Tag: Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

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.

See the Goose by the jet wing? I hope he made it.

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.

The Beginning
The End

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.

Zaandam in port
One example of the many pieces of street art
“Quoth the raven nevermore.”
Famous Oriental Company Teapot that now hangs at a Starbucks

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.

Thought it was Paul Revere – It’s George Washington

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.

VOV: Boston

Friday, July 8, 2022

The Hyatt Regency Boston is located between the Theater District and the Chinatown section. We decided to walk to eat at one of the closer restaurants. First, we tried JJ Foley Bar & Grille- Nope – Standing Room Only. Went across the street to the Good Life – Nope – $20 cover charge each just to come in. Went around the corner to the Back Deck – Nope – 45-minute wait and no seat at the bar. Next – French Quarter – Maybe – 1 hour wait but you can sit at the bar and eat and drink instead. Okay – we’ll take it. Wait – a person whispers in her ear. “Oh, I didn’t know she had come in tonight.” To us – “We can seat you now at a table if you would like. Yes, yes we would.

The service was slow, but the food and drinks were good, and the server was a nice young lady doing her very best. She said it was her first week there. Bless her.

The area was so very busy for a Thursday night. Just couldn’t understand why. But it was made clear when we exited the restaurant and saw the line to get into the iconic Opera House to see the show – Wicked. Lots of excited people.

We walked to a CVS and picked up a few items and made our way back to the hotel. Wasn’t long before lights out.

I slept restlessly. I just couldn’t seem to get the temperature right. I was either kicking off the covers or pulling them back up. Even though I didn’t set an alarm for this morning, I still got up at 6:30.

The day started out with me receiving an email from HAL that construction would be going on in some of the highway tunnels that go between the airport and the cruise port starting this weekend. They wanted to let us know that we should take the HAL shuttle between the two or be sure to leave more travel time since taxis and ride share vehicles would be tied up.

I checked with the hotel concierge to see if the construction would also mess up the ride between here and the cruise port. He said we wouldn’t be going through any tunnels from here to the cruise port so we should be okay. I’ll worry about the construction getting to the airport once we get closer to disembarkation day.

Our only plan for today was to walk the Boston Freedom Trail from beginning to end. I have walked it before, but I never went over the bridge to Charlestown and the USS Constitution. Today we were going to do it.

Neither of us were interested in the hotel buffet breakfast so we walked to the nearest McDonald’s for a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. Met a local police officer walking the beat and he said, “take care on your walk today.” Luckily, we had no problems today although we were approached several times by panhandlers.

We made our way to the Boston Common, America’s oldest public park, and the beginning of the Freedom Trail. Off we go. The path is clearly marked on the sidewalks, so we had no problem following it. However, I should have picked up a map at the Visitor Center just so we could have read more about the different places that we visited.

First stop was the Massachusetts State House. Designed by Charles Bulfinch, the ‘new’ and current State House has served as the seat of Massachusetts government since its opening in 1798. Holding the legislative and executive branches, it sits adjacent to the former site of the historic Hancock mansion. It was under renovation so we couldn’t get closer.

Next, was the Granary Burying Ground. It has approximately 2300 markers. Very somber to look at all these headstones that were so old you couldn’t read the inscription on them.

The Infant’s Tomb, where hundreds of children have been interred, is located near the central obelisk that marks the grave of Benjamin Franklin’s parents. Alongside the far wall, an elaborately embellished obelisk marks John Hancock’s tomb. Paul Revere is buried near the back of the Granary; a large marker placed in the 19th century stands by a smaller, older slate marker. Matching stones in the two front corners of the burial ground commemorate James Otis and Samuel Adams. Next to the stone for Adams is the grave marker for the victims of the Boston Massacre. On the right-hand wall is a plaque marking the tomb of Robert Treat Paine, the third signer of the Declaration of Independence buried in the Granary (the others being John Hancock and Samuel Adams).

Puritan churches did not believe in religious icons or imagery, so the people of Boston used tombstones as an outlet for artistic expression of their beliefs about the afterlife. One of the most popular motifs was the “Soul Effigy,” a skull or “death’s head” with a wing on each side that was a representation of the soul flying to heaven after death. Elaborate scroll work, poetic epitaphs, and depictions of the Grim Reaper and Father Time also adorn many headstones.

