, they were humpback whales which aren't always seen in those waters. Pretty amazing to see!
After the cruise, we just wandered the city which I have to admit was pretty much the best way to see Boston. There is literally so much to see, it may be overwhelming to plan to see it all. But the city is laid out so that you literally just happen upon these amazing historical landmarks, like the site of the Boston Massacre, or Ben Franklin's family tomb or the Duckling statue in Boston Commons. Boston Common was my favorite that we happened upon. The swan boats that had been around for years, were super cute and fountain for the children (and adults too) to play in, was the perfect way to cool off after a long day walking.
Then of course there was the food. As much as I love Italian food, the North End was of course my favorite place to eat. After a Sfogliatelli as big as my head on the first day, I had high expectations for our last night's meal. After wandering for a few minutes, we grabbed a seat at the first place we saw that had seats. I'm not even sure I remember the name but the gnocchi and the tortellini we had were some of the best I've ever gotten in a restaurant. Hands down! Though the atmosphere at Cheers was pretty fun too!
I don't have the same urge to move to Boston as I do to London, but if needed be, I think I could be very happy there - given enough sfogliatelli : )
But 12 hours later, it was bright, sunshiney and the start to a beautiful day. After that, it was smooth sailing. The city was walkable. Our hotel was right in the middle of everything we wanted to see. The weather was gorgeous. And there was so much to see just laid out all over the city waiting to be seen. It was much quieter than NYC and much cleaner. And I think I may have loved everything about it! It's the perfect city for kids, and pets and grown-ups too. I have to say it definitely ranks up there in some of my top 5 cities and i just know I'll be going back again one day.
My most favorite thing of the trip and the one thing I was most looking forward to was the Whale Watching cruise sponsored by the Boston Aquarium. The boat took you 3 hours out into the ocean, and made a guarantee that you will see whales or you'll get a rain-check for another cruise. For the first 1.5 hours we saw nothing, so I was a bit worried. But they just started appearing everywhere. We didn't get the money shot that you see in all the nature films (whales leaping out of the water!) but we did get some serious tale shots which was awesome. To top it all off, they were humpback whales which aren't always seen in those waters. Pretty amazing to see!
After the cruise, we just wandered the city which I have to admit was pretty much the best way to see Boston. There is literally so much to see, it may be overwhelming to plan to see it all. But the city is laid out so that you literally just happen upon these amazing historical landmarks, like the site of the Boston Massacre, or Ben Franklin's family tomb or the Duckling statue in Boston Commons. Boston Common was my favorite that we happened upon. The swan boats that had been around for years, were super cute and fountain for the children (and adults too) to play in, was the perfect way to cool off after a long day walking.
Then of course there was the food. As much as I love Italian food, the North End was of course my favorite place to eat. After a Sfogliatelli as big as my head on the first day, I had high expectations for our last night's meal. After wandering for a few minutes, we grabbed a seat at the first place we saw that had seats. I'm not even sure I remember the name but the gnocchi and the tortellini we had were some of the best I've ever gotten in a restaurant. Hands down! Though the atmosphere at Cheers was pretty fun too!
I don't have the same urge to move to Boston as I do to London, but if needed be, I think I could be very happy there - given enough sfogliatelli : )
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