The Freedom Trail

The Freedom Trail in Boston is a collection of churches, burying grounds, parks, museums, and historic markers that recount the story of the American Revolution.  On Saturday, we rode the train into the city and started our 2 1/2 mile walk at Boston Common, America's oldest public park.  Here's a list of some of the highlights we saw along the trail.  Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere's House, Old North Church, USS Constitution, and Bunker Hill (saw on a previous day). 

On Sunday, we went to church with Alex and kids then had crepes for lunch.  Played some games and got ready to head to the airport.  It was a great week in Boston.  We will need to go back!  (On a side note...we came home with allergies/colds/or was it covid? Tested negative but ya never know!)

Maine and Plymouth

We rented an SUV and drove north through Massachusetts and New Hampshire to get to Maine.  Such a beautiful state! Our first stop was Nubble Lighthouse in Cape Neddick.  Wow! We climbed around on the rocks and got some pictures of it.  It's on its own little island, so we couldn't get any closer.  How adorable is that red roof and out building?  And that green grass!  Loved it all.  

We drove the coastline and oooed and awed at the gorgeous beach homes.  Our next stop was for lunch in Kennebunkport.  We were on the hunt for good lobster rolls... a new food for all of us.  We chose Alisson's Restaurant because it had pretty great reviews.  Emma and I had rolls with butter and Matt had his with mayonnaise.  Keeping it classic.  We discovered that none of us are huge lobster fans.  We ate it and enjoyed the experience, but we certainly didn't die over it.  After lunch, we walked into some of the cute shops, and Emma bought a fun sweatshirt. 

We had reservations at a hotel on the water in the Old Port area of Portland, Maine.  We checked in and rested a bit while it rained hard outside.  Then we decided to go see one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country, Portland Head Light.  It sits at the tip of Fort Williams Park.  Quite impressive.  We were able to walk around the property and get an up close view.  It would have been even more fun if the weather had been a little better and we could have hiked along the trails and explored some of the old bunkers. 

We drove further north to Freeport where we visited the LL Bean flagship store.  Three huge buildings of merchandise.  We practically had the whole place to ourselves on a Thursday night.  It was a fun little excursion on a rainy night.  

The next morning, after a hearty breakfast at Becky's Diner, we decided to drive a few hours south down towards Cape Cod to Plymouth, Massachusetts to see where the Mayflower landed in 1620.  We walked around Pilgrim Memorial State Park and saw the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock.

Ended Friday in Cambridge eating dumplings with Alex, Sarah, and Josie.  Justin and McKenzie were at prom with their dates.  We then walked over to the Harvard area for cookies and/or ice cream.

Boston Part 2

On Wednesday we started our day at Bunker Hill.  We were going to walk up to the top of the monument, but we found that it is closed for some renovations.  Cool to see though and imagine the battle that took place in this area.  We needed a place to eat lunch, so Matt looked on Yelp to see what is close by.  A place called Warren Tavern popped up, so off we walked through the neighborhood a few blocks.  We go inside, get seated, and then find out that this is a historic tavern built in 1780.  It was visited by George Washington and Paul Revere!  So glad we stumbled upon this little place to eat and rest our feet.  The food was super good too! Emma and Matt had fish and chips, and I ordered a yummy bbq bacon hamburger. 

We did the most touristy thing one can do in any city... we took a Duck Boat Tour!  We had never done this before, but somebody had told me that it's a good one in Boston.  And it really was!  It drove us around the city and gave us all kinds of great info about it.  A great overview and prequel to our walking tour we would be doing in a couple more days.  Then we became a boat and floated in the Charles River.  It's always fun to view a city from the water, and this didn't disappoint.  

Our touring day ended with eating cannolis from Mike's Pastry in the grass in front of the Harvard Library.

It was a long, tiring, fun day.

 

Boston Part 1

We took a little trip out to Boston in mid-May for several reasons... to visit Matt's brother Alex and his family, to attend a game at Fenway Park, and to explore Boston and surrounding areas.  None of us had ever been to Massachusetts or any state in New England, so we got to check off three on this vacation.

We stayed with Alex and Sarah and their kids in their gorgeous home built in the 1850s.  They were so kind and generous to let us use two bedrooms during our visit.  It was fun to talk with them, see their beautiful city, and eat great food with them.  They let us borrow their car twice which was so helpful and nice.  

On our first full day, we drove their car to Salem, MA.  We took a tour in the famous House of the Seven Gables which was built in 1668.  In the 1700s it belonged to a cousin of the author Nathaniel Hawthorne.  He visited there many times and based the setting and title of a novel on this house.  It's probably the oldest home I've ever been inside and was super interesting.  The "secret" staircase was a favorite part. We explored other buildings on the property as well as the lovely garden. 

Next, we visited the Salem Witch Museum.  It was a little underwhelming, but I guess it was still worth going to.  

We headed towards the Lexington/Concord areas and paid a visit to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery where Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson are buried.  They call that area of the cemetery "Authors' Ridge".  

We headed back to Alex's home so we could go to the Red Sox vs Astros game at Fenway Park.  Alex and Justin came with us. Going to this ballpark was a dream come true for Matt and was a big checkmark on his bucket list.