Boston

Summary of time:
• Walking Tour of part of the Freedom Train – Boston Common, Senate House, Granary Grave Yard, Kings Church, 1st School of Boston (Old City Hall), Old Senate House, Fanueil Hall
• Clam Chowder in a bun.
• Aquarium – saw sharks, penguins, rescued turtles in rehab, and very large turtle
• IMAX 3D - Whales and Dolphins
• Walk through Cambridge to Harvard – rain
• Duck Tours – Captain Duct Tape!
• Museum of Science – Possum & Masupials, Lightening and Electricity, Toys & Play for kids of all ages, Crittercam
• IMAX 180degrees – below the sea
• Jazz Worship service at South End Church
• Walk around Harvard, Providence Tower – 50th Floor 360 degree look of Boston
• Lunch at Cheers
• Walk the rest of Freedom Tour –North End Church, Paul Revere House, “Bunker” Hill Monument, see “Old Ironsides”
• 4th July - “Reading” of the Declaration of Independence, “Ironsides” sets sail & 21 gun salute. Boston Pops & Fireworks.

Handy hints –
 Make sure you have a brolly in case of rain
 Good pair of walking shoes
 Have a good map and know where nearest tube is.

Leaving Montreal was difficult, as meant leaving friends old and new, and there was a load of new stuff to learn...having got used to Canadian money, now not just moving city, but also country, therefore new currency and different exchange rate and different rates for tipping etc.
But the easy thing about leaving Montreal was the fact it was raining, and the hope that the conditions might be better weather going south!
So getting wet to catch the metro, was a small price to pay for hope. Handy hint if ever catching the greyhound from Montreal (and going to USA) make sure that you double check which door the queue is going to! The numbers on the walls are slightly misleading!! And the person in front may have not got in the right queue either.....
But safely on the bus, and we head off, first stop is the border and customs. Those of us with non US or non Canadian passports were off first, as our processing would take longer than the others (there was 10 of us and 30 US/Canadians and we still took longer!!). It was nerve racking, what if they don’t let me in....had spoken to a Canadian recently who hadn’t got in! But when questioned, it was easy to be confident, and to know how much money i had in the bank, and that this was purely a holiday, although there were some looks when questioned about length of stay and plans...need to make sure that when go to the west coast, leave a few weeks before visa runs out and make sure come back in after that date!! Visa only valid for 90 days!
But got the waiver filled out and they let me in. The journey was uneventful, stopped about 3ish for lunch, and into Boston about 6ish. The weather was uneventful, a few clouds but the rain had stopped. Also there was no change in time difference.
Getting to a new city is a new set of challenges....what ticket to buy, how to buy, which train line, which direction, make sure you get off at the right stop to change, and get the right train on the new track...out of the right side of the station, make sure follow the rules on crossing the road (green man means go, flashing man means go, red man if nothing coming go!). Despite all the possibilities of going wrong, i got to the hostel fine, and once booked, in and sorted in room, it was time just to crash out.
Breakfast is simple – bagels and coffee. But sustained, and armed with a map, off down into “town”. It’s fairly easy from the hostel to get onto Boyleston which takes you straight down to Boston Public Park and the Common – and tourist information. Shortly after arriving there is a tour, which takes you on the first main section of the Freedom Trail, with a guide who is in character – the cost is $12, but is worth it if you have a good guide, coz they give you info other than in a book, and you can go back to all the stops that you want to spend more time in – our 90 min tour was actually 2 hours! Our guide, was an ex actor and stuntman. Whilst doing the tour he was in character of 1780’s and nothing could shake him. Gave some real insight into what was happening at that time, but also history of all the places we went to. See Boston History Blog for details of the Freedom Trail sights.
Having got as far as Fanueil Hall on the Freedom Trail, at the Market place there are many places in which to choose some fare. So walk through the Quincy Market , all the way before you decide what to eat. But one thing to make sure you have is Clam chowder in a Huge Bun (Bread Roll), absolutely delicious.
As it was the week of Independence Day, Boston holds a HarbourFest. This is a week of events, including free concerts at different places. Today at Fanueil Hall, during lunchtime was the “Six Men in Tuxedo” – actually 7 men and 1 woman. They were playing a selection of easy listening music, great to listen to whilst having lunch.
