Boston Trip (finally posting!)

I am finally making time to post some pictures from our Boston trip (of course, I took tons of photos--only about 300---so I had to narrow them down). We had a great time--perfect weather, a beautiful hotel, and lots of great things to see, do, and eat! Here's a little about what we did each day:

Monday:
Arrived in Boston mid-morning
Walked a lot of the Freedom Trail with a tour seeing Boston Common, City Hall, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground with cemetery with famous gravestones like Paul Revere, first school house site, and Faneuil Hall. We ate lunch at Faneuil Hall which is famous for having a marketplace type setting for any kind of food that you can think of (I had a yummy falafel pita and Rob sampled the chowder, or "chowda").

Later in the evening, we walked to the Green Dragon Tavern for dinner, which is one of the oldest restaurants in America. Supposedly, it was a favorite of Paul Revere and John Hancock and where the plans for the invasion of Lexington and Concorde were overheard thus starting the famous ride of Paul Revere.

view from my plane window as we approached Boston airport

our cozy room

view from our room


pretty church on our way to Boston Common


church doors (I love pictures of door ways)

twisty tree in Boston Common
(Boston Common is the oldest public park in America)

Rob in Boston Common
(lake where the famous swan boats tour)


entrance gates to Boston Common


from an old salvaged ship

memorial tower in the common

stone for John Hancock

Granary Burying Ground

Paul Revere's stone
(the coins on top are a Jewish tradition of leaving stones or pebbles to "build up" a headstone for the deceased)

view looking upward from our nap spot bench in Boston Common

The Union Oyster Bar (next to the Green Dragon Tavern)

Tuesday:

We took the "T" (subway) across the Charles River to Cambridge, where Harvard is located. We visited the Curious George Store to get Ella's souvenirs. We walked around Harvard Square and had a delicious outdoor lunch at Borders' Cafe (a Mexican restaurant) before walking around the college. Before we headed back, we had ice cream at J.P. Licks', which is a popular spot for sweet treat.

Later that evening, walked to the North End where there are so many authentic Italian restaurants to choose from. We had a delicous meal in an open-air bisto called The Florentine Cafe, which was established right after Prohibition.

-Curious George and Friends Store


inside "the George store"--Ella would have gone crazy here!!






beautiful views at and around Harvard

Rob drinking a milkshake AND eating an ice cream cone at J.P. Licks
(okay, really just holding my cone for me)

Wednesday:

We walked the Freedom Trail, again, and ate lunch at the Cheer's Cafe before walking across ..... to Bunker Hill. We toured the area and climbed the 254 steps up to the top of the tower. It was well worth the effort as the view of all of Boston was amazing! Our next stop was to tour the U.S.S. Constitution which is under upgrades. The ship was interesting and we thought the dry-docks where ships are repaired was a unique idea.

Our evening started with another great meal, this time at Legal Sea Foods, which originated in Boston. (We shared a piece of Boston Cream Pie for dessert--you can't go to Boston without tasting that, right?) After dinner, we made our way over to the Charles Playhouse. We had tickets to see the Blueman Group, which was tons of fun.

Rob with the "Cheers' guy"--Norm?


view of Bunker Hill and monument as we walked over the bridge


a neat bridge parallel to the one we walked across


in a memorial garden near Breeds' Hill

in the garden

the Breed's Hill monument looking upward


We made it to the top! Whew!


one of the expansive Boston views from the top of the monument

Rob in front of the USS Constitution


an empty dry dock for repairing ships

before going out (my new hair cut)

Thursday:

On our last day in Boston, we were able to see Copley Square in the Back Bay neighborhood, where the Boston Public Library, John Hancock Tower (the tallest structure in Boston), and Trinity Church are located. We saw the painted line in the road that marked the finish line of the Boston marathon. We walked around beautiful Beacon Hill, a wealthy, quaint neighborhood with lots of charm, and ate lunch ate at Panifico Bakery and Bisto. ..... We bought a couple of souvenirs at a little market called DeLuca's Market. Then we walked along the banks of the Charles River that spanned over toward Cambridge.

Before we headed to the airport, we relaxed with cups of teas and coffee, cozy chairs, and good books.

corner view of the city's tallest building

Trinity Church reflected onto the side of the Hancock Building


a doorway of Trinity Church


Boston Public Library


finish line for the Boston Marathon


view of the city from Boston Public Garden
(the first public botanical garden in the US)


hibiscus in the Public Garden


pretty purple blooms


blooms and Boston


Rob in the park


the site of the original "Cheers" bar


"Where everybody knows your name..."

row houses in Beacon Hill

love those door ways, especially when they are decorated for Fall


Rob on walking bridge in Boston Common




We had a wonderful time. Where will we head next year?? Maybe someplace out west or something tropical?