Finally, the weekend the boys had been waiting for had arrived! On Friday morning, in late July, we hopped in Eric's beamer and headed north to Boston. The traffic was not bad until we got to Connecticut ("Connecticut is a parking lot", Eric kept saying). It took us several extra hours to get there, because after we got through the nonsense of Connecticut's freeway, we hit the nonsense of Massachusetts's freeway. It was not any better.
So, instead of going to Fenway Park that night (which was, let's face it -- the only place the boys really cared about seeing), we went to the hotel. We were excited to be staying near Copley Square, and especially excited to be staying at the Marriott, which was really nice. Across the street was a mall, and in that mall was the Cheesecake Factory! The boys had only heard of it the few times I let them watch The Big Bang Theory, so they were eager to see what it was all about. It was must fancier than the one Penny works at, and the boys declared it was the best meal they ever ate.
The next morning we got on the subway (which the boys were very impressed with -- much nicer than the disgusting New York subways). The boys thought a Duck Boat tour would be a better idea - maybe next time. While on the train, though, I was approached by someone wanting to sell his Red Sox tickets for the Monday night game to some obvious tourists (us). Luckily, being a real Red Sox fan, I knew that there WAS no game on Monday -- it was a travel day for them. I politely declined his invitation to buy the fake tickets, and told him we would not be here.
When we got off the train near Faneuil Hall, there was a homeless man politely asking for money. I taught the boys the difference between New York and Boston at that moment. We were standing in a beautiful square, surrounded by cobblestone streets and beautiful brick buildings. The air was clean, and there was no traffic (it was early in the morning, but nevertheless). There was no garbage on the ground -- it was perfectly clean. And here was a homeless man saying, "May I please have a dollar for something to eat?" very quietly and politely. In New York, the homeless people trip you or just stand in your way until the stench of them forces you to hand over money. Well done, Boston, well done!!
Just ahead of the polite bum was the Aquarium, our first stop for the day. We got there right as it was opening, and the boys loved every minute of it. I couldn't believe how much of it I remembered from my trip there over...ahem...over 20 years before (wow).
I remember touching the sting rays when I was there as a teenager!
I also remember the penguins -- they're in the exact same place they were when I was there -- I mean the display, not the actual penguins:) I remember them smelling a lot worse, though. Maybe the aquarium workers took care of that little problem.
Making our way up the big, spiral aquarium, we saw all kinds of creatures, including giant sea turtles and sharks:
After we spent a couple of hours at the Aquarium, we were to meet Jay and Cindy and their family for lunch. Jay is Grandpa Jerry's brother, and I wasn't sure if I would recognize any of them since it had been a couple of decades since we last met, but we did as soon as we saw them! Jay couldn't meet us for lunch because he was working, but Cindy was there with Angela and her husband and 2 boys, and cousin Melanie. We went to the old North end, and had a great lunch at an old Italian restaurant tucked into the side of an old brick building. It was beautiful.
The boys enjoyed the pizza, mussels, and fried clams. Cindy paid and wouldn't let us even think of chipping in. We took some pictures, and decided to meet up again for brunch on Sunday.
We began my favorite part of the Boston tour, the old North End. It was one of the parts I remember most about my trip as a kid, and I was excited to show the boys all of my favorite parts. The cobblestone streets are very narrow, since they only had to fit a horse and buggy when they were made. It makes it very easy to walk around, though - there really was very little auto traffic.
Our first stop was the Old North Church. I vividly remembered the patron boxes. Each family would have their own little "box" to sit in during services. I often wished we had one of those in our church when my kids were little and my husband was sitting up on the stand. I could have used an enclosure for them!
Another contrast of Boston and New York, as I pointed out to the boys: in one of the beautiful little courtyards, there was a man singing to entertain the tourists. He was singing opera, and had an extremely good voice. In New York, we passed by several shirtless men dancing to boom boxes that were spewing out rap music. Well done, Boston!
Next stop, Paul Revere's house. Even though it was a cool day, it was very hot inside, especially on the second floor. The boys were pretty amazed how people must have suffered with no air conditioning. There were also some performers here, singing period hymns.
The Freedom Trail:
By mid-afternoon, it was getting really hot (even though the temperature was still in the 80s, their humidity made it not so pleasant). We stopped at a park that used to be a highway (remember... The Big Dig), and luckily it has been made into an awesome spray park. The boys thought that was just the thing to cool them off. They were thoroughly soaked when we left, and we heard no complaints about the heat!
Then we made our way back to Faneuil Hall, with plans to go get some frozen lemonade at Quincy Market. We stopped at the little park with all the statues (it probably has a name, I'm sure, but I have no idea). I have identical pictures of me at this same park, with these same statues as a kid. I made my boys recreate it (they put their own flare into it):
After stopping for our lemonade, we started walking back toward the hotel, stopping at an old cemetery where we saw some famous names. We strolled through the Commons, where we stopped to do a social experiment with Harvard students, and walked past the swan boats. There was nobody there -- I guess they had closed for the night, so we didn't get a ride. Eric and I both were surprised how much smaller they looked than we remember!
We walked along the Boston Marathon route, which ended a few blocks from our hotel. Along the way we saw the Old South(?) Church, and several memorials to the victims of the bombing. We walked right past the sight of the bombs, which were already pretty camouflaged. If you didn't know where they were, you would walk right by them.
After getting some ice cream and going for a swim in the hotel pool, we went to bed. Eric had rented us 2 rooms. The first night, Andrew and Eric shared a room, and then Joey decided he wanted to switch. When we were young, every single trip we would take would somehow cause Eric to throw up. I've always said Joey is so much like Uncle Eric....
So much, indeed. That night, Joey threw up. All over the beautiful white bed in Eric's hotel room (remember Disney World, Eric? We stayed an extra night because of the plane breaking down, and you threw up all over that nice, white Hyatt?)
Eric has never smelled anything so bad. It completely enveloped his room, and I'm pretty sure that:
1 - he didn't sleep for the rest of the night (I took Joey back to our room) and,
2 - He's never given quite so large of a tip as he did to the poor soul that had to come up and collect the sheets.
The next morning, as always, Joey was feeling just dandy, and we were still able to meet Cindy and Jay for breakfast. The boys weren't sure what to expect with Uncle Jay -- would he be an exact clone of Grandpa? Would he be as nice? Would they look nothing alike?
They were pleasantly surprised when they met him. They slipped right into sync with him, treating him just like they do Grandpa. They were totally at ease, and declared this to be the best breakfast ever. And they don't let Grandpa forget it. They still talk about Jay and want to talk to him all the time. I'm so glad they got to make that connection! We don't often get to see that side of the family because of the distance, but I know the boys won't ever forget it.
And for our Boston finale:
Fenway Park!!!
The boys got excited as soon as they saw it. We walked all the way around it, so they could stand under the Green Monster:
We signed up for a tour, and waited in the club store (the boys wanted to buy everything). First stop on the tour was the bathroom (good move, tour guide!). Then we went straight out to the stands. It looked a lot like it did when I went to a game there, but unfortunately the Sox were out of town the weekend we were there. The boys didn't seem to mind, though. They loved every minute of the tour.
The tour guide - who was awesome - took us to several different areas and we were able to sit in different sections while she told some interesting facts about the history of the park and the club. She took us up on the Monster, and we were able to sit in the seats (probably the only time we will ever be able to do that!). The boys favorite part, it seemed, was going into the press box. They thought it was hilarious that the top row of the press box, where you can't see the field very well because a giant beam covers half of your viewing area -- is reserved only for Yankees reporters. They spread that little bit of information around all the time, and think it's the greatest part about the whole park.
I took a picture of the menu, so that Jerry can see the prices. What do you think? They weren't as bad as I thought they were, but still...
The boys looking down at Ted William's chair:
The boys were very sad to leave Boston. They want to go again this summer, and spend a whole week there. I would love it!
