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Published: August 30th 2008
Service with a smile.... about time!
On arrival at Bostons South Station we headed for an information desk to pick up a map of the metro system and advice on which line to take to our hostel. To be frank, we didn't have a clue where we were supposed to be going from the station - not a perfect situation but hey it adds to the excitement of it all! Within a few seconds of conversing with the clerk sat behind the info desk, we immediately noticed a difference in attitude between service staff in Boston compared to those in NYC - for the better that is.
Before long we were on our way on the metro which, compared to New York's, was a doddle to navigate. With only 4 lines (red, orange, green and blue) each of which goes outbound or inbound of the city centre, we were glad that New York's multicoloured, alpha numerical maze of a metro system was behind us. On this Metro we knew
exactly where we were heading.
As we departed the Metro we stopped to have a quick look at the street map posted on the station wall. Before we could
even point to the
'You are here' arrow on the map, a voice chirped up from one of the station staff behind us ....'You guys heading to Hemenway Street?' Slightly surprised by the fact that this person seemed to know exactly where we wanted to get to, we turned and walked over. Before we even got to him, he had directed us out of the station, to our left, right at the lights and left at the first street..... Again, gobsmacked by the willingness of the staff to help us, we thanked the guy and left the station as per his directions. 5 minutes later, we were checking in at HI Boston. At this point we both had a good feeling about Boston!
Wet, Wet, Wet
After dumping our gear in the room we decided to head out for the remainder of the afternoon and explore. This idea however was short-lived as the heavens decided to open just as we stepped out of the door. We waited a short while to see if the rain would pass but after talking to one of the hostel staff (who informed us that the weather in Boston this summer had been
pretty awful), it looked likely that we would be spending the afternoon inside the hostel. Getting used to the fact that rain seems to be putting in appearance at each city we visit, we spent the afternoon browsing on the internet!
The following morning, before looking out of the window to check on weather, we decided between us that come rain or shine we would definitely be going out for the day. Much to our relief the rain had lessened to a slight drizzle - that light rain, that soaks you through!!! Still,we were going out! Before arriving in Boston we had been recommended to spend a day following the Freedom Trail - a 2.5 mile walk around the city that takes you through Bostons history and stops at several key historical sites.
Armed with our pac-a-macs and a map we headed out for the city centre. Starting at the info centre on Boston Common we decided it would be more fun to follow the Freedom Trail off our own back rather than on an official guided tour - after all how hard could it be to follow a trail of red bricks embedded within the pavement?!? (yes
we did get lost.... a few times!) This way allowed us to take our own time on the trail, stop for lunch when we wanted and skip over the boring parts quickly if required! Maybe not quite as informative as the official guided tour but it was the cheaper option and wherever the historical facts lacked gusto, this allowed us to use our imagination and make up our own version of events! We'll spare you all the details of the trip but on the whole it was very interesting. Along the way we stopped at most of the sites, first of which was the Massachusetts State House which offered a free guided tour with particular emphasis on the importance of the sacred cod hanging from the ceiling inside the House of Representatives. Other sites on the trail included: the Kings Chapel burying ground, Boston Latin School (the oldest public school in the US), the Old Meeting House, the site of the Boston Massacre, Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall, USS Constitution (the oldest commissioned ship in the world!) and the Bunker Hill Monument.
After spending the day walking, we chose the quick and easy option home - the metro!
Up
until this point on the trip most dinners and evening meals had been eaten out at cheap restaurants or fast food places - time for a change me thinks! Facilities at the hostel were good and the dining area was quite social so we cooked for ourselves - fajitas followed by ice cream!
A day in Cambridge
No visit to Boston would be complete without crossing the bridge to Cambridge to visit the Universities - MIT and Harvard. (Panoramic pic at the top is one of the main squares at Harvard) We had been told the walk to Cambridge would take about 20 minutes though it took 40 minutes just to get to MIT! Having walked through the campus and into one of the main buildings, we soon found ourselves bamboozled by some of the project work being described on walls.
Continuing on our intelectual day out we headed further up the main street towards Harvard. Out of the two universities this was by far the more elegant of the two. A great place to just sit and chill, drink coffee and watch the clever folk hurrying about!
Later in the afternoon we left Cambridge and
took the metro down to Boston Harbour. Another relaxed place to spend an hour or two gazing at the multi-million dollar yachts lining the keyside. (Jayne liking the look of the boats, decided at this point that she wanted to be a sailor!)
To finish our stay in Boston we walked up towards Fenway Park, home to the Boston Redsox baseball team. We had read that there were no home games during the days that we were staying in Boston but as we got closer to the stadium more and more people wearing Redsox jerseys seemed to appear. We would have liked to have seen the game but with it being late in the day and time for tea we reluctantly decided against it.
Overall, we had a relaxing stay in Boston despite the weather and met some great people at the hostel. All in all, another great stop on the trip.
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Martin_Dad!
non-member comment
Another, and so soon, fantastic!
Hi you guys havin' ba great time? Yep, looks like it to me! At least you are no worse off weather wise over there. About from chewing their fingers to the bone with worry, how did families manage without blogs when their children were out in that big wide world? These are so interesting and we love reading about your escapades. Hope New Yorkers read about themselves - are they all rude then? You take care, all my love, Dad.