Boston Pictures - July 2011

Prepare yourself for picture overload. I'll give some background information, but we all know pictures tell a better story.

Jess and I decided to take advantage of a week-long vacation over July 4th, before the new baby arrives and while Jack is comfortable enough being left at home with Grandma's and Grandpa's. We missed him while we were away, but knew we made the right decision with all the walking, crowds and public transportation this trip involved. It was hard enough carrying an extra 20 lbs around my mid-section, let alone pushing a stroller! My Dr. said it was ok (I was 33 weeks when we left) as long as we stayed domestic and I listened to my body. It was a fun and educational trip... much needed!

This was part of an Edward Jones group trip and there were a few organized activities, most most of the time, we spent on our own, travelling the city. Here we are upon arrival at our Hotel, Boston Copley Place. We were right in the heart of the city. This was the first free-lending public library in the country.

The view from our hotel room.

The streets of Boston. Lots of great shopping..... we did some, but mostly window shopping. I have never been to NY and only been to Rodeo Drive once, but I would recommend Boston for high-end shopping any day! There was a designer store we didn't see. It was an extremely clean city with lots of quaint shops and fine dining..... I live for the food, so this was the best part of the trip. Whoever says 'don't spend your money on food, you won't have anything to show for it' - I disagree. Just as the nurse at my OB office when I got on the scale the next week. I had a few "things" to show for it (despite all the walking)!

Jess in Boston Commons public part by a G. Washington memorial. Such a pretty park in the middle of the city - the country's first public park.

Another great park below.... the country's oldest MLB park - Fenway. We had a private tour on our second day. Such a historic place.

Jess and I on the field. Now we are getting a glimpse of the belly pictures!

Here I am, pictured with the Green Monster!..... that's what they call it (the large green wall in the outfield) This is one of the only manually operated score boards in the Major Leagues.

Jess and I before dinner one night. We attended dinner with some friends and colleagues at the Atlantic Fish Company (highly recommended).

Fourth of July morning. This is the Massachusetts State House. The town was absolutely packed on this day! We were told 800,000 people come to the city to witness the fireworks. At the time (key phrase) we didn't believe it was so!

The morning of July Fourth, we took a Boston Duck (also known as DUKW) tour of the city on land and by water. These were amphibious vehicles originally engineered for the Normandy invasion and now re-purposed in many major cities around the country for tourist activities. Here we are ready to enter the Charles River.

Here is a picture of fellow Duck in the water.

The view of the city from the Charles River.

Like any great New England town, Boston had an Italian district, known as the North End. We absolutely loved eating at any and all restaurants in this area, in total, we had 3 meals in the North End. The below picture is one of Mike's Pastry shop and we stopped here for an after-lunch treat..... a true cannoli! It was fabulous!

We did some browsing in Quincy Market.

We visited a few historical sites on this end of town, including Paul Revere's House and the Old North Church (where the lanterns were hung to warn to the county of how the British would be attacking).... remember this from history class? Or at least the movie National Treasures?

The Old North Church from within. It is still an operating church to this day. However I found it interesting that their "pews" are enclosed and you only sit with your family! In the older days, you had to purchase your pew and the closer to the front, the more expensive your space was!

Here we are waiting for the fireworks to start. This was the most overrated part of the trip. I know many of you have seen the Boston fireworks televised on TV, but I must tell, this is the point Jess and I believed all that we had heard.... about the 800,000 people descending on the city, camping out to watch fireworks, obnoxious people cramped into tight spaces, etc. We waited 2 hours to watch 20 min of fireworks over the Charles River, had to walk 6 blocks back to our hotel among 800,000 people leaving at the same time, all the while afraid of riots that would break out in the streets!

Here is a picture of the grand events.

The next day, we made our way back to the North End for lunch at the best pizza place we have ever tried in our lives! I'm not exaggerating. The help was a bit rude.... or maybe that's just their normal attitude, they only serve pizza, don't think to ask for a salad and don't dare leave out the door you came in, you will get yelled at and told to leave out the door specific to exiting the restaurant. As far as I'm concerned, they can be as rude as they want, if they serve pizza as good as they do. It's the oldest (and best) pizza place in all of Boston!

For the afternoon, we headed to Harvard's campus to walk around and soak up some knowledge! Here is a picture of their library and me climbing the steps.

Jess and I pictured in front of the founder of Harvard.

We bought a few books here.... that we have already started ready at home. I think I am more likely to by a good book at a Harvard bookstore, rather than a Barnes and Nobles....... maybe not, but that's how my mind works!

On our short list of places to attend, was also the Sam Adams brewery. I couldn't take part and truthfully don't care for beer anyway, but Jess enjoyed the trip. It was away from the main city in much different part of town and not at all what we were expecting..... small little building, where mostly testing, tasting, touring and R&D take place on their introductory and specialty beers.

Other than tour Fenway, we also attended a baseball game one evening. They played the Blue Jays and won. We sat in the original stadium seats, very cramped, the whole game..... but enjoyed every minute of it. The original stadium seat might have accommodated for 1930's rear-ends and shoulders, but not those of today!

Jess and I at Fenway. A fellow Hoosier, who just happened to be wearing a Butler Bulldog shirt was sitting in front of us, so we made small talk.

On one of our last days, we attended the JFK Presidential Library and Museum. This was a highlight of the trip and Jess and I both really enjoyed the morning we spent learning more about him, his family and his contributions to our country.

I will leave you with a few pictures of what I will think of when I think back to our Boston trip. We loved the breeze that came off the Harbor, seeing all the sailboats, eating fresh seafood and enjoying the streets of Boston.

PS. We celebrated anniversary #5 while on this trip!