We flew in to Boston on Sunday, October 9. It was dark by the time we got to the east coast and, Ethan sitting in a window seat, really enjoyed watching the eastern seaboard all lit up. Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and finally Boston. It was pretty cool.
I made a joke to my dad that Ethan and I were going to do some sightseeing Monday morning if I could get him out of bed... boy was I wrong. He was as giddy as a school girl (I love that expression) and (for the first time since I've know him) couldn't sleep Monday morning. He was only going to get one good morning of sightseeing in and he was ready!
So away we went on our first Bostonian adventure... we started at...
There are lots of tours that go around town, these Duck tours were pretty cool to see. They're semi-aquatic... here you see one on the road, in another post you can see one in the water!
The Massachusetts State House. The red brick part of the building is the original that was built in 1798! It was built on land that was owned by John Hancock, Massachusetts' first elected governor. Its a beautiful building... you'll be hearing more about it later.
We ended up walking a lot through the Beacon Hill neighborhood. We were mesmerized by the beauty of all the old buildings. I was especially fond of the buildings with the copper that had oxidized into this lovely shade of turquoise. Isn't it stunning the effect it has on the architecture? I never knew I was such a fan of architecture, but I could have taken pictures of buildings the entire week and not gotten bored. I don't have details on lots of these buildings, but thought they were lovely... hope you do too.
These cobblestone streets were beautiful... and also I did not wear the right shoes that first morning. I paid the price the rest of the week.
This one was on Hancock street, a street that has buildings co-existing from 3 centuries. This one was built in 1870 and is labeled as a "rare Egyptian Revival house."
"The last remaining original synagogue building of the once thriving West End Jewish Community." It was beautiful.
Louisburg Square, a place where the really rich folk live in Boston... uppity ups like John Kerry.
Acorn Street. I posted a picture of this one on the sneak peek too. Apparently it is the most photographed street in the US. According to a sign at the corner, "In the early 19th century, many well-to-do families build row houses between and on the sites of once spacious estates. Servants and tradesmen, who found jobs within the wealthy houses, lived conveniently nearby, often, according to local folklore, on Acorn Street in these smaller versions of Chestnut Street houses."
As we were walking through this beautiful place, noticing that we were in a canyon or valley and that the buildings were our "mountains," we happened upon this stunning garden.
Any optometrists want to take a guess why we took this picture?
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A memorial to honor the Massachusetts 54th Regiment. They were the first regiment of black volunteers from the North to fight in the Civil War. The movie "Glory" was made to depict their story.
The food in Boston was awesome. This was our first taste, Ethan got a smoked salmon and capers bagel sandwich for lunch. Yum.
This might be Old South Church. I think it is... but can't remember for sure. Sorry.
You can think I'm a nerd, but I was so excited to see a fruit stand in the middle of the city! We bought some of the yummy plums and snapped a picture of the yummy, bright colors. This is just something we don't see in Texas.
The Custom House.
At the Harbor...
On the way back to our hotel, after 4 1/2 hours of walking, walking, walking, I saw the doors to one of the theatres open and peaked inside. I was impressed with the beautiful ceiling and snapped a picture. When Ethan was looking through the pictures, he had no idea where this had come from. I guess I was like a ninja and he didn't even realize I left his side.
We had such a fun morning! We also spent some time in some burial grounds, but I'll do separate post with those pictures. Ethan had to go spend the afternoon and evening at his conference, so I went back to the hotel and let my feet rest while I crocheted a hat. That night we went to dinner at the Black Rose... pictures from that are on my phone, so I'll post them later too. Hope you enjoyed your "tour" through Boston Day One!
