Smitten for Boston, that’s what I am! After a month we have finally mustered up the strength leave.
No, not because Massachusetts has the worlds worst drivers (self-admitted), it is simply getting too
darn cold! 18-degree temperatures and freezing water pumps are no bueno in a tin box!?! The energy
of this city is fantastic and contagious! I appreciated the diversity, from college students and
young professionals to established entrepreneurs and even tourists. We met some fabulous people
that contributed greatly to our enjoyment and experience in Boston. Thank you for all the advice and
local recommendations! Matt and Elise, I am looking at you! π The “m-asshole” reputation that we keep
hearing about, did not ring true, at least from our experience. Also a shout-out to our fellow
cross-country travelling families we met during this stop, Garrett and Gigi from Illinois and Matt
and Nicole from California! Good people.
As the FIRST-place champion(s) of the Normandy Farms Campground family scavenger hunt (thank you Zoe
for signing us up…lol), I am honored to say this is the best campground we have stayed in since leaving
Salt Lake City, UT! It may be because of the two hot tubs, indoor pool, or massive recreation hall, not
sure.
Thanks to the time change, it has been getting insanely dark around 5:00! For once, I am excited about
this because this year I am actually going to sit-down and watch this thing called a T.V.! I am starting
with the Game of Thrones, almost done with the first season! Yes, I am investing 72-hours+ of my
sabbatical to this cause (now that Hannah and Brian are finished with Stranger Things). After Game of Thrones,
I have a mile-long list of food and nutrition documentaries. Please let me know if you have any that you
would recommend that I can add to my list. They are good motivators and reminders to live a healthy
lifestyle. I am hoping to traumatize my children with a couple of them too.
Our highlights of Boston include:
My personal favorite, the Freedom Trail! It is a 2.5-mile trail that takes you past 16 top historic
locations. You simply follow the double brick trail around the city. It is fool-proof. Maybe that is
the reason I liked it.
Boston Tea Party Museum – This experience doubled as history class. Among other things, the girls learned that the
tea “party” lasted 3.5 hours, the Boston Massacre killed 5 people, and Paul Revere had 16 kids. They even got
to throw some tea overboard. The actors of the tour made the experience extra fun as they forced you to
take-on a character and get involved.
We did another hop-on hop-off bus that included a harbor cruise – On said cruise, we learned that a nearby
plant is used to recycle human waste into pellets that are shipped to Florida and used in Orange Orchards.
Enjoy your orange juice, folks! We joke that today was the car, to train, to bus, to boat, to bus, to train,
to car kind of day.
Fabulous restaurants and bakeries everywhere you turn, but my top was Eataly. We also went to Cheers (Where
everybody knows your name), mostly because you have to go once. It was a tourist trap, but fun to expose the
girls to Sam, Norm, Carla, and all the other characters that made us laugh!
The Cannoli Debate! Mikes Pastry and Modern Pastry. Thank you, Mary Ordan, for opening our eyes to this
beautiful tradition between the two dominating bakeries. As for the actual cannoli, our votes (all four)
went to Modern. HOWEVER, we discovered we are not huge cannoli lovers, therefore, the Best Pastry Award goes
to Mikes Pastry!! And yes, we are becoming quite the pastry experts.
Salem – THIS is the place to be for Halloween. It is the witchery capital of the country and October is
their month to shine. It started back in 1692 with the murder of 16 witches, all accused via speculation
(meaning someone simply called them a witch). I got sucked into the spirit of the city and bought Tarot Cards and
a witches hat. When in Rome… (or Salem). We also took a haunted tour of the House of the Seven Gables and another
centered around the hanging judge at the time of the trial. Crazy stuff!
Plymouth Rock – Well, it’s a rock. A surprisingly small, underwhelming “boulder”. There for the symbolism,
but definitely a cool area to get a visual of where the Mayflower “may or may not” have landed. Had some
fresh fish right off the boat from Woods restaurant. Still can’t get the girls to eat seafood.
The Patriots vs. Chargers game – Though we (aka Chargers) didn’t walk away with the victory (do we ever?), it was a fun
experience for Brian and Hannah to share together. They were both excited to receive a friendly pre-game “nod of acknowledgement” from Philip Rivers and happy that the Bolts actually made a game of it.
Thank you, Patriots fans, for the warm welcome and no-drama experience. Again thanks to Matt and Elise for the ticket hook-up and locals only parking tip!
Lexington and Concord- Two charming little towns right at the heart of American History. Standing on the
North Bridge where the “shot heard round the world” was fired on a gorgeous fall afternoon was a moving
experience.
Martha’s Vineyard – We took the jeep over on the ferry for a day trip and explored the entire island. Unique
landscape where the trees met the beach. There is just a little bit of “money” over there. I loved looking
at all the beautiful houses! We were looking for Jaws, but had no such luck seeing any sharks.
Cape Cod – Spent the day on Cape Code, most of the time in Provincetown (aka Ptown). We ate brunch at Fanizzi’s,
a fabulous place on the sea. We realized, when Zoe got ridiculously excited about a buffet, that she had never been
to a smorgasbord before! Ironically, her first experience ended up being all the way across the country! The thought
that she can could go back as many times as she wanted too (without paying each time) blew. her. mind! The food and
setting are fantastic, this place is worth a second visit in the future!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, New England!
XO
Tina
Boondocks and Bliss