Boston

Boston was a city I couldn’t wait to get to! Unfortunately, as it was an expensive city, it was not one we could afford to spend a great deal of time in. But, my day and a half there gave me enough of a taste to show me how great the city is, and I left with an eagerness of returning one day to enjoy all that the city has to offer. But don’t worry, we did quite a lot of the Boston essentials in our short time there.

We were lucky enough that the Red Sox were playing at home the night of our arrival, so we got to enjoy Fenway Park and see what all the fuss was about. There was certainly an incredible amount of charm in the old park, where the scoreboard is still done by hand. There was a little bit of drizzle, but just enough to make for some incredible colors in the sunset over the park. We treated ourselves, as you should at Fenway, to hotdogs and ice cream in a mini-helmet. We sang along to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” during the seventh inning stretch and “Sweet Caroline” toward the end of the game. We did the wave and chanted along with “let’s go Red Sox.” The Red Sox had a great game with a couple of home runs and some amazing catches up against the wall in the outfield. The Red Sox are a staple in Boston, a truly beloved team, and I loved being there amongst their many fans, watching them win at home.

One of our companions on the kayak tour had told us we had to go to Flour Bakery for a sticky bun. So, loving taking on challenges like this, we did, and thoroughly enjoyed it!

We walked around Boston Common, the Central Park of Boston, where children played in fountains, dogs strolled on leashes, small boats toured around the pond and ducks and swans enjoyed their home. The picture book, Make Way for Ducklings, was written about this park and a bronze statue honors the book. There were lots of human “ducklings” crawling on the mama duck followed by her flock of ducklings. It was hard to get a photo without all the other little ones around, but then again, I guess that is what it is all for.

Even though it was early in the day, we were near another destination, so we headed over to Cheers. I grew up watching episodes here and there with my parents, but I just recently finished the series on Netflix and really loved it. Yes, I know it wasn’t filmed here, but I wanted to see the place that inspired the show. Sure, it’s kind of cheesy, but it was also so fun to be in there. My only disappointment: no one shouted my name when I entered. But I think Norm would be proud that we were having a drink before noon.

We picked up a guide to the Freedom Trail and set off on our own tour of the two and a half mile trail. Sometimes, even with maps, I get lost in a big city while trying to follow specific paths to see specific things, but Boston makes sure that doesn’t happen. There is a red brick trail through the sidewalk that guides you. We felt like Dorothy and her friends staying on the brick trail. Although, when at moments the trail would end because of construction, and we were unsure where to go next, we felt more like ants who get in a panick when the trail before them has been broken from an obstacle.

The Freedom Trail goes throughout the historic city highlighting sites important to our history. Among them we saw churches and meeting houses where big decisions were made, the burial spot of Paul Revere, the spot where the first public school in America once stood, the square where the Boston Massacre occurred, the home of Paul Revere, and Bunker Hill where “don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes” helped the colonists to win a battle they were not expected to win. The trail ended at the USS Constitution, the oldest war ship in America that is still used today. We got to explore the ship on several of the levels and imagine how life might have been trapped on board here for months at a time with a crew of sailors.

Although it wasn’t that far back into the city, we paid a small amount to take a ferry to the other city of the city. On the short ride, we got to see the city from the harbor in all it’s sparkling glory. I think what I enjoyed so much about Boston was it’s manageable size and mix of new and very old. It’s a beautiful city so rich in history that it embraces.

We had a seafood dinner in little Italy where the smells wafted into the street, making the whole area smell of bread and marinara. I practically licked my plate of lobster ravioli clean. For dessert, the place to be was apparently Mike’s Pastry, so we joined the long lines and found our chocolate chip and caramel pecan cannolis very worth the wait.

On our way home we happened upon an Irish pub where some old men were singing Irish songs. Seeming like the thing to do in Boston, we stopped and joined in for a while, enjoying people watching and reminiscing about our time in Ireland and our love for all things Irish.

Yes, I know we just skimmed the surface of Boston, but I can’t wait to dive in deeper one day!