Please come to Boston

Labor Day weekend was spent in my favorite city; Boston. It has been six years since my last visit and honestly not much has changed since then. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the long weekend with some of my favorite people, in my favorite city.

After a short and gorgeous plane ride we landed at Logan early Saturday morning. Earl had passed the night before, bringing in gorgeous skies, and a pleasant breeze. Did I mention the perfect temps to do a little exploring?

Speaking of exploring, lets do some shall we?

Boston Harbor

The site of the Boston Tea Party is where we spent most of the morning. Watching boats come in and out, couples hold relax on the barriers and tourists snap pictures. Today its not the tea party that you see, but cruises and day excursions-including whale watching-that come in and out of it's ports. In the background, the Boston city skyline with its mixture of old and new captures the true beauty of the city.

Born and raised in the DC metro area I am ashamed to say, DC does not hold a candle to restoring and keeping their city the way it was. Yes, its a gorgeous city in its own right. But most of the buildings that had been here long before any of us were are no longer around. Torn down, they are quickly replaced with new more appealing buildings that do little to remind us of where we have been. And the history we need to preserve. Thankfully what DC lacks, Boston makes up for.

Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market

Looking to do a little shopping? One of the oldest open market places in the country still operates much like it did when it first opened in 1742. Along with Quincy Market and North Market, it hosts a variety of shops and restaurants featuring anything from ladies major league sports wear to the famous Cheers. No, unfortunately, no one there knew my name. Along the cobbled sidewalk, vendors, street performers and natives mix and mingle. Proving that while some things change over time, very little does as well.

Now on top of Faneuil Hall lies a weather predictor. Typical for the time and era, however be warned this is not your typical N, E, S, W. But rather a grasshopper. There have been many theories to why this is, but if asked its a grasshopper.


Of course, it also is home to several Bars, most of which have at least a bit of it outside. A perfect combination for those that love the gorgeous cool temps and enjoy a good drink at the same time. I give credit to the bar pictured here or having the most unique name and sign ever.


Paul Revere's House

Ah yes, the man famous for the midnight ride. Or was he? You see for those non history buffs-Mr. Revere never fully completed his midnight run, but was captured before. Leaving someone else to complete the ride for him. What Boston trip would be complete without a trip into the very place he called home, along with two wives and their 16 children (5 whom died in infancy) As I had mentioned earlier one thing I love about the city is how they mix the old with the new. How you can have a house built in 1680-note here he was not the original owner-next to a building built centuries later.

If you chose to take a tour-which will cost you $3.50 per adult, you will step back in time to when things were simpler, kids were quieter and people were a lot shorter.

The house has been restored over the years but many of it's pieces were of the Revere's themselves or gifts and replicas from the time frame. In today's standards the house is small, with no hallways-the concept of a hallway took a hundred years or so to develop. The attic to where the children would have called home inaccessible to guests but it doesn't take away of the beauty and the amazement from things. The wood is gorgeous, the tables still standing. In fact standing in the house made me realize that you don't exactly need a 5 bedroom mansion to be happy. It's nice but all you need is the necessities.And other than the fact my husband had to duck to get into most of the rooms, could still be used to this day.


The Freedom Trail


Like the Revere house, one should not leave Boston without taking a stroll along the freedom trail. You can either hike the two mile plus trail yourself, stopping along the way at Kings Church, Bunker Hill and various graveyards or you could chose as we did on this weekend to take a tour. Having done both, I found both positive and negatives with both, while the tour guide was fabulous and had a lot of information, we weren't able to go at our own pace and often skipped several attractions we had hoped to go into. We found when we went on our own we were a little more free with such things as touring the King's Chapel and the Old State House. Though I do admit, I had to snap a picture of me standing right where the massacre-which was only five gentlemen-a massacre back then. If you were to drive through the city you would never notice it was there, nestled in between a heavy trafficked intersection its unnoticable to most, including myself who had no idea it was there the last time I visited.


Again, Boston is a great tourist city. Bring your walking shoes for this trail and be ready to snap some incredible shots. I had way to much fun doing so while our tour guide explained people fighting for independence from the British. Some key things to look out for while walking this trail are the following: the Old State House, and Granary Burying Ground for which the grave sites of Sam Adams, John Hancock, Paul Revere and the Franklin Family are located. The Old North Church is the site where the phrase 'One if by Land, two if by Sea' is best known for


Ghosts and Graveyard Tours

After all the walking and site seeing your probably ready to have a little fun. Why not try a lighter side of the Boston tourism in the form of a fun and exciting Ghost and graveyard tour? After all, Boston is one of the most haunted cities in America. Go back in time as this 90 minute tour takes you through some of the most haunted stories. From the Boston Strangler to the Omni Park Hotel haunting's-which includes the owner and a female ghost- you are taken on a journey not for the faint of heart. If your looking for a good time one evening and don't mind getting a little spooked I highly recommend this. I have taken the tour twice now, and it only seems to get better with each tour. Though be aware that they don't allow anyone under the age of 10 and its highly recommend that they be 13 or older.



So next time your looking for a vacation, a long weekend getaway or a beautiful drive up the East Coast, try Boston on for size. You just may find yourself falling in love with America once again.