Saturday, April 22, 2023
After I got back to the room from the Tech presentation, Chuck was back from playing cards and meeting new friends. We got ready for the evening and went to the casino. We were having fun on the slots and time got away from us. Decided to have a late dinner at the Lido – we both chose steak and fried shrimp (Chuck also snagged a small pork chop).
After dinner, we listened to Cat play for a while, but the Ocean Bar band was not going to play until 9:45. Since tomorrow was our first port day, we called it a night.
We got up at 6:30 and after coffee and breakfast in the Lido, we watched the sail-in to Boston. The jets landing at Logan seemed very close to the port. So very loud.
The officials cleared our ship at 8:20 and we walked off at 8:45.
The last time we were in Boston was in July of 2022 for the Voyage of the Vikings. We came in two days before embarkation since that was Chuck’s first time to Boston. On that visit, we walked the Freedom Trail from beginning to end and back – a total of about 9 miles. Today, we were not going to be that ambitious.
We hadn’t really had any set plans as we were going to wait to see what the weather was like. It was a cold, blustery day but we dressed in layers. Topped with jackets and hats, we were warm enough. Since it was not raining, that was a plus.
Out of the port area, we walked down the sidewalk and found an Old Town Trolley kiosk. We decided that the Hop-On / Hop-Off trolley would be our transportation for the day and bought two tickets. We probably could have saved some money if we had decided earlier on what we wanted to do and bought the tickets online. Oh well.
The narrator of the trolley was very good. As we passed by each stop, he gave us a lot of information about Boston and its history that we didn’t get walking the Freedom Trail. He was also funny.
The downside – since it was so cold – the plastic sheeting was down over the open trolley windows, so my photos weren’t the best.
We stayed on the trolley for most of the stops just enjoying the views and listening to the information. However, we did get off at the Public Gardens and the Boston Commons since we didn’t spend any time at either site last July. The gardens were pretty with the tulips in bloom and the Swan Boats were in business.
We stopped and watched as people marched through the Commons protesting the consumption of meat and touting the vegan lifestyle. I am glad all the hotdog vendors did not throw anything at them.
The trolley dropped us back at the port around 1:30. We ate lunch in the Lido restaurant and then spent some time in the hot tub at the Lido pool.
I like the hot tubs in the Sea View area better than the Lido area, but it was too windy to go to them. I was glad that HAL had the retractable roof open just a little in the Lido pool area so it was not as stuffy as it can get in there.
After a relaxing time in the hot tub, we got hot chocolates to take back to the room and a nap until dinner. Love the ship life.
Travel Trivia
Massachusetts – The Bay State
Massachusetts was originally inhabited by tribes of the Algonquian language family such as the Wampanoag, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Pocomtuc, Mahican, and Massachusett. Early explorers visited the coast of Massachusetts in 1497. The first English settlers in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims, arrived on the Mayflower at Plymouth in 1620.
On April 19, 1775, the Revolutionary War began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Massachusetts became the sixth state to join the United States on February 6, 1788.
James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Also in 1891, Fig Newtons were invented in Cambridge, Massachusetts and named after Newton, Massachusetts. They were almost called “Fig Shrewsbury,” but Newton won.
The chocolate chip cookie was invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield and her husband in 1930 in the Toll House Restaurant in Whitman, Massachusetts.
Earl Tupper of Grafton Massachusetts invented Tupperware and marketed his products to the public in 1946 as a giveaway with cigarettes.
Dunkin Donuts was founded in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1950 and opened its first franchise restaurant in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1955. It sold 52 varieties of donuts.
Lake Chargogagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg is a lake in the town of Webster, Massachusetts. It is located near the Connecticut border and has a surface area of 1,442 acres. The name derives from the Loup dialect, which is an Algonquian language. The locals call it Webster Lake.
Massachusetts is one of the nation’s leading producers of cranberries.
It is illegal to use tomatoes in clam chowder in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts is located along the Atlantic Flyway, a major route for migratory waterfowl.
Mount Holyoke College, the first college established for women, was founded in 1837 in South Hadley, Massachusetts, as the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. The founder was Mary Lyon, a pioneer in education for women.
Boston, Massachusetts
About 13% of Boston citizens commute by foot, giving it the highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in major cities of the United States.
The first post office in America opened in Boston in 1639.
The Boston Fire Department (1678) is the oldest in the United States.
The Boston Pilgrims won the first World Series over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1903.
From May 15, 2003, to April 10, 2013, the Boston Red Sox sold out every home game at Fenway Park—a total of 820 games—setting a record in the sport’s world.
The Boston Public Library, the first public library in the United States, was founded in 1849.
Boston is the only state capital in the contiguous United States to have an ocean coastline.
The Big Dig rerouted Boston’s main highway into a 3.5-mile tunnel due to traffic congestion. The Central Artery (I-93)—designed for 75,000 cars—had over 190,000 vehicles pass over it per day. The project cost an estimated $22 billion with interest, making it the most expensive highway project in US history.
Boston Common, established in 1634, is the oldest public park in the United States.
Boston University Bridge is one of the only places in the world that a boat can sail under a train passing under a car driving under an airplane.
The oldest restaurant in continuous service in the United States is Boston’s The Union Oyster House, established in 1826.
On January 15, 1919, a 55-foot steel tank filled with 2,319,525 gallons of molasses ripped apart, releasing a 13,000-ton wave on Boston’s North End that destroyed nearby houses, vehicles, businesses, apartment buildings, and more. It took over six months to clean up and caused over 40 injuries and 21 deaths. Until it finally faded away in 1995, the smell of molasses still permeated through Boston on hot days.
Trivia provided by Wikipedia.
Fondest Travel Memories 