Day Ten
Boston is a cool city dripping with history. And that is really cool. But, if you drive a big van, it is not dripping with parking. Or at least attendants that are willing to let you park in their lots. And that is not cool. Just sayin'.
So, with that nice introduction, our day in Boston was not quite what we had planned. It still worked out, but poor Harvey! We got into the city intentionally after rush hour, but we are pretty sure that going into Boston, every hour is rush hour. Ha! Man, is this making us appreciate Charlotte and its traffic. After this trip, I'm convinced our traffic is not so bad anymore :).
And now, back to our story... so we had a guide booked for a private walking tour since there were seven of us and the price difference was not that significant. We were right at the city with thirty minutes to spare, so we felt we were fine. We ended up getting stuck in traffic and then could not fine a spot. So Harvey dropped off all of us except for Jonathan. Jonathan opted to stay with him, which ended up being a really good decision. We started the tour with a great tour guide in period costume. Poor Harvey went to 5 different areas and either did not fit or was not allowed to park even if he did fit!
The Mayflower II
Life on the ship!
So, with that nice introduction, our day in Boston was not quite what we had planned. It still worked out, but poor Harvey! We got into the city intentionally after rush hour, but we are pretty sure that going into Boston, every hour is rush hour. Ha! Man, is this making us appreciate Charlotte and its traffic. After this trip, I'm convinced our traffic is not so bad anymore :).
And now, back to our story... so we had a guide booked for a private walking tour since there were seven of us and the price difference was not that significant. We were right at the city with thirty minutes to spare, so we felt we were fine. We ended up getting stuck in traffic and then could not fine a spot. So Harvey dropped off all of us except for Jonathan. Jonathan opted to stay with him, which ended up being a really good decision. We started the tour with a great tour guide in period costume. Poor Harvey went to 5 different areas and either did not fit or was not allowed to park even if he did fit!
Meanwhile, we were on the walking tour, which was fascinating! There was so much history to absorb. I was updating Harvey by text in the hopes that he and Jonathan would be able to join us. As it turned out, after we were over halfway through we ran into the two of them in the van waiting at a traffic light! Our guide offered to finish the tour in our van, so he did! It was great! Harvey and Jonathan got to hear him and the guide got to sit in air conditioning for a little bit. I would say it was a win for all of us :). I looked back at one point and saw Jonathan saluting the guide while he was talking to us!
After we dropped off the tour guide, we then headed to the USS Constituion, which is still a commissioned U.S. Navy Ship. Sadly, it was closed on Mondays, but thankfully its museum was not! It was a great museum for kids as it was very hands on. All of us really enjoyed it, including Trey. It had many fascinating facts to read, see, and do. When it was over, we got to talk to some Park Rangers, as part of the area by the ship in the parking lot is a National Park (on asphalt :).
A puppet show!
At this point, we REALLY needed some food :), so we headed out of town to find food outside of Boston and then drove on to Plymouth. We saw the Mayflower II, Plymouth Rock, and then, our favorite, the National Monument to the Forefathers. We saw the movie "Monumental" a few weeks before our trip. I highly recommend it if you go see the monument; it explains it in such detail. The monument is beautiful. I think I read that this the 3rd largest monument in the U.S. and is just under the height of the Statue of Liberty. I guess I am most amazed about the fact that I had never heard of it until the movie. There is no signage explaining the significance of the monument. It is back behind a neighborhood, even difficult to find. There is so much Christian symbolism tied into it, perhaps that is why it is hidden away? Of all the big monuments we have been to, this is the most hidden, but clearly, one of the most beautiful.
After all the sightseeing, we ran into a Panera and got some soup to go, as it was chilly and damp and then kept going to our next destination.
Thanks for following along with us!
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