As always, a few random thoughts to wrap this thing up.
At least in “downtown” Boston, streets can change name without notice. Streets at opposite sides of a perfect four-way intersection (a “+”) will have different names for no apparent reason. Arch turns into Chauncey, Essex becomes Boylston, and Summer changes into Winter without going through Autumn (or Spring).
As I mentioned before, the New England Aquarium was a short walk away from my hotel. I couldn’t not go there. Or at least I couldn’t come up with an excuse to avoid the place. I stuck with the “general admission” ticket; there wasn’t anything about the special movie presentation that interested me. As it happens, I can’t even remember what it was….
Of course, the primary reason I chose Boston for my vacation destination is that I could get to see a few Red Sox games at Fenway Park. Dating back to 1912, it’s the oldest MLB stadium still in active use. It’s been tweaked and upgraded and expanded over the decades, but let’s face it – the place is showing its age.
Given the oddly shaped plot of land it’s on, and the need to fit in that tiny space, there’s not much you can really do with it.
One of the things I’ve decided to do whenever I visit another city is take a walking food tour. The tour groups are small and intimate; you won’t feel lost or overwhelmed. And you’ll also get a better “feel” of the place; the way things are for the ordinary residents. Maybe a little local history, too, of the sort that doesn’t appear in the usual travel guides.
Most of the tours that came up in the searches were for the northern end of Boston, which, from the descriptions, I gather is the city’s Italian neighborhood. Those didn’t seem that appealing to me. As great as Italian food can be, it’s not that hard to get the good stuff. Even cities that don’t claim a “Little Italy” can have a couple of really good Italian restaurants.
A company called “Bites of Boston” offered a tour on the South End that fight nicely into my planned schedule, as well as looking really interesting.
The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is a rather small museum. Not just because it covers only one small incident, but because there’s so little physical “stuff” left over from the Tea Party. Heck, they aren’t even sure where it actually happened (not that it would matter much, given the amount of land that has been added to the Boston Neck since the 1770s). So putting it on “Griffin’s Wharf”, right off the Congress Street Bridge in the middle of the Fort Point Channel is as good a location as any.
Especially since it lets you dock a pair of period-appropriate replica merchant ships alongside.
I’ve actually visited Boston at least twice before. Once was in my college days, when I went there for a school-related function. There was no time to do any sightseeing. And I’d visited there in my childhood – either as a school trip or a family vacation. I remember being in Fenway Park, being on the observation deck of the Prudential Center, puttering about on the Freedom Trail, and visiting the USS Constitution.
But that’s it. Despite living within easy driving distance, I’d never thought of going there as an adult.
Until having to get a new car upended my vacation plans. Continue reading
Pure Blather 