Last day!

Awe our trip is almost over.  Soon it will be time to go back to the work world.  I got to sleep in some before packing my bag back up again. We met an old friend from Bradenton at a breakfast place in Cambridge.  Had the best French toast! Stuffed with Bree and fig!  We got a pic with James our old friend.......but it disappeared from my phone?  Weird.
We hopped back on the T to downtown Boston for stone last minute shopping and then a quick jaunt into Chinatown, cause why not right.

I think all the cold wore us out because we were done by 3. We grabbed a little late lunch with my aunt before saying goodbye and catching our final Uber back to the airport.  Baring any further delays I might make it home by midnight.
The airport had its interesting bits too, compete with screaming 3 y/o running around the terminal with his poor father doing his best to try and control the possessed child while his mother was trying to pee and help her daughters at the same time. Heather and I giggled the whole time then burst out laughing add the mother sat the boy down explaining his bad behavior was disturbing others and making them wish to never have children. I swear she actually told the boy this. Lol.
One finally on board the kids were great and Heather had fun with another older boy as he tried to time the count down for take off.  His exuberance made the thrill of take off all the better.
We landed before midnight and my dad was there to greet us and get us home safely.
All in all a great trip.

Racing the day

It was of to Harvard Square this morning for a few more museums. First to the natural history museum where we arrived at the same time as a group of elementary school kids. We spent most of our time attempting to stay ahead of their group or doubling back to get to what we missed once they'd moved on. We lost the kids for a while in the glass flower exhibit but the cornered us in the crystals and rock room. Heather was in love as I knew she would be. We were able to avoid the kids fits the most part in the anthropology museum and over all enjoyed ourselves. I quick brisk walk through Harvard Yard where we caught the T again, catching a few trubadores singing for their rent

 and switching trains 3 times, once to a train with a wonder full location.

 Until we arrived at the New England Aquarium.
The Aquarium is huge and offered so many animals to view and interact with.

We made three trips down to the stingray petting tank where I got to pet a shark. Apparently she liked me as she parked herself right in front of me and let me pet her for a good few minutes.

It was then off to the Quincy market for some gift shopping until we found our cozy hide away pub the Green Dragon tavern for a few hours.

We didn't feel like calling it a night so tacked on a movie at the end of the night.  "Logan" was brutal but good.  Finally we got a night time jaunt through Boston Common to the T and a rather scary Uber ride back to my aunts and uncle's house.
Tomorrow is our last day in boston before catching a late plane bank home.

Snow fun day

Today was very full.  First we had a full morning of lounging around and being lazy, and then in the afternoon we ran up to Gunstock mountain ski resort.
We spent 2 hours tubing in the show in 20 degree weather. So much fun!

We cane back to Arlington, MA where Scott, Heather and I treated my aunt and uncle to dinner.
Tomorrow we go to Harvard and the Aquarium.

Taking it easy day

After two days of non stop sight seeing, we are slowing down to rest.  We woke up this morning to a chilly 12 degrees Ferenheit! That's right 12! Though it did get up to 19, that's still cold! There was still some snow on the ground that had dusted everything the night before like powdered sugar on a cookie!
We walked a short walk to a near by Dunkin Donut's for a quick breakfast before heading back to Arlington where my aunt and uncle live.
After showering and getting in cozy clothes we lounged around before making our way to New Hampshire where the temperature was 11 degrees and dropping! We explored the boat house and down near the frozen lake but it was just too damn cold to do much more than that.  Even Heather bundled up and admitted to it being too cold.

We spent the rest of the day sitting by the fire place, trying to solve puzzle my uncle pito showed us and having a lovely dinner full of stories.  After dinner we had smores via microwave, never did that before and I fear now that I know how it may make more reappearances more often. Then it was movie time with an old classic "Hook!". The perfect way to end the day.  Tomorrow it will warm up and we will head to Gunstock mountain ski resort to tube down the hill for a few hours.
P.S. as I write the above the temp oupside is 6! SIX! 6 degrees, single digit temperature! Brrrrrrrrrrr!

Art, art, more art and oh yeah more art.

Today was a day for museums. We started off at Elizabeth Stewart Gardener's house.  I love this house with its eclectic collection of paintings, statues instruments and the coolest wall paper and ceilings.

