I really like Boston. It helped that the weather was a gorgeous mid 70s to mid 80s, with a light breeze, the whole time we were there. Our hotel, The Millennium Bostonian was very conveniently located across the road from Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall. Although I don't think we received the very best service, this hotel is perfectly located for easy access to attractions, walking tours and transportation, so overall I would recommend it. Boston felt very accessible to me, you can hit all major attractions in the city on foot.
Faneuil Hall, 1742. I expected this hall to be famously related to some significant historic event,
but all I could glean was that it is a very old meeting hall.
While we waited for others to arrive, we ate lunch at Wagomama, a noodle house outside Quincy Market with a mouthwatering menu. The food was so good that Alicia and I ate there again on our last day in Boston.
From your table outside, you can watch the street performers.
Hotel selfie! We decided we needed a telescopic selfie wand,
like this one:
Looq - Battery-free Extended Selfie Arm with Auto Shutter Button
$44.99 Amazon.com
"Take effortless selfies with your teddy bear"
Cheryl, Sandy and Nellie, before she was arrested for unauthorized donkey mounting
This is a window ledge, not a doorway.
Fresh food markets everywhere! Seafood so fresh that it still crawls and nips.
Our first day, we walked the Freedom trail to Boston Commons. This is an easy trail; just follow the red brick road! We did not see all of them, but the trail covers 16 major sites including Faneuil Hall, the Granary Burial Grounds, Massachusetts State House, the first public school site, and Boston Commons.
Interesting
The Granary Burial Grounds, founded in 1660; final resting place for historic figures such as Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, and Franklin's parents.
Revere's original headstone is tiny, so a more fitting stone was placed at a later date.
Massachusetts State House
The weeping willows reminded me of home
Angela, Alicia, me and Cheryl
Unfortunately, the Frog Pond was empty
Quincy Market was built in 1824 and today houses food vendors. It is well worth a visit for lunch as there are hundreds of options and every one of them looks delicious. From lobster rolls, lobster mac and cheese, pizza, pot pies, gourmet Indian, Chinese food, bacon wrapped scallops, clam chowder, to sword fish kabobs, Italian sausage, smoothies, sushi, bagels, BBQ, patisserie items, Greek cuisine, and more!
Quincy Market zipper-bag man is very charming
Like any big city, Boston has some wonderful restaurants and great local dishes. Of course, we had to try fresh "lobstah" and clams.
Dinner at La Summa
Lobstah at Rabia's
Mussels in Turners (Salem)
I miss moules frites from my days in Belgium
Our second night, we headed out for (more) cannolis and took a stroll to the waters edge.
My first cannoli was in NYC and I wasn't impressed. At the time, I thought maybe the cannolis we got were stale. Everyone had told me how wonderful fresh cannolis are and so I expected something delicious. I imagined a fresh cream filled shell, so what I got was disappointing.
After this second attempt in Boston, it turns out that I just don't like cannolis. I am probably in the minority, but to me they taste too sweet, like a stale, tasteless, crispy shell filled with cake icing. I would be interested in trying cannoli in Italy so see how the recipe has been adapted to fit the American taste.
Honestly, I don't think I have tasted a really good pastry in this country. I will always compare bakery products here to fresh and clotted cream filled puff pastries from back home. Baked goods here seem to emphasize the sweet more than the rich taste and textures seem more gritty than smooth.
If you do like cannoli, however, Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street is a popular place and stays busy into the wee hours. However, we had it on good authority that Modern Pastry (on the same street) uses fresher shells and your cannoli is filled fresh before your eyes. I preferred Modern Pastry and enjoyed one of their pear tarts.
Mike's Pastry and a not so flattering photo of their cannoli
Nellie munching on cannoli
Saturday morning, we took a Duck Tour from the Prudential Center. On the way, we walked through some pretty residential areas and I mused on how nice it would be to live in a big city red brick house with easy access to anything and everything you could imagine. Then I remembered that I've already lived this lifestyle and it's not for me after all.
The duck tour was fun; our guide was energetic and informative and he let us drive the duck. I was far more excited about this than my age should have mandated.
Driving the Duck
Later that day, we decided to take a ferry ride to Salem, home of the witch trials! I had read about the trials a few years ago but didn't remember much of the story so I was excited to relearn where it all took place.
It was a beautiful day for a ferry ride.
Planes coming in to land at Boston Logan Airport. We checked to make sure their landing gear was out, ready to alert the pilots by waving our arms around and yelling "abort landing!"
Cheryl looking nautical and fabulous
Arriving at Salem, the islands reminded me of the Stockholm archipelago in Sweden.
In fact, Salem reminded me of a quaint Scandinavian coastal town.
Interesting house of junkyard treasures
Of course we hit this place first.
We visited the witch museum and watched a two-part presentation of the witch trials.
I asked the cashier if there was also a museum to tour. He looked at me like I was an idiot and informed me that "these events took place in 1692 so there are obviously not any artifacts left from that time to display".
I wanted to tell him that my hometown castle was built in 1093 and that Roman artifacts are on display at Birdoswald Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall, and so I don't think my assumption that they might have artifacts from daily life in 1692 was silly at all. We were getting a group discount so I didn't say anything. Also, my smart mouth comebacks usually sound better when left in my head.
The witch house
Nellie lost her key ring. I know, that doesn't explain the picture at all.
I love Nellie
Cheryl, holding on tight to that dress!
On our last day, a group of us headed to Harvard. I wanted to purchase a I got Smah-tar at Har-vahd t-shirt, but I couldn't find one.
Harvard is a pretty college. Not as pretty as Royal Holloway, but definitely an attractive campus. Not only could I not find the t-shirt, but we also did not find any Harvard men in collegiate sweaters rowing down the misty Charles River, much to Cheryl's dismay.
Royal Holloway; where I got smar-tah
My room on the left-most turret, third floor!
Interesting wooden church
We took a stroll though the I-20 Nature Preserve and noticed an abundance of wildlife. Especially bunnies. There were lots and lots of bunnies.
The lake has dried up a lot since our last visit.
Horny Toad! Or, Horned lizard.
We found a kitten! It was incredibly adorable and, if it was not for the fact that our dog, Anna, tries to eat anything that moves, we would have loved to keep him. Of course, we all got attached so it was sad to say goodbye when we finally found him a good home.
"Is he there? Oh, he's looking at me!"
Our dog, Daniel, is scared of his own shadow and was hilariously terrified of this new tormentor. The kitty soon caught on to this and delighted in jumping at his face then racing off like a lunatic.
Mary practiced her magic tricks, one of her to-do list items for the summer.
I was able to assume the the roles of interested parent and loyal English football fan simultaneously.
We spent a fun water day in San Angelo with some friends. Mary left her retainers wrapped in a napkin at a BBQ place and, despite my efforts to gain access to their trash so I could dig around for them, they were lost forever. Lucky for me, it only cost $500 to replace them.
At Lake Nasworthy, you can head to the beach area to swim, or you can enter Spring Creek Marina and have water access without the crowds. We lucked out and entered the park during a shift change, meaning we didn't have to pay an entrance fee.
We took some swim days with friends
Daniel enjoyed Concert on the Lawn at the Museum of the Southwest
Mary and Andrew made some bug slides using dead cockroaches she found by the front door
Sometimes, I am the lone adult
Mary and I traveled to Dallas for our flights and ate out together at Olive Garden, which Mary declared to be the best restaurant she had ever eaten at. We don't eat out much.
My baby boarded this flight by herself and it was difficult to swallow as the plane pushed back heading for takeoff.
I had a free afternoon before my flight the next day, so I headed to Grapevine, TX, which I found to be a nice little town with cute shops and eateries.
