Jay had some meetings and store visits to attend in Boston so I tagged along for fun. On the way we made a stop at Mt. Kisco, NY which is where Jay's mom was born. It was such a cute little village and I wish we had the time to explore it more. I guess we'll have to save it for a future adventure.
We also made a visit to Bristol, Connecticut to see ESPN headquarters. The locals call Bristol ESPNtown because that is pretty much all that is there. We might be nerds, but we thought it was pretty cool to see.
We arrived in Boston and I soon discovered what an adventure it was to just drive in the city. They have mixed the old with the new and it made driving interesting, to say the least. We stayed at the Marriott Copley Place which was central to everything and had a beautiful view of the Charles River.
No time to unpack, we needed to take a hike through the city. It was was 98 degrees and fairly humid, but there were sights to see and I couldn't wait to see them. We didn't really have a plan, so we just started walking up the street. We passed the Boston Library which is the oldest public library in the country. If you ever visit Boston I highly recommend you pay a visit inside to see the beautiful murals and architecture.
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| Murals inside Boston Public Library |
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| Boston Public Library |
We also walked by the Trinity Church which is said to be the most beautiful church in the country. We liked how the old is reflected in the John Hancock Building. We were close to the Charles River so we decided to pay a visit to the Esplanade where the Boston Pops play every July 4th. I must say I was shocked to see how small the grounds and everything looked compared to what we see on television. If you ever plan to see Pops Goes the Fourth in person I think you should probably get there early if you want a good seat.
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| Trinity Church |
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| Jay getting a little personal with Arthur Fiedler |
Next, we walked over to the Boston Public Gardens. We wanted to take a ride in the swan boats, but they were closed for the day. Oh well, the park made for a pretty walk and the trees kept the temperature a little cooler for us. By this time, I could tell Jay had had enough. He was beginning to melt so we started back to the hotel with a short stop to the Prudential Building for a quick dinner and a little Cheesecake Factory to take back to the room.
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| Public Garden Lake |
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| Swan Boats |
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| George Washington Statue in Public Garden |
The next two days Jay left early and I caught an Old Trolley Tour to see the city. It ended up being 103-105 degrees with humidity in the high 70s. Not the best conditions to sightsee. The Trolley was great because it made many stops that allowed you to hop off and really get a good look at what you wanted to see. The downfall was that it was not an air conditioned tour. Well, I guess you can't have it all. There were sights to see and I wanted to see everything! We drove by Fenway, home of the Boston Red Sox, and M.I.T. home of some very smart people. I decided to hop off at the Boston Common because it is the beginning of the Freedom Trail. This is a trail that takes you to the Revolutionary War historic sights. It is marked by a red brick trail that has been placed in the sidewalk. In other words, you can't get lost.
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| Benjamin Franklin's Parents-Granary Burying Ground |
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| John Hancock's Grave-Of course it had one of the largest grave markers |
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| Granary Burying Ground-Final resting place of many American Patriots and Mother Goose |
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| Old marker for Paul Revere |
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| Common grave for the 5 slain in the Boston Massacre-Samuel Adams had them buried in his family plot |
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| A marker for the first public school in the U. S.-it was a boy's Latin school |
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| King's Chapel & Burying Ground. The oldest burying ground in Boston. Some famous folks buried here include Mary Chilton, the first woman to step off the Mayflower; William Dawes, the "other" midnight rider; and John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony |
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Old Corner Bookstore published the works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Nathaniel Hawthorne,
Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Greenleaf Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Charles Dickens, and Louisa May Alcott. Many of them were frequent visitors to the store/printing shop |
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| Old State House-Outside this building is where the Boston Massacre took place-The Declaration was read to the people of Boston from the balcony in 1776. Now, every July 4th they read the Declaration of Independence to the people of Boston from this balcony. |
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| Pretty Fancy Duck House on the Harbor |
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Faneuil Hall-The Cradle of Liberty! It was here in 1764, that Americans first protested against the Stamp Act and Sugar Act.
No taxation without representation!! |
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| Inside of the Old North Church-You know, One if by land, two if by sea... |
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| Paul Revere's Ride-They are not exactly sure what Paul Revere cried as he rode the streets of Boston. They are pretty sure that he did not say The British are coming since most people were British. He probably said The Regulars are out!, or The Redcoats are out! |
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| This one is for Jay |
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| The Gawden- |
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| Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge |
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| USS Constitution-better known as Old Ironsides |
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| Boston Harbor |
After two days of sightseeing, I wasn't really feeling very well. But, we had a Red Sox game with some of the sports vendors that Jay works with. Now, everyone knows that we aren't exactly Red Sox fans, but we have always wanted to see Fenway Park and we had some pretty sweet seats! Row 2 behind the batter's box. But first, we had the opportunity to go into the Absolut Club which is an exclusive club for dugout-seat season ticket holders. You can have drinks (diet coke) and dinner there before, during, and after the game. And it's air conditioned!
Following a visit to the Absolute Club we received a personal tour of Fenway which lived up to all its billing. And, sorry Amy, it didn't even stink. It was a beautiful place to see a ballgame. While we would never root for the Sox, we must admit it was cool to sit so close to the field. And for Jay, a special highlight was sitting next to a Red Sox fan who had been to EVERY home game for the last 65 years. Another highlight was the discovery of Fenway Franks. Without a doubt, the BEST hotdog we have ever had at a ball park. It was a great night!
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| Just before the game |
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| Inside the Absolut |
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| A beautiful park! |
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| Yes, we were this close |
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| Steve & Murph teamed up to catch a foul ball |
Sadly, spending two days touring in the heat took its toll. I had to spend all day Sunday in the hotel recovering from heat exhaustion. I know, I know, I didn't drink enough water. I will never go in the heat without hydrating again. I was so upset to lose a whole day of seeing the great city of Boston. I guess we'll just have to go back.
Jay took me to as many places as possible on our way home Sunday. We drove by the Bunker Hill Memorial, Paul Revere's house, John & Abigail Adam's home, the beautiful Newport Beach, Rhode Island where I walked along the beach, and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where we found the gravesite of Washington Irving.
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| Paul Revere's home |
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| Bunker Hill-Did you know the battle really didn't take place on this hill? |
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| John and Abigail's homein Quincy which used to be Braintree |
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| Rhode Island |
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| Yale |
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| More like Spooky Hollow |
So there it is. I know this was a pretty long entry, but visiting Boston has always been a childhood dream for me and I wanted to share it. Next weekend we'll be heading to the New Kids on the Block & Backstreet Boys concert :)
