Boston Trip!

Our Trip to Boston was incredible and we learned so much and remembered all that we are grateful for in this wonderful country. The city is a charming and historic place. The old cobblestone streets, the great food, and the breath taking views. ENJOY!

This is the crazy guy who stayed uncomfortably close to us and starred at us while we were eating. Another colorful part of Boston.

We went to the show Shear Madness on our first night in Boston. It was so much fun. It was a murder mystery/improvisation/audience participation show. There was barely anyone there which I love because it makes it more intimate and exciting.

Excited to go see the show!

The next morning we went to a cool local place to eat a yummy breakfast. It was so cute and it is on Newbury Street. Everyone knew each other there. That is something we saw the whole trip tons of people saying hello to everyone. Feels like a small town in some ways.

We went on the Boston Duck Tour. It was so cool. We were going around and viewed history in an historical vehicle. They go back to World War II. In 1942 the DUKW was designed. Because men were off fighting in the war, women made up much of the labor force that built them. They helped greatly in Normandy and the South Pacific because they could go both on land and sea. So during the tour we got to go on the streets and the Charles River. It was so much fun.

Waiting for the Ducks!

One of the original DUKWs. They named each one and every tour guide has a character the guy who drives this one is Howie Howwaya. He looks like Howie Mandell and he dresses all Hawaiian. We ended up with Admiral Amnesia who was so funny and looked a lot like uncle Kam and his vehicle's name is Haymarket Hannah. It was so fun.

The hotel were all the Presidents stay when they come to Boston.

Can you see the lavender windows? It is a prized possession on Beacon Hill. The purple glass is very old glass and they discovered that some of the minerals they used back in the day reacted to sunlight and would turn lavender/purple. So some of these old windows are left and are quite unique.

A piece of the Berlin Wall.

Out on the Charles River

We ate at Cheers in Quincy Hall. The T.V. show Cheers was based off a famous place in Boston. This restaurant was an exact replica of the show. They even had Cheers root beer. So fun!

Here we are in Faneuil Hall on the second floor. It was built in 1742 and was an open market for merchants on the first floor and on the second floor it was a meeting space for the town government. It became Boston's official town hall. It was in this building that the first discussions of the American Revolution occurred because of this Faneuil Hall earned the name "Cradle of Liberty."

Allan in a cute part of the city it feels like England and you are taken back to the 1800's. This is near the North End which is like Little Italy in NYC. The food there is divine. Yummy pastries, food and charm!

Allan and Paul after a yummy meal.

This was the restaurant that we ate at (Florentine Cafe) it was so charming and the food was wonderful. I am almost ready to drive back to Boston just to get that ravioli again. The food was divine. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

This was a funny sign in the North End.

Allan with the yummy Gelato shop. So good, we got tangerine and banana and Paul got mint.

We had breakfast in the Paul Revere Mall in the North End. That is me and Paul.

The Old North Church was built in 1723. This was the church steeple that Paul Revere told three Patriots to hang two lanterns. These lanterns were used to signal the Charlestown patriots about the movements of the British Army.

The inside was so simple and beautiful. All along the isle are the pews. You might notice that the sides are up high. The reason for that was to keep the draft out. They would use these metal boxes and put hot rocks in them and put them inside the pew for heat. The pews that were up front cost the equivalent of 25,000 a year for us today. Wow they had some money.

Allan right outside of Paul Revere's house. It is still standing!! It is the oldest standing 17th century urban architecture building in America. The house was built in 1680 and Paul Revere owned it from 1770-1800. It even became a museum in 1908! It was crazy being in something that became a museum a 100 years ago.

Allan looks great in this great park area. It was a huge project that is actually covering the freeway. It is a really great idea.

We visited the Beacon Hill area of Boston. This was my favorite section of the city. It was fascinating. I truly felt like I had left America and stepped into England. We walked around for a long time and were continually amazed at the beauty we were seeing. Everyone needs to walk around this place.

The architecture on these homes was so detailed and they all had beautiful flowers.

Allan walking down the tree lined streets.

The Wisteria on this house was great.

There was a nice little section of Beacon Hill. They had their own little private park and the houses were beautiful.

Cool window of books in Beacon Hill.

We went to the gravestone of Paul Revere. Who was a well known silversmith and craftsmen in Boston. He also was a Patriot in the American Revolution and is known for his Midnight Ride were he was a messanger in the battles of Lexington and Concord. The gravestone is at the Granary Burying Ground which was founded in 1660 and is Boston's third oldest cemetery. The cemetery includes three signers of the Declaration of Independence and victims of the Boston Massacre.
Samuel Adams grave is also in the Granary Burying Ground. He was instrumental in getting support for the rebellion against Great Britain which eventually led to the American Revolution.

John Hancock's memorial. He is known for his prominent signature on the Declaration of Independence.

One of the last places we explored in Boston was the Public Garden. The Public Garden was first established in 1837 and was the first public botanical garden in the United States. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who is the acclaimed Landscape Architect who also did Central Park in NYC. In this picture we are on the smallest suspension bridge in the world. It is a cute, light blue bridge above the lake and as you can see the weather was beautiful

On the way back we stopped by Mystic Seaport. It is a cool little town in Mystic, CT that has old boats and they set up exhibits depicting coastal life in New England in the 19th century.