After lunch, it was time for a wander, towards the harbour, where i found the Aquarium and IMAX, so i decided that i would go and see some “animals”. There was a special display all about Jellyfish – amazing the different size and shapes of them, some even had moving lights in their bodies! There was the Turtle Recovery Centre, and the Penguins. It was strange see the African “Jackass” Penguins there, having seen them in South Africa in their natural habitat. Another bizarre thing was the “Thinking Gallery” where there were some seadragon..the weedy seadragon and the leafy seadragon. One of the main attractions was the Giant Ocean Tank, in which lived a variety of Sea Life...fishes, manta rays, sharks, and a couple of Large Turtles. At different times there are feeding sessions..in the Giant Ocean Tank there are a couple of divers who feed the fish etc. The largest Turtle “Myrtle” (she’s been there for about 30 years) kept trying to get some food from the divers (she was almost the same size as them – 5ft/6ft in length), but the divers kept moving her on.
I went to see the 3D showing of Dolphins and Whales at the Imax, interesting to learn how they are related, some breeds of dolphins are actually small whales!
Leaving the Imax, passing by Fanueil Hall, one of the US Navy brass bands were starting their concert, so i sat for a while. I love brass band music, but they also did some Ella Fitzgerald songs and the Dixie Band played some music typical to Madi Gras and New Orleans.
Wednesday didn’t look too promising weather wise, but as it was clear in the morning, i decided to walk up Massachusetts Ave, across the bridge and through Cambridge to Harvard. This is a couple of miles. I passed MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), a fire station next door to the Salvation Army (both saving souls from fire!), Grafton Street (a cafe – in Cambridge UK, Grafton street is a shopping centre!). The architecture and feel was different to Cambridge UK (I lived in the area for 10 years, including sometime at the University). Arriving at Harvard University, i had just missed a guided tour, the next one was not due to leave until after lunch, so armed with a map i decided to wander off and see some of the other areas of the University (Business School, Athletics Grounds)..but whilst out walking it started to rain, so i headed off for lunch, at a bar that had been recommended...and they had real ale on tap so it had to be a pint of Cambridge Amber with my “Express” Lunch. After lunch, the rain had not dissipated, so after a quick walk around Cambridge Common, it was time to catch the metro back to the hostel. Although i decided that it might be worth to do one of the Bus tours...and went for the “Duck” Tours...they exist in many cities and are amphibious vehicles, some are based on D.U.C.K. vehicles used by the US Forces. It is certainly one way to see the sight, are driver was Captain Duct Tape (all of the drivers are real characters and have unusual names!), and he was a character. Once on the Charles River, the children (and a couple of big kids) where allowed to drive the DUCK. The rain had not stopped although became only a fine drizzle, i was still drenched by the time i had walked back to the Hostel. There was a low cloud around, and you could not see the top of some of the larger buildings.
Thursday did not see any improvement in the weather, so what to do....well for kids of all ages there is the Museum of Science, it is a fun place, looking at all different aspects, and there is plenty for all to see, play, touch, investigate. Dinosaurs, Bird Life, Electricity, Mathematics, Computers & AI, Engineering, Models, Light, Seeing is Deceiving (the Illusions), Nanotechnology, Solar & Wind, Transport, Human Body, X Ray and the Special Exhibits were Critter Cam and Black Hole Theory. Something for everyone! There is also a Planetarium, Omni Theatre & Laser Shows...check what’s on. I went to see Deep Sea in the Omni Theatre – this is a theatre where you have a 180 degree screen, so you are almost lain down in the sets, and it has a 3D effect on your vision, you feel you can almost touch the animals (and you don’t use 3D glasses!!!)
The rain had stopped by the time that i returned, so i only took the metro part way back, and wandered back through the streets, via the Common, down “5th Avenue” and back to the hostel. The clouds were still low, but at least there was an opportunity to walk without getting wet.
The hostel is set in the Back Bay area of Boston. It is so called because the area was originally river, but the citizens claimed it back by filling in the bay with earth from 2 hills and 65ft of the 3rd hill in Boston. It took about 40 years to do, as it was all done by manual labour!