Next, was King’s Chapel and the King’s Chapel Burying Ground. It was founded in 1686 as Boston’s first Anglican church. The 1754 granite building still stands on the church’s original site: the corner of Boston’s oldest English burying ground.

Next up was the Old City Hall complete with a donkey for the Democrats and “footsteps in opposition” of the Republicans (I guess a replica Elephant was too expensive). It was home to its city council from 1865 to 1969 and was one of the first buildings in the French Second Empire style to be built in the United States. The Boston Latin School operated on the site from 1704 to 1748, and on the same street until 1844. Thirty-eight Boston mayors, including John F. Fitzgerald, Maurice J. Tobin, and James Michael Curley, served their terms of office at this site.

We then made our way to Faneuil Hall. It is often referred to as “the home of free speech” and the “Cradle of Liberty,” as Faneuil Hall hosted America’s first Town Meeting. Unfortunately, it was not open when we arrived. We did enjoy walking through Quincy Market and looking at all the food and souvenir vendors.

We came to an area that had a number of bars and restaurants including the Union Oyster House and the Bell and Hand Tavern. The Union Oyster House has the distinction of being America’s oldest restaurant. It is housed in a building dating back to Pre-Revolutionary days and started serving food in 1826. It has continued ever since with the stalls and oyster bar, where Daniel Webster was a constant customer, in their original positions. The Bell in Hand Tavern is famous for being the oldest tavern in the US and has been in operation since 1795.

Our feet were tired and hot by the time we made it to one of Boston’s beautiful green spaces. This particular space had some fountains that many children were enjoying. I decided to join them even if it was just to cool off my toes.

Up next was the Italian North End with Paul Revere and the Old North Church. There was a nice park that had plaques dedicated to people who helped America reach its independence.

Now it was time to cross the bridge over the St. Charles to Charlestown. It was at this point that I originally turned back but we crossed. We had a slight detour as they were working on part of the bridge, so they routed us a little differently, but it was not too much out of the way.

We eventually made it to the USS Constitution. Launched in Boston in 1797, USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat and earned her nickname “Old Ironsides” during the War of 1812 when she fought the British frigate HMS Guerriere.

We started in the visitor center where we had to go through metal detectors, and I had my purse scanned. We got a restroom break and enjoyed looking at the displays.

We then went outside and were able to walk onto the ship. It had 3 levels and the first thing I noticed was that the ceilings were very low. So low, that Chuck and I had to walk around all bent over. Very claustrophobic.

Once I took Chuck’s picture at the last marker, we turned around to make our way back.

The sun was out in force now and we were certainly ready for lunch when we got back to the Quincy Market area. We ate at the Green Dragon. I felt so sorry for the waitress. She was the only one besides the bartender in the front. She kept working as hard as she could – taking orders, bringing drinks and food, clearing the tables, and checking people out – all with a smile. Bless her. The place was packed. She forgot our place settings. I didn’t even ask her. I just went and got 2 sets out of the basket on the counter. The food was good, the drinks cold, and the air conditioning felt wonderful.

Once we made it back to the hotel, we had walked over 9 miles today according to my Fitbit. I gratefully sank my toes into some warm bathwater for a nice long soak. A good day.

Travel Trivia

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 and other Boston tourist documents.

VOV – Travel Day #2

Thursday, July 7, 2022

After getting back to the hotel, we got organized for today. Some rearranging of the suitcase items, etc. After reading a while, I had a surprisingly restful night. No plane or traffic noise. Another reason I like it here.

I was awake 15 minutes before my alarms. Yes, I said alarms. I know I only need one but the “over-thinking, what-if” part of my brain says, “set two alarms – you never know if one might fail.” Sigh. I didn’t need either one of them.

The shower had good pressure, the hair dryer and in-room coffee maker worked, and there was a nice selection of cold and hot breakfast items. Seemed like it was going to be a good morning.

We were going to catch the 8:00 hotel shuttle but when we got to the lobby, the 7:30 shuttle hadn’t left yet so we got on it. Few minutes later, we were at the airport. Easy bag check at the Delta outside kiosks. Bags weighed less than 50 pounds each, so good to go.

