Every parent has headed the warnings “It goes by so fast” when it comes to their children. If your young and your kids are small you smile and think to yourself “not quick enough”, but as you get older and the kids get older you start to understand why everyone makes such a big deal about how you will one day feel as an empty nester. I’m one of those moms whose entire life revolved around her kid, and now he’s 18, just graduated and enlisted in the United States Navy. I had one last chance to spend real quality time with my son, one last vacation and I chose to go out in style. We took a 10 day trip by air, land and sea in order to visit some of America’s most historic landmarks. We visited 3 of the most historical cities in the United States, Boston, New York and Washington D.C.; I called it the “What You are Fighting for Tour 2012”
Boston, Massachusetts was our first stop. We stayed at the Boston Seaport Hotel which is a moderately priced hotel (for Boston that is) on the harbor. The view from our window was divine. You could see the passing sailboats and the goings on at the piers surrounding the hotel. There is public transportation called the Silver Line that will take you directly to the hotel from the airport, do this! It will save you $20.00 and it’s an easy 5 minute trip. The staff at the hotel was great, checking in our luggage early and without a fee. Our bags were waiting for us in our room upon our return that night. The Boston Seaport Hotel has a fine dining restaurant, a lounge which serves a nice selection of pub food that we enjoyed and a coffee shop where you can get a fresh bagel and cup of coffee in the mornings. There is also a free shuttle that takes you from the hotel to the heart of the city Monday through Friday. This is worth its weight in gold as we paid a lot of money for cab fare on Saturday and Sunday.
Boston is not a cheap vacation by any stretch of the imagination. Be prepared to spend some money here, but note that it will be worth every dime. The food was fantastic everywhere we went. Even the corny places like “Cheers” you know where everybody knows your name, the burgers are out of this world good and it’s fun to sit with the locals drowning themselves in a pint of Samuel Adams while watching the Red Sox play. We ate dinner one night at a place called Pasta Beach located at 30 Rowe’s Warf. The Italian Pasta dishes are to die for and even Jake was happy with his food, that in and of itself is a miracle. If you’re looking for seafood, any of the Legal Seafood Restaurants will be perfection.
Whether you are traveling with children or adults there are a couple of “must do’s” in Boston. The first of these is to take a trip out on a catamaran to the Stellwagon Bank Marine Sanctuary to whale watch. This is a magnificent experience that you will never forget. Next, take a Duck Tour. The tour guides are dressed in costumes and are theater trained. You will have a few good laughs and see everything there is to see in the city. Stop by “Cheers” and have a beer, it’s silly and everyone will know you are a tourist, but who cares. Walk through Boston Commons and really smell the roses. Take a minute to view Romeo and Juliet, the resident swans that are admired by the people of Boston. Put your walking shoes on and walk along the Freedom Trail. There is so much history in Boston you can’t possibly see it all, but you can certainly try. Take a water taxi, only do this once because the prices will choke you, but its fun and you’re on vacation, so why not? Have lunch at the Faneuil Hall Marketplace, the selections will amaze you and the outdoor entertainment will amuse you.
Boston is a wonderful town, one I plan to visit again just as soon as I can. Both Jake and I loved it there. We only had a couple of days and where disappointed we had to leave as quickly as we did. Jake got to visit his first Operational Naval Base in Boston and toured the oldest US Navy Ship the USS Constitution which is still in commission. Boston has so much history it was the perfect place to remind Jake what he would be fighting for and the good company he would be in among the other Americans who also fought for the right to be free.