Friday was a much improved day, so quickly on the metro and off up to Harvard....i decided to do the self tour, as there were too many tourists with guides, but it was interesting learning the history and the change of use of the buildings in Harvard Yard. Then back on the metro as far as MIT, a wander around some of the grounds, and then walked back over the Harvard Bridge and onto Province Tower. From the 50th floor, you can get a 360 degree view of Boston, and the weather was clear, blue skies and sunshine. There were lots of tourists everywhere, as they had come up for 4th July weekend, and were wanting to visit all the historical places that led to Independence events. After seeing the amazing views, it was back out into the sunshine, and to Fanueil Hall to follow the 2nd part of the Freedom Trail.....you can’t lose the trail as it is either red bricks in the pavement or red lines on the road!
But before going off on a trek, it was time for lunch, so i went for lunch at Cheers (not the original, but the one based on the set), and lunch watching some of the Murray match. It was a hassle to fight through all the tourists! Having reached the Bunker Hill monument i was shattered, so i decided not to climb the 264 steps to the top of the monument...i still had to walk back! Going to the Navy yard i saw “Old Ironsides”, she has no iron on her sides, but when we (the British) fired at her, our cannon balls seemed to bounce off her....thereby giving her the nickname she now goes by. Heading back, i walked through the park, that has been created by the “Big Dig”. This was where there used to be an overpass, but the city decided, that it wanted to remove the eyesore, and make it an underpass. This has so far taken 12 years (and is almost done), and has cost much more than any of the original estimates!! I walked part way back to the hostel, but aching feet made the decision easier to go back the main part by metro.
Saturday 4th July – Independence Day. How does it feel to be a British Citizen, in the place where the revolution started to kick us out, or at least to stop us ruling them??? Actually it was interesting. I decided to start the day off early-ish, and go to the Old State House to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence. I was down in plenty of time, but when it all started to be read, there was problems with the PA...and they didn’t really sort it, so i was at the Reading, but i could not really hear it being Read! Then off down to the Harbour to see Old Ironsides sail down the river...she was not able to do this by herself, she had a tug boat tied to her side for the power. At 12 noon she fired a 21 gun salute, then came back up towards the Navy yard and set off another21 gun salute.
It’s sometimes interesting chatting to people...i was chatting to an old couple from Georgia, when Ruth commented on a gentleman’s top being from somewhere. From chatting they discovered that the other family were very good friends with a couple that the couple from Georgia knew in their town!!!
Lunch was at a small place in Little Italy – pasta of course. Then it was off for a meander through Beacon Hill (the posh part of town), saw the original cheers (way too many tourists to get a drink), and through the park (sat for a while in the sunshine).
Back to the hostel to catch up with the family...my parents were visiting my brother and family, and if i timed it right my nephew might be up. Actually they didn’t have the computer on, so i rang on skype and talked to my nephew...they then switched the computer on. I set my video on, so they could see me, but my bro doesn’t have a camera with his laptop. My nephew stopped up for a bit longer...he was so excited to talk to and to see his aunty ona. The family were all around the computer, and every so often my nephew kept saying “Excuse me, excuse me” he had another question...he is so polite! It was great to chat, but it was time to get my nephew to bed (it was past 9pm in the UK).
The evening celebrations at Boston were to be the Boston Pops – a free concert – with special guest Neil Diamond, who’s song “Sweet Caroline” has been adopted as the “theme” song for the Boston Red Sox. Followed by a fireworks display, that would be televised nationwide at 10.30pm
I had been informed the best place to be was on the north side of Charles River, in front of MIT. There would be speakers, for the concert which started at 8.30pm, but best to get there early for decent seats. I left around 7pm to go and grab some food from a place on “5th Avenue”, i stopped at a pizza take away place, which apparently had a wait of 1 hour for food! Not waiting that long, so i wandered over to where i could grab a “seat” on the road to watch the concert...there were plenty of food stalls to grab some food. At 7.30 it was already reasonably busy, but people kept arriving....family groups, groups of friends....all there to be together...they reckon there was 1m people at the event (both sides of the river). Some people had their boats moored in the river to get a good view (the fireworks were set off from the middle of the Charles river), some people even had their kayaks out to watch. It was amazing to see the whole event. Although the fireworks were good, i preferred those i had seen in Montreal by the GB team. After the event, the mass crowds walked back to wherever, but some of the roads that hadn’t been closed off, were just a mass of people walking down them!
Back and time to pack to head off to New York tomorrow.