Independence Day

Since being in Boston, the birthplace of America's Independence, we decided to make sure that we took part in some of the celebration going on. There was so much going on between June 29th and July 4th, that there is actually a 40 page booklet detailing all of the information with locations and times of the events. The event called Harborfest is centered as Boston Harbor and all of the history surrounding the Harbor. One of the best things about Harborfest - most of the events are free!

On Monday, Independence Day, we decided that we were going to take part in something truly American! We wanted to hear the reading of the Declaration of Independence. There are a couple reasons I wanted to go - for one, I love history (any era) and I also think that since we live in Canada, it is important for Arabella to learn about the history of her "home country" (Not that she is going to remember hearing the Declaration of Independence read when she was 3, but still). I think the last time I actually read or listened to the words of the Declaration of Independence was in my American History class in my junior year of high school, circa 1992 (YIKES, that is a long time ago). I remember one of our tests involved memorizing the preamble to it and I studies for God knows how long because I wanted to know every word - I can't recall how well I did on that test, but I would like to think that I knew all the words. Just in case, you need a refresher yourself, you can check it out here: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html

Instead of driving into the city, we decided to drive to Logan airport and park there. Once we parked, we had to check out a few places before we hoped on a shuttle bus and ended up at the train. We figured it would be easier to take the train since we could get off right where we needed to be. And it was fun to take the train for a change and it was quick!

On the bus with Grammie & Uncle Mike.

Waiting for the T!


Before we knew it, we were at our stop! We walked a quick 2 blocks and we were right in the action and where we needed to be. The Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony of the Old State House. It is the same place it was read on July 18, 1776. I was surprised at how may people were there and it was pretty moving to hear the words that our forefathers penned being read out loud. It sure made be proud to be an American.


After the reading, the Patriots fired their guns and marched out. We were lucky to be able to get a front row seat to the "parade" and it gave me goose bumps...what can I say, I am sentimental. Arabella loved to hear the fife and drum players and we watched them play for a little while.


Since we were so close, we again made a trip to the North End. This time we tried another bakery...Mike's Pastry...we figured it had to be good...everyone was walking around with their boxes. We found it easily and walked into a very crowded but delicious smelling bakery. They had at least 25 different flavors of cannoli, but once again, settled on my favorite, ricotta filled! Arabella also had some chocolate gelato and we also bought some cookies. I have to say, these cookies, were amazing!! Totally, blew the last pastry shop's cookies out of the water! We will definitely be going back to Mike's Pastry again.




Aren't these window boxes pretty?? The picture really doesn't do it justice.
I love this tree lined street.

Another gelato cafe...I want to try this one next time...and it reminds me of Cynthia and GiGi...can you guess why?!?!

Spectacle Island

On Sunday, we decided to take a ferry to one of the Boston Harbor Islands. It was a slightly overcast day, but still warm. Arabella managed to sneak in a quick snooze before we even left the dock and we managed to score seats on the upper deck which was nice, as it afforded better views on the ride out.



Once we arrived, Arabella made a bee line for the beach. She had fun playing in the sand and building sand castles. Even though the beach was rocky, it was nice to spend part of the day on the beach. Mike and Mom walked to the other side of the island to check it out and I wish we had joined them, they said it was beautiful and the beach was nicer...next time we will check it out.



Once Arabella was done on the beach, we had little bit of time to kill before heading back on the ferry. Arabella and I tried our had at the hula hoops, it was fun!


While the ferry was docking, it started to pour rain. Good thing it wasn't cold, we all got soaked but had a good laugh about it. It was a fun ride back and we were able to see some of the catamarans that were racing in the Harbor.



It was nice to have a change of pace and visit an island for a day. We look forward to checking out more of the Boston Harbor islands on our future visits to Boston.

Time To Be A Tourist

Bright and early Saturday morning, we decided that we were going to do all things touristy in Boston. I know, sounds silly coming from someone who grew up in New England, had been to Boston more times than I can count and to top it off, I used to travel to Boston for work. But being in the spirit of the 4th of July, we wanted to take in some patriotic sights and sounds!

Once out the door, we headed for a New England tradition - Dunkin Donuts - what better way to start the day then with an iced coffee and a Captain America donut:

Or in Uncle Jeff's case, a Boston Creme donut and a Captain America Cherry slushie thing:

Both Captain America items were disgustingly sweet, but a treat to have.

Once into Boston, we started doing the touristy thing, we headed down to the area near the aquarium and just started