So we left the tranquility of our mountain retreat and braved the big city of Boston. Before I tell you a bit about our time here, let me back up. In December, when our daughter graduated from college, we asked her what she wanted for graduation. She asked for a trip to Boston. She is my child who often chooses experiences over things, and hubby and I were excited at the thought of traveling with her. The last time we took a trip with just the three of us, she was less than two years old. To make the trip even more special, a dear friend and her family had relocated to Boston a couple of years ago and we had an open invitation to stay at their house. And so after our daughter secured her job and before she found out she was accepted to grad school for the fall, we made the reservations.
Back to the trip. Her plane landed at lunch time and we drove straight to James Hook & Co for lobster rolls (yum!) before heading to Quincy to tour the Adams family homes. That’s Adams as in John and Abigail. We’d done that tour with Elizabeth twenty-three years earlier, to the month. It’s such a great tour, the highlight for us being the stone library at Peace Field. I want one just like it! We had a great tour guide at Peace Field, too–a Ph.D. candidate working on a dissertation that had something to do with John Quincy. (Can’t remember the details now!) Then we were off to our friends’ home situated in a nearby village, a home build in 1896 (I think!) and beautifully restored and updated. It was truly one of the most amazing historic home renovations I’ve seen, with just the right amount of old world charm and modern conveniences.
Friday we literally walked the entire city. We followed the Freedom Trail, toured the museums along the way, and explored the USS Constitution–all in the rain! We ate some amazing Italian food in the north end and treated ourselves to the most delicious cannoli we’ve ever eaten at Mike’s Pastries. We ended the day wandering the public gardens before hopping a train and arriving at Fenway Park for a Red Sox game! Thankfully, even though it had rained all day, the weather broke and the game was played. It’s a great stadium with great fans and definitely something every baseball fan should experience once!
Saturday we were just about beat, but we hopped in the car and headed out to Plimoth Plantation (not a typo!). This living museum is one of the best I’ve even been to! The people in the village remain in character of whatever 1627 inhabitant of Plimouth they portray. A fascinating step back in time! We also toured the Mayflower II, a replica of the bought that brought the Pilgrims in 1620 and saw the rock where they landed. Of course, we had to eat, too! Not only did we dine on a balcony overlooking the harbor, we ate the most wonderful cupcakes for dessert from a nearby bakery. On our way back to Boston, we stopped in Cambridge and visited Harvard. A beautiful campus, but even better, the home to some amazing bookstores! It was such a wonderfully bustling place on a beautiful day.
Sunday, we headed up the coast to the North Shore, to Gloucester and Salem. It was a gorgeous day to wander the streets of two very old towns before making our way back to Boston and the airport for our flight home. We had a great time sightseeing, a fabulous visit with our friends, and made wonderful memories with our girl, all grown up now. I really couldn’t have asked for anything better.
It is a great place to visit. I had a wonderful time when Mom and I went to Boston. We spent a week in October of 2010. The days we spent in Lexington, Concord and Salem were warm and sunny. However, like you, when we went to Boston to travel the Freedom trail and visit Revere’s home, the Old North Church, and other great sites along the way, it was rainy and being October, very cold. On our way home, we went to Plimouth Plantation, visited the Mayflower II and Quincy. Again, those days were warm and sunny.
As we were driving, from Ohio to Boston and back, we stopped at Niagara Falls, before returning home. I loved that trip.
Your pictures were great and make me want to return to see some of the sights, again, during the summer, rather the fall–Boston might be warmer then.
I’m so glad you had a lovely time there, too! And I love that my pictures brought back such good memories for you. I hope you get back to Boston in better weather one day!
Thank you for visiting! So, so nice to see friends that we have known since our kids were little. God is good! And that open invitation is wide open. Come back soon.
It was such a joy to be with y’all! Thank you! And yes, we hope to do it again! 🙂
I LOVED THESE PICTURES so much! Boston is one of my favourite American cities
It had been so long since we’d been there, I’d forgotten how wonderful it is! So much fun.