But eventually we did finish, and began our 2-hour drive to Boston. I was excited because I’ve never been to Boston, and I’ve heard great things about it. Plus, there’s so much American history there, and I couldn’t wait to see all the places I’ve only read about up till now. And, best of all, we’d get to see our friend Kris, and meet her husband and baby. Hooray for friends in a new city!
Amber did a bang-up job of navigating to and through the city. There were cars everywhere, and it was definitely a big city with crazy big-city drivers--we were a long way away from our sleepy, empty two-lane highways. Amber took us right up to the door of our hotel, where my mouth fell open. I double-checked the address, because after all our stays in chain motels, I couldn’t believe this fancy hotel! I mean, seriously, there was even a castle outside our room!
We met up with Kris and her sweet baby, Caroline. I hadn’t seen Kris in forever and ever, so it was awesome to see her again, and that baby Caroline—I wanted to scoop her up and cover her in kisses, but I deferred and let her Auntie Amber have first crack at her.
It was definitely warm in Boston, much warmer and more humid than any of the other cities we’d been in (with the exception of Moab, which had a dry heat that tried to kill me). Kris lead us through the public garden and Boston Common, to the beginning of the Freedom Trail. The trail is a 2 ½ mile brick path winding its way all through the city, past all the historical sites. We were ready to learn all about it!
We strolled to the first couple stops, past a church and the State House, which was gorgeous. We ended up at the super famous cemetery where all the early patriots like Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere, the Franklin family and Mother Goose were buried. To my surprise, Mark LOVED the cemetery. He spent a good hour in there, cruising from headstone to headstone, taking pictures. He was so excited that at one point, I turned, and saw that he had joined a walking tour. He followed the tour guide on to the next few stops, until I stopped him and said he either had to cough up some money for the tour, or come with us for free.
I couldn’t get over how old some of the tombstones were, until Edra said, “I thought they was old too, until I went to Greece.” Had to agree with her on that…
Saw some other incredible sites—including where Sam Adams called for the Tea Party revolt, where the Declaration of Independence was first read, where the Boston Massacre occurred, and where Paul Revere saw the lanterns (one if by land, and two if by sea!). We walked through the Quincy Market for a snack, then continued on through the Farmer’s Market and to the oldest bar in the country. The Freedom Trail was super awesome, because it had so much history, so much about the birth of our nation, and it was humbling to walk along and see those places.
There were also some very funny sights like this one—just a couple of friends enjoying a cold beer and some good conversation.
And we lucked into a wedding at the Old North Church. We never did see the bride and groom, but we saw the bagpiper outside in the back courtyard, and listened as he serenaded all the guests leaving the ceremony. That was so cool!
The trail led on to the U.S.S. Constitution, the oldest working battleship in the country, but that was a long walk across a bridge and then some. We decided to end at the Old North Church, and head back into Little Italy.
Kris was a fantastic tour guide, sharing historical stories along the way. Her baby, Caroline, was a trooper, and did the whole trail with us, never once complaining. Kris’ husband Dennis is a proud, loyal Boston native, so when he arrived after a harbor cruise, he gave us even more great stories, including the one about the great molasses flood, then pointed us to one of the most congested sights in the city—Modern Pastries, home of some pretty dang amazing cannolis. We waited in line a long time, but it was worth every second!
But we still hadn’t seen the water, so we cruised down to the waterfront, which was filled with tourists, locals, and even another newly-wed couple posing for photos. It was some great people watching.
Baby Caroline had to go home to bed. We were getting hungry, so Dennis and Kris recommended the Barking Crab for dinner. It was a busy Saturday night, but we found some seats to wait and sample the local beer—which happens to be my favorite, Samuel Adams. They even had a red Sam Adams sold only in the Boston area, so I happily tried (and loved!) that.
Mark enjoyed his dinner as well, but even more, he loved when the waiter paraded around a 10-pound lobster!
That thing was ENORMOUS! Our waiter said they sold a couple of them a week, though Mark was shocked at the price.
By the time we left, it was late and we were full and happy. However, we had no idea where our hotel was in relation to where we were. Luckily, it turned out to be only a short cab ride away. I put Mark to bed, tucked into my whipped cream cannoli, and realized I really, really dug Boston.
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