Boston, MA

With the extra day off for Labor Day weekend Pat and I decided to venture outside of our state and head up to Boston. There are so many fun things to do in this city. Pat worked in Boston a few summers ago and has talked about going back for a while. I thought it would be a lot farther away but it is only 180 miles from our house. The kicker is that it takes 3 and 1/2 hours to get there. That is how long it takes to get to St. George and it’s twice as far. It was nice to have a fun weekend away. Plus I love this city and its history!

We knew the weather could possibly be a factor since there was a hurricane rolling in. The weather was different every day. We had sun, high winds, and cold gusts. We had humid weather with thick fog.

It was cool to see the fog so low on the city buildings. It made you want to pull on a sweater and get ready for fall - but it was still 75 degrees.

We started off on the Freedom Trail and thought we would wind our way through the city and wonder wherever we felt like it. The only thing we planned out was where we were going to eat. Pat had a few musts for restaurants on his list. I never get bored of the little talks at each stop on the trail. Every time it is different and you learn something new. One stop that is central is the Old State House.

This is where the Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony a few days after it was signed. They re-read it each year.

Inside the gift shop you can see just how old this building is. Part of the celling is taken away where you can see one of the oldest parts. There are 10 girders from 1748 that holds up the second story. The narrower joists around the girder were added around 1881. The white stripes are stains from the plaster. But the building seems just as sturdy as if it was built just a few years ago.

We followed the Freedom Trail around to the North End. This is where we took our first detour. Pat worked in the North End which is known for its food. The streets are also so narrow and windy that trucks aren't allowed on them. We walked around in what seemed to me to be circles before we found Dino's - a sandwich shop that has 18" sandwiches. Pat loved this place because he could get lunch and dinner in one stop.

Our next detour was for a treat. Mike's Pastry is a well-known shop in Boston. I have been here a few times at different times of the day and there is always a line out the door and down the block. The best things are their macaroons. They have several flavors but our favorites are the pistachio and original. (Wish I had some right now!)

We took our goodies to Paul Revere's House. I guess Paul was there today to talk to the kiddies so there was crowed waiting to get in. We didn't feel the need to talk to Paul so we moved on.

One of the things Paul was famous for was his night ride to the Old North Church. To send out the signal to let the people of Boston know how the British were coming. We sat in one of the pews for the talk given by one of the patrons of the Old North Church.

I am so glad we don't have pews like that anymore. Just after 20 minutes my back was hurting from sitting up against the wooden wall. People used to buy the pews and decorate them. The closer to the pulpit meant you spent more money to buy the pew. They had high walls so in the winter you could put coals in the bottom and the heat would stay in. So glad I live in modern times!

We also got tickets for the Trolley to ride around and see the sights in good weather. We were trying to figure out what to do for the evening when our Trolley got stuck in traffic coming from the first of two Red Sox games. We were stuck in the middle of it all so we decided to go down around the field and see if we could find stuff to do. We ended up going to the game! It was fun. Our seats were not the greatest but it was fun to see the game even though they lost.

We took a harbor ride to see the skyline. It was such a beautiful day. There were people out on their sailboats going around the harbor.

We ended the weekend with dinner at The Sail Loft. It seems like a dive bar from the outside but inside it is a nice restaurant. There are lots of good things on the menu. Where Pat had a lobster and I had a delicious chicken salad! (Angie is right - the seafood out here is wasted on me!)

Happy Labor Day!

Right after I got home I loaded my small digital camera pictures onto my laptop. The next morning my laptop got a virus and I have been forced to leave everything on it until I can get it fixed. I had ton of pictures to share from all of our adventures - but I guess they will have to wait. (Its also why I only have one of us together and the rest are of Pat)