Boston

Jessie's beautiful daughter, Hadley

Eating a delicious lunch in Boston Commons

Duck Boat Ride!

Jessie was so generous and let us cool off and quench our thirst in her apartment on Beacon Hill. She also let us borrow her stroller! She's a life saver!

Taking the train to Harvard Square

Do I look smarter here at Harvard?

We did a little breeze through the Curious George Store

The Massachusetts State House

Shortly after the revolution, the State House was built by Charles Bullfinch as the new center of state governance. Today, the building still serves as the seat of the government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Freedom Trail!

Park Street Church

The next stop on the Freedom Trail, Park Street Church, is known for its involvement in political, social and humanitarian issues. In 1829, William Lloyd Garrison gave a speech from the church's pulpit condemning slavery. He was the first to do so in public.

Right next to Park Street Church is the Old Granary Burial Ground, named after the granary that once stood on the site of the church. Some of Boston's most famous revolutionaries were buried here, including John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Robert Treat Paine (all three signed the Declaration of Independence) as well as Paul Revere and victims of the Boston Massacre

Hey Parker! It's your hotel!

The square in front of the Old State House is the site of the Boston Massacre, where on March 5, 1770, British troops opened fire on colonists who had been taunting them throwing rocks and hurling insults. Five colonists were killed that day in what proved to be one of the catalytic events leading to the American Revolution.

Quincy Market

Where should we go next?

Look! A door just the right size for Parker!

The Frog Pond where there were a million people swimming earlier in the day,

Our day in Boston was fabulous! We met Jessie at Cafe Vanille and grabbed a delicious lunch to eat picnic style in Boston Commons. It was soooo fun seeing Jessie! Her daughter is adorable and it's just a joy to spend time with dear friends all over the county! She treated us to a ride on the duck boats and even let us borrow her stroller! We quickly realized that Parker was NOT going to be happy walking all over the East Coast. She lives on Beacon Hill and it was so cool to see her place! She gave us some great pointers on touring the city and we made the most of our day!

We took the train over to Harvard Square and checked out Harvard and the Curious George Store. Then we took the train back to Beacon Hill and started the Freedom Trail! We picked up a map, followed the red line all over the city and saw so many amazing historical sites! We ended at the USS constitution which was a HUGE long walk over a bridge and along a busy street. Tanner got something in his eye and we were all hungry and exhausted. To top it all off the ship was closed. We'd walked all that way for no reason. So, we bucked up and walked all the way back over the bridge and stopped in the Italian District for an authentic Italian dinner. It was amazing! We walked back to Boston Commons and grabbed an ice cream for dessert. We sat down and enjoyed the evening for a few minutes and savored NOT walking for a minute. :-) There was a man playing a violin under a tree and it was a magical few moments. I hold those memories close to my heart. After all the hustle and bustle the quiet, calm moments are what give me that all over happy feeling. We were all trashed by the end of the day and gladly climbed into bed on our air mattresses at Holly's house that night. :-)

The next day...

 Our last day in Boston. It was fun going back a second day since we'd thoroughly explored it the day before- we could just sit back and enjoy it a little more. Jessie's husband, Chris (heir to marriot) was able to hook us up with tickets to the trolley tour around the city. We had 19 historical stops and we could hop on and off throughout the day. Also, the driver gave a lot of interesting history and facts. We got off at the USS constitution and enjoyed taking a free tour there and learning about the oldest floating war ship in the world. We got clam chowder in a bread bowl for dinner and splurged on some pink berry and then headed back to holly and mike's for some games! Mike is a game designer and we played some of the games he created and they were soooo fun! We really enjoyed our time spent with them. They were amazing hosts and so much fun to stay with!