Now we are inside ready to go through security. We are members of CLEAR so we typically can move to the front of the general boarding line very quickly. However, today the CLEAR line was almost as long as general boarding. WTH? The line moved so slowly; I was so glad we had gotten on the 7:30 shuttle.

When we finally got to the front, I saw the issue. There was the new full-body scanner and there was only one scanner for 3 different people lines that were merging into one people line – we were the people version of construction on I-75.

My bags had already gone through the luggage scanner and were just sitting on the conveyor. I was still waiting to get through the body scanner. I was just praying that nobody would deliberately or accidentally take my bags from the conveyor. Stress level high.

I got through the scanner without any alarms going off but then the agent stopped me to wand my arms and waist. Okay. Weird. But, yay! All my stuff was still in their bins. Stress level lowered.

Chuck ended up a few people behind me because they had trouble scanning his eyes at the CLEAR station. His eyes are so pale blue that they had to turn on extra lights on the machine to read them. Then, his backpack went through the naughty line. He had left his e-reader in it, so it had to be taken out and the bag rescanned. We really need to go through the process of getting TSA pre-check to avoid the aggravation of shoes and belts off, electronics out.

We finally made it to the gate. We were still early thankfully. We had time to use the restroom and then boarding started at 9:30. This plane had 3 seats on the left and right side, so we had aisle seats across from each other. Chuck’s aisle mates were already seated. There was a guy at the window seat in my aisle but nobody in the middle. I didn’t put on my seatbelt because I knew eventually there would be a middle seat person and I would have to get up to let him/her in.

Departure to Boston sign

People were still streaming in, and the flight attendants kept announcing that the flight is full please find your seats quickly. I kept waiting for the middle seat person to arrive. Then, they closed the doors. What? No person in the middle seat? Wow.

I took Chuck’s backpack and put it under the middle seat in my aisle so he could have some more legroom at his seat. We took off on time and the Captain announced it would be about a 2-hour flight – 30 minutes less than the flight schedule. Yay again.

I couldn’t find a movie I wanted to watch, so I just watched Simpson episodes until the plane landed. Chuck tried to watch a movie, but he didn’t get to see how it ended since we landed early. Maybe he can catch the ending on the way back.

After retrieving our checked bags, we followed the signs to the Uber/Lyft area and an UberXL was quickly booked. While we were waiting for the UberXL to arrive, I got a notification that our hotel room was ready. More good news.

I chose the Hyatt Regency Boston because of its walking distance location to the start of the Freedom Trail and because I like Hyatt hotels. This particular Hyatt seems to cater to conferences because it has a lot of rooms and meetings spaces. When we arrived, we had to take an elevator up from the street level to the check-in area. Once we got our keys, we used them for access to the elevators up to our room. They told us they only service the rooms every 4 days so we just asked for extra coffee and towels so we should be fine until check-out.

Boston Hyatt Regency entrance

After resting a while, we decided to undertake the dreaded task of the official COVID test. I got the computer connected to my phone’s hotspot. I didn’t want to take the chance that the hotel WIFI might go out. I logged in like I usually do but the welcome page was different. I usually only have to login with my NAVICA credentials but today I had to create an Emed account before it allowed me to go further. Okay. Stress level on the rise again.

Once I created the Emed account, it took me to the NAVICA page. WTH – why didn’t it just take me there in the beginning? I logged into it too with the credentials I always use. Yay, it recognized me. Took the test and got my negative results. Did the whole double login process for Chuck and he took his test with negative results. Great! Stress level lowered.

We really weren’t surprised that we were negative since we had taken non-medically monitored tests earlier in the week and had negative results. But it is always great to get the official results since those results are the only ones that mattered.

Now that we had our negative results, I had to complete the ArriveCAN app which is currently required by anyone who is traveling to Canada by air or sea. It was a pretty easy app to complete because I had already scanned our passports before we left so I just had a few questions to answer. 10 minutes – done.

The VeriFLY app was a little more difficult to complete. Because our negative test results were password protected, they wouldn’t upload. I finally realized that I could take a picture of the results and upload the pictures of the documents. Whew! The VerfiFLY app soon said the magic words – Ready to Sail! – Yes, we are so very ready to sail.

Travel Trivia

Massachusetts – The Bay State

Map of Massachusetts

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.

*Trivia provided by Wikipedia and various Massachusetts tourist websites.

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