Boston was perhaps our favorite major city of our east coast tour. Its historical charm blends well with its modern financial district. Our campground here was in the suburb of Foxboro, where the New England Patriots play football. It was the most expensive campground we have stayed in yet even after a bunch of discounts, but then everything is expensive in this area. The campground really was a destination in and of itself with four pools, hot tubs, saunas, workout room, fishing pond, etc.
We utilized public transportation again taking trains, trolleys, subways, and buses. We had heard the horror stories of driving in Boston and didn’t want any part of it. The people here were very helpful. It seemed every time we pulled out a map someone stopped to ask if he/she could help us find something, We walked the Freedom Trail and took in such historical sites as the Old North Church – one if by land, two if by sea, Paul Revere’s home, Bunker Hill, and the USS Constitution – Old Ironsides.
We visited our second Presidential Library. This time the JFK Library after having visited the Clinton one in Arkansas. We wasted way too much time taking in the Samuel Adams brewery one afternoon. We also went to Cambridge and strolled around Harvard and Harvard Square. We finally had a bit of the seafood part of our “cities and seafood” tour. I had some lobster bisque and nice piece of haddock and Gary had some Boston clam chowder and a lobster roll (chunky lobster salad on a hoagie bun). We are really looking to forward to the seafood in Maine where we are headed next.
We drove down the east side of Narragansett Bay and then back up the west side and thereby took in nearly the entire state of Rhode Island – well almost. On the east side we toured Newport. It is known for its mansions which were “cottages” for the wealthy of the late 1800s, but Newport also contains many colonial buildings. From Newport we drove into Providence and had dinner in Rhode Island’s capital city.
We had generally dreary weather for our week in the Boston area. We had intended to spend a day a beach down on Cape Cod but we never got there as the weather turned too cold and wet for us to make that trip.
Ah, memories. I grew up in Arlington, a suburb of Boston. We go back usually once or twice a year. We don't stay at Normandy Farms anymore though,we stay at Minuteman campground in Littleton. Less money, just as central to the city (closer to my family). Even having lived there for 30+ years, I don't drive in the city!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the "chunky lobster on a hoagie bun". It is not and was not called a hoagie! It might have been a sub or a grinder or quite possibly a hot dog bun but never, never a hoagie!
ReplyDeleteGlad you were able to take in Boston and the area. I'm in Newport, RI for the summer and will be taking my granddaughter from FL to Boston on the train later this week.