Then we were off to the MFA  (museum of fine arts). Starting at the top we visited every inch of the three floors of this massive museum. The best was seeing Heather's reaction to the exhibit for the "make way for ducklings" book.

By this time my feet were even worse bloody stumps than they were yesterday, so we opted for an Uber ride over the T again, to the hotel we reserved for tonight. Instead of heading back to Arlington we are staying in Boston to hit a few night life spots.  The first is a Dueling piano bar called Howl At the Moon. This was a great place, that thankfully has other locations, one in Orlando!

Then we headed downstairs to a dance club called Down, where Scott and Heather cut up the dance floor.
On our way back to the hotel while waiting for our Uber driver, it started to snow!

Tomorrow we had to New Hampshire for more snow fun!

Oh did we walk a thousand miles!!!!

OMG was this a walking our feet into bloody stumps day. We started our trip off at the USS Constitution museum. Unfortunately we were too early to go on board but the museum was fun! It's like we were kids again! This would have been a better idea for the end, soon comfy.

Afterwards we took a very cold walk across the Charles river to start the Freedom trail, backwards. Google actually dropped us off just before Paul Revere's house so we back tracked a little bit and then to the old North Church where the lanterns were hung to signal how the British would attack. In the back courtyard of the church was a memorial for all the soldiers that have lost their lives in the most recent fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and fighting with Isis.

Inside the church we found the perfect booth to sit in "for strangers and wardens".

On our way back along the freedom trail we hit the famous Mike's Pastries! There are no words! Soooooo many types of pastries. We each chose one and continued along the trail. To be honest we  didn't go in to every stop and we made more than one detour along the way when we found a surprise hole in the wall place to visit later

but we completed the trail in the Boston Common.
Oh but we weren't done there, no we then headed into the Public Gardens for the sole purpose of finding the "Make way for ducklings" statues for Heather.

Once that mission was complete we were really tired but pushed ourselves on to the Trinity church, which we had to ourselves and had the best timing to be present when the organist was rehearsing! We sat down and just took it all in.

But we still weren't done.  No, we hopped over to the Boston Public Library where I was always reminded a little bit of "beauty and the beast".
We finally decided it was time to sit down, we couldn't go just anywhere.  Nope we trekked down to McGreevys for a brew and a burger and to rest our poor poor feet!

But even then we couldn't call it a day.  We had shopping to do where Heather and I found a shop with a Giant Totoro!

Once we just couldn't take any more walking we slugged our tied butts to the T where at the end of the line in Alewife, my fabulous aunt took pity on us and picked us up. Now we're sitting back enjoying the fire place and deciding what insanity we can put ourselves through the rest of the week.
Did I mention this cheeky wee walk was almost 23,000 steps!!!!!

In the begining.....

Do to the high demand (meaning just my family mostly) for my exploits while away on vacation, I have started a new blog for my travels through Boston, MA.
Today I arrived with my two friends Heather and Scott in tow, to cram as much of this fair city into a week as we can.

My adventures for this trip started months ago actually. I had visited many times when I was a pre-teen and then just recently over the summer. I spent a great deal of time with my aunt who is a fantastic guide for Boston, especially for someone new to Boston.  I remarked several times at various locations how my friends Heather and Scott would have loved to see this too. My aunt and uncle opened an invitation for me to return and with my friends, which we have now taken them up on. 
Today was mere travel and wasn't that enough.  Our plane was delayed 30 minute, not too bad, but the air line greatly exaggerated the roomy-ness of their seats.  Most of the flight was uneventful until a wind storm shook us about a bit mid flight and then an aborted landing the first time around caused a few skipped heart beats.  But we landed safely, though I did fear for a few people who decided to get up as the plane was making its initial decent and the flight crew had to scold them over the load speaker.
Despite making a much later landing than planned my aunt was at the curb waiting for us as we walked out with our over sized, heavy luggage.
A lovely meal and a few laughs later we made for an early night.
Tomorrow I will take my turn playing tour guide with some assistance from a map or two and my Boston wise aunt who will get us started by dropping us off at the Boston Naval yard to see the USS Constitution before we hike all over historic and downtown Boston.
More later.