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We budgeted 2.5 days in Boston (three nights), but we arrived around 4:00pm so we couldn’t count that as a full day. While trying to plan our trip a few months back Dale and I found it quite difficult to find affordable accommodation in Boston. Most hotels that were in the city were at least $200.00 a night and we definitely couldn’t afford that. So we opted for a bed and breakfast. We found one in the Brookline district called “The Treetop”. The Brookline neighbourhood was out of a movie, with the old brick buildings, large homes and tree lined streets. We pulled up to the Treetop and were greeted by Meg our host. Meg was so great during our stay providing us great breakfast, directions and instructions on how to navigate the subway, and even gave us her free membership to the Museum of Fine Arts. The first night we walked the Brookline neighbourhood looking for a place to watch the Boston Bruins game. We walked into the local pub expecting a rowdy crowd getting ready for game three. Instead we found patrons reading! This startled Dale and I as we hadn’t thought to bring any books to the bar!
So we walked out of there as fast as we walked in and found a local pizza place/sport bar where we had dinner and watched the Bruins game with others sans books.
The next morning I woke up early and went for an explorative run. One thing I have to emphasise is that Boston is full of runners. Runners everywhere all shapes and sizes. So I picked a runner and followed them assuming they knew where to run around here! My runner led me to a small lake which had a dyke around it where all the runners were jogging happily. The lake looked small from afar so I committed to running around it. By the time I got to the other side I realized my perception was inaccurate and this lake was bigger than I had anticipated. When I got back to the room I was beat! But that didn’t matter because we had a full day of walking around Boston to get too!
We hopped on the subway and got off at Arlington which is next to the downtown Boston Garden – adjacent to Boston Common where the Freedom Trail begins. The Freedom Trail is a
path through Boston that walks you past 17 historic landmarks and the birth of America. The trail is approximately 2.5 miles long and included learning about the historic landmarks as the Massachusetts State House, the Paul Revere House, Faneuil Hall, the Bunker Hill Monument, and the U.S.S. Constitution. It was really neat that such important historical landmarks were entwined right with the sprawling downtown city built up all around them. We had a lot of fun learning about the birth of America’s Independence, the historical figures involved in the signing of the constitution and the sacrifices they made. What an incredible city. The architecture and history was so impressive you almost felt transported in time.
Perhaps the highlight though wasn’t a particular landmark, rather, as we exited Faneuil Hall, there were hundreds of people in the plaza taking pictures. We stopped to see what was happening and realized that these were family and friends of people who had just become American citizens. We saw the new citizens exiting the hall with their citizenship documentation in hand, many were crying, and everyone was clearly proud. We watched for a while and gave our congratulations to a few that we walked
past.
After spending the day walking the freedom trail we hopped back on the subway and headed to Fenway Park to catch a Boston Red Sox Game. Because Dale is the sport connoisseur I am going to let him right about Fenway and the Game. (Dale enters blog now!)
We arrived at historic Fenway Park early with intentions of getting in and taking pictures before it filled up. The atmosphere around the park was electric – so many people in such a tiny area almost all clad in Red Sox red. Gates opened about an hour ahead of the first pitch and we could feel the history immediately upon entering. Exposed brick lines the concourses, many seats are still made of wooden slats with no cushion, and of course the Green Monster – the 37 foot high left field wall. We took lots of pictures, watched batting practice, and were ready to watch the Red Sox vs. the (Texas) Rangers.
The game did not disappoint - it had everything. Texas hit a 2-run home run over the Green Monster and out of the ballpark, there were lots of double-plays, a couple plays at the plate, an amazing
diving catch by a Red Sox outfielder on the warning track right in front of the monster, and the traditional rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’ sung by every single fan in attendance.
We had already been lucky enough to see the Blue Jays win in the bottom of the 9
th on a walk off two-run hit, and this game entered the bottom of the 9
th tied at 3…would we witness another exciting finish? First batter up hits a double and everyone in the park is on their feet in anticipation. The Rangers intentionally walk the next batter so there are runners on first and second with no outs. David Ortiz steps up with the crowd screaming and clapping and proceeds to hit a 3–run walk off home run on the first pitch he faces. We thought the ballpark was going to collapse it was shaking so hard.
We waited around our seats after the game, soaking in the atmosphere of the ballpark while everyone else filed out. I would describe the feeling around and inside the ballpark as religious. These fans do this 81 times per season (more if the make the playoffs). We saw two games and two
amazing finishes. Perhaps our next vacation will be to watch a game at every single MLB ballpark…
(Dale exits blog and Alana joins back in!)
The next day we woke up to wet and rainy weather. But that was OK because Meg had a solution to our problem. Two free passes to the Boston Museum of Fine Art! At first we weren’t as excited about the Art museum as Meg was, but she promised we wouldn’t be disappointed. And she was right! There was so much to see and such incredible works including Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Picasso, all right there. Not to mention the multiple exhibits. There was the Samurai exhibit which showcased swords and battle gear worn, the Egypt exhibit which included hieroglyphics, mummies and sculptures, and the Mayan exhibit which included pottery and art work. It was a very neat day exploring the museum. We both really enjoyed ourselves and have maybe developed a little interest in the art world?
That evening we hopped back on the subway and went to the North End which is little Italy for dinner to a restaurant called Giacomo’s. I have to include here that the subway system
in Boston was extremely user friendly. I haven’t been on a ton of city systems, only Vancouver, Toronto and New York, but out of these cities I found Boston to be so easy to follow and got you exactly where you wanted to go quick. It was easy to get on and off and get to different lines easily. Anyways, when we arrived at the restaurant there was quite a long line outside but decided to wait as it had been recommended in the Frommer's Book. It was delicious and well worth the wait, I would definitely recommend it.
We went to bed early that night so we could be on the road by 5:30am the next morning as we have our longest drive yet. As I write this we have driven so far through Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and are currently in Indiana. Approximately 2 more hours on the road and we will have arrived at our destination, Chicago, Illinois where we will spend the next three nights.
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Philip
non-member comment
In the middle...
nice pose Dale, you're a natural...