From Connecticut we headed to Boston. For the better part of two of the four days we were in Boston, I toured a dozen or so of the surrounding suburbs, all of which were so different but equally lovely. I also saw a good sampling of homes, all of this with the help of my good friend from college, Elizabeth Crampton, who owns a successful real estate firm in Boston. It was a whirlwind tour, but then again, most of this trip was a whirlwind since we were trying to pack so much in to such a short time.
While I was out touring, another good friend, Joanne (who I have known since we were freshmen high school) and her family were so kind in helping me out with the kids so that I didn't have to take them along on these real estate excursions which they, no doubt, would have found a lot less interesting than I did. The kids spent one fun-filled day at the Museum of Science in Boston with Joanne and her husband, Ted. On my other day of touring, they went swimming with Joanne's son Oliver, and his girlfriend. I am so grateful to the Liataud-MacLean family for providing an abundance of fun and entertainment for the kids so I could get done what I came there to do.
On our remaining two days in Boston, the kids and I spent them together, sightseeing and exploring Boston, which was a lot of fun!
Days eight to twelve.....
After little sleep the night before (due to our needy Starling rescue) and a long drive from Connecticut I0ver 5 hours in Friday afternoon traffic) we arrived to our hotel tired and happy to finally settle in for a little while.
We had dinner with Joanne and her family on our first night in Boston.. It was so much fun to catch up and have our first home cooked meal in over a week. Eating out is fun, but starts to lose its charm after more than a week of traveling.
On our second day in Boston we started the day with a visit to the U.S.S. Constitution (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution) to visit this naval ship, steeped in history.
Next we took a breezy ferry ride to the Long Wharf area of Boston to have lunch and visit the New England Aquarium.
This gigantic and magnificent sea turtle (pictured here with a stingray) was one of the highlights of our visit. Myrtle, the green sea turtle, lives in the Giant Ocean Tank. She has lived at the Aquarium since 1970. She is more than 90 years old, weighs more than 500 pounds, and eats lettuce, cabbage, squids, and brussels sprouts. How cool is Myrtle?
The kids enjoyed the many varieties of sea life on display at the aquarium. The only disappointment (especially for Miles) was the cancelled seal show. Miles has a particular love of seals, so for him this was a huge letdown, which included some tears, unfortunately, for the rest of us. We never got a straight answer as to why the show was cancelled so all we could assume was that one of the seals tested positive for COVID, resulting in the entire bunch having to quarantine and skip their performance.
On our fourth and final day in Boston we ventured out to some seaside towns, outside of Boston, Hull and Hingham. The kids loved the ferry rides there and back. However, we found ourselves a bit unprepared for the torrential downpour in the afternoon, as only two out of five of us remembered to pack our umbrellas (I was not one of them). However, we persevered and made the best of the rainy day, enjoying a warm and cozy Italian pasta dinner at the North End when we finally got back to Boston around dinner time.