Monday, September 5, 2011

Boston and Home - Day 13 and 14

Day 13

Our last day in Boston and we realized this morning that we haven't had Boston Baked Beans or Boston Cream Pie yet!  We resolved to find a restaurant for dinner that has both.

Today's plan was to take the T to Harvard for the Walking Tour and then take a quick look at MIT.  We enjoyed learning about the history and architecture of Harvard.  The boys and I wandered around Cambridge after the tour and had lunch at Pinocchio's Pizza - we were told that you haven't been to Harvard until you have had pizza there.

We decided on Durgin Park for dinner.  We asked and got a table near the windows and could look down on Faneuil Market while we ate.  We did try the Baked Beans (the boys decided that Grandma's Best in the West Beans are better) and shared a slice of Boston Cream Pie (it was good too).  Then we walked around the market and shared cookies and other pastries that we just needed to try.

Day 14

Our flight left early, but it was direct to Seattle.  We made it home by mid afternoon, happy to see that everything was OK.  Benton and I split up the task of getting the lawn mowed down...

Friday, September 2, 2011

Liberty and Boston - Day 10, 11 and 12


Day 10

Still no Amtrak service between Philadelphia and Boston.  So much for naps, cards and books; we are renting a car and driving.  However, the nice thing about driving is the flexibility.  So, when we saw the exit for Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty we made a quick decision to take a detour. 

William has been keeping track of all the states we have been in - Virginia, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

Day 11

After getting into Boston much later than anticipated, we started later than usual today.  The Freedom Trail was on the agenda.  We started at Bunker Hill and made our way towards the other end at Boston Commons.  There are 16 historical sites along the 2.4 mile trail (a red line on the pavement).  It took us about 6 hours to take in everything.  We are a family of plaque readers (and we read all of them), tour/talk takers and museum crawlers.

Tonight we had a melt down.  It was bound to happen.  Someone, usually more than one of us, reach a point where we have had enough.  We needed to find a restaurant for dinner and everyone was tired and worn out.  We stood on the corner near Paul Revers's statue in Boston's north neighborhood and fell apart.  Surrounded by several dozen great restaurants and we couldn't make a decision.  In the end, we marched back to the hotel and ordered a not so great pizza and salad.




Day 12

The boys really enjoyed the New England Aquarium today.  They have a shark and ray touch tank that we spend 30 minutes visiting.  After looking at the fish, we headed across the street to Legal Seafood for lunch.  William tried his first Crab Roll and fell in love with a local favorite.