Boston 2009

Darren and I just spent the past week in Boston. We went out there for Andy and Kat's wedding on Friday and then stayed until Tuesday to do all the tourist things. The wedding was beautiful. A lot of pictures were taken but none from my camera. I carried the video camera around while Darren photographed. It was a sunny day but very cold and windy. Andy and Kat were troopers staying out there in the cold without coats, gloves or hats. The reception was lovely as well, but again, I just video taped and Darren took the photos. So you will have to wait for those.

Saturday we still had our rental car. We were trying to decide if we should drive north or south. After getting advice from a few people at the wedding we decided to drive north. We first went to Rockport, MA and visited Halibut Point State Park which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. It was windy and very cold. The beach was all huge boulders and when the ocean waves would hit the rocks it would freeze. So there was ice everywhere. You had to be very careful where you stepped.

Tracie posing by a tree at the park. At the parking lot you followed a wooded path before you got to the beach. That is where this was taken. Darren didn't want us to take this picture because he thought it was dumb and girls don't go around hugging trees. He's right but it made a fun picture anyway.

After the state park we drove into Gloucester, America's first seaport. In the downtown area there was a Christmas tree made out of lobster cages with buoys for ornaments. Tracie is practicing her cheerleader moves and Ben is eating her foot.

Darren and I by the Christmas tree

Dad and Tracie on one of the boulders

Dad being brave and touching the icy water. Right after he got up the waves washed over his feet. Good thing he wasn't still kneeling down.

All day Saturday the weatherman were predicting a huge storm for Washington DC and every other place north along the coast. It wasn't supposed to hit Boston until Saturday night. And they weren't sure if they would get 1-2 feet of snow or 1-2 inches. On Sunday morning we woke up to a white world and it was still snowing. I don't know how much they actually got but I would guess it was somewhere in between. We decided that we weren't going to spend all day in our hotel room just because of some snow. After all, we are from snow country. So we bundled up and ventured out to the Subway since we no longer had our rental car. We rode the Subway to the Boston Art Museum. Then we rode it to the North End, Boston's Italian Neighborhood, to eat lunch. We loved that neighborhood and would have loved walking around it more if there wouldn't have been so much snow still uncleared. By that time it was time to go to TD Gardens where the Celtics play. We had a fun time watching the game, then came back to the hotel for the night.

Ben, Mom and I on the subway.

Darren and I at the basketball game.

The Boston Art Museum

Ben's snow angel

Monday was our last day to be tourists so we felt like we had to cram a lot of stuff in. We left the hotel at 7:30, got on the Subway and rode across (actually under) the Charles river to Charleston MA. We ate breakfast at Dunkin Doughnuts (we knew they would have one there because they are on every street corner in Boston) then climbed the hill to the Bunker Hill monument. I couldn't remember much about the battle of Bunker Hill. They have a wonderful monument that you can see all over the city since it is on a hill and very tall. The museum across the street tells the story of the battle and it was actually very moving for me to hear. Next time I go to Boston I am going to catch up my early American history so the places mean more when I visit.

After Bunker Hill we walked to the USS Constitution, a ship either from the war or a remake of it. I'm not sure which because it is closed Monday through Wed and we couldn't see it. So we walked back across the bridge to Boston and found the Old North Church instead. That is a cool building. It is the original one from Revolutionary war times and is still used for church services today. There was an old cemetery by it but it was too hard to wade through the snow to look at it.

The science museum was next, then the aquarium, then the skywalk observatory tower where you can see all of Boston from high above. We did manage to get a lot of things done that day but there are still many things I still want to see -- anyone for another trip to Boston.

Ben, Mom, Tracie, and Dad hiking up Bunker hill. Check out the Dunkin Doughnuts cups :-)