Ahhh....Bob Fosse and Gwen Verdon in Damn Yankees!!! However, our
pain wasn't the same. Our oldest's friend's father is a Bostonian
although they now live in the West Coast. We met up with the Paine
family during our historic Freedom Trail. We have done this before but
not with our youngest so we met up at the Science Museum. Again, public
transportation has access to everything everywhere. We took the "T" to
the museum and met up with them. It is a fun museum for the kids. It
wasn't too crowded so the kids had a great time. A lot of hands-on
activities for the kids.
Then
it was off to the Freedom Trail. While walking to the Boston Commons,
Bart gave all of us a great perspective/tour of the sights as well as
his memories growing up in Boston. Below is a picture of the oldest street in Boston. Yes, that is cobblestone. Very cool, eh?
Once we were near the State House, we found a great site that gives you descriptions of the
Freedom Trail.
One could click on any site, pending on where you wanted to start or
skip, and all the history and information would be available on your
smartphone. We started at the Old State House in Beacon Hill. The Freedom Trail can be a short walk or a very long walk. We took the long journey and made sure there were bathroom stops and plenty of water in the hot weather. Note: Boston does not have a lot of public bathrooms. You will have to seek these bathrooms out. I think someone would do well to make a book of public restrooms in Boston proper. Throughout the Freedom Trail there are great historic sites. We visited the cemetary of famous people i.e. Ben Franklin, Paul Revere, etc.
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| State House on Beacon Hill | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| Kids had a great time here reading the headstones |
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Then we headed to Little Italy where the Old North Church is located. It
is a beautiful church and interesting seating boxes. The kids enjoyed
seeing where Theodore Roosevelt sat in the Old North Church. Of course,
we had dinner in the North End where there was pasta after pasta
restaurants. Perfect because our kids love pasta with butter and cheese.
By the end of the day, they were all beat! Great day for all. If you're
ever in the North End, you can also visit the oldest restaurant...Union
Bay Oyster House!
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| Taking a rest from a long hot day! |
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| Old North Church in North End |
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| Theodore Roosevelt sat here. |
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| Paul Revere's house. Is anyone home? |
One of our favorite stops each we visit Boston is our drive up to Gloucester in Cape Ann. It has a lot of quaint shops, beaches, and a light house which is a state park as well. Just follow the road around Cape Ann and you'll bump into a lot of various sites that you can casually choose to stop. We typically stop in the town of Gloucester first as it has a nice little beach and lots of parking. Then we loop around from East to West. We promised our youngest that he can have lobster. He was a happy camper when he got to choose his lobster from the traps. They were all laid out in the cover. Fun times!
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| Gloucester, MA |
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| Halibut Point State Park |
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| We found some inuktuks! |
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| Happy Boy! |
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| What great fun we all had!!! This can be a day trip (all day) or you can spend the night in a quaint B&B or hotel near the water. Lots of things to do and very family friendly!!! |
The house is situated on a cove. The Paine's had a see-through kayak and they took the kids out one at a time. It was a great experience. We had a nice dinner and great conversation. We also visited the local beach nearby where the sand was aplenty and the boys all had a great time bodysurfing. Great day and nice ending to our stay in Boston. Back to NYC to complete our summer vacation!
Then
it was off to the Freedom Trail. While walking to the Boston Commons,
Bart gave all of us a great perspective/tour of the sights as well as
his memories growing up in Boston. Below is a picture of the oldest street in Boston. Yes, that is cobblestone. Very cool, eh?
