We made it to Boston!!

Well, we thought we might fall asleep on our feet, but we made it to Boston…to be honest, we haven’t even been here 24 hours and have packed it a lot already.  We landed in Boston around 5pm (Boston time…) and made our way to the Hotel.  We heard rumors that driving in Boston is CRAZY, granted we were in a Taxi, but crazy doesn’t begin to describe it.  I would call it more like Bumper Cars on a Go-Cart Track.  Cars weave in and out (without turn signals of course), don’t really care about pedestrians, and really could care about traffic lights either.  But we made it to the Hotel in one piece.        

As we were driving through the city we were AMAZED by the emence amount of history surrounded by modern technology.  Parts of Boston are stuck in time with BEAUTIFUL brownstone building, clock towers, and historical monuments that outnumber people.  I was (and still am) in awe! 

After we settled into our Hotel (in the Prudential District) we decided to walk around and try and find something to eat.  As we walked, again we were amazed by the architecture around us (Brian is reliving his college days of studying buildings and how they are built).

Our first stop was the BEAUTIFUL Church of Christian Science (Not to be confused with the Church of Scientiology…but that didn’t stop me from looking for TomKat while I was there ) It has an enormous reflecting pools, its own publication house (for the Christian Science Monitor), and an underground parking lot.

We also stumbled into one of Boston’s many “squares” (though they aren’t square in shape by any means) and were looking at the FIRST Public Library ever built (God Bless Ben Franklin). The exterior was beautiful; because it was Sunday around 6:30pm, it was closed…so we have yet to see the inside.

When we turned around, we were awe-struck by the breathtaking Trinity Church. The first Episcopal Church in the country.  Being a good granddaughter of a devote Episcopalian, I called my grandma in Eureka, California immediately.  She was SO happy that I called her, and remembered that “the Mother Ship” was in Boston. I will have to make sure I send her a picture of me trying to open the gigantic door.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continued to walk around the area (which is only a few blocks from our hotel) and came upon Newbury Street.  The best way to describe it is a brown-stoned lined street filled with outdoor cafes, posh boutiques, and varied galleries.  It was SO fun to walk around, people watch, and look at all of the shops.  The buildings are “multi-use” (a Brian term) with what look like adorable, but small, apartments on the upper floors, and shops/restaurants on the lower floors.  By now it was after 7pm, and we were STARVING (considering we woke up at 2am Seattle time, and wanted to get our bodies used to this East Coast time idea). We decided on a quiante Indian restaurant with great outdoor seating right on the corner.  We dined on wonderful food, then realized that the restaurant was also a Huka Bar (we almost called my brother for tips, but decided not to risk it on our first night in town) 

After dinner we strolled back to the Hotel, at 9pm the streets were still a buzz for a Sunday…a shocker to Brian. But it lent itself to some great people watching and comfort as we figured out a way around town.

This morning we woke up again, bright and early (7:30…but it felt like 4:30 to us) to make our way towards Boston University to a bike shop.  There we signed up for a 13 mile, 3 hour bike tour of the city.  Can I say, it was worth EVERY penny we spent on it.  Our tour guide, Sam, was very knowledgeable in the sights and history of Boston.  Some of the places he took us too, we explored last night (churches and the library) but then we went through some gorgeous neighborhood (Brookline to be specific) with park-like common areas, and European imported fountains.  We made our way towards Fenway park…it is much smaller than I imagined, but still cool to be in its “presence.”  We also saw North End (Boston’s Little Italy), Boston Harbor, the waterfront (known for its HUGE 4thof July celebration with the Boston Pops), the location where the Boston Massacre took place, Paul Revere’s House, the John Hancock Building, the MFA (Museum of Fine Art), and the Boston Garden (home of the Celtics).  We learned that Boston was built on a landfill (who knew!) and over the years the city took over more and more of the waterfront building neighborhoods and the downtown areas slowly over time.  The tour was GREAT and showed us parts of the city we are already planning on going back to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is now almost 4pm, and we have showered from our bike ride and are ready to hit the streets again.  We are planning on going into the Library and into Trinity Church.  Both are just a couple block walk from the hotel.  The weather is good, more muggy than the NW (obviously) but not super hot.  Tomorrow and Wednesday though, are a different story…high in the upper 90’s and HUMID!  argh!  But we will survive!

Tomorrow we are going to TRY and take in a Red Sox game…though tickets are a premium and when you can find them they cost a pretty penny. We want to find the Faneuil Hall Marketplace and of course pick up a few postcards and souvenirs along the way!    Stay Tuned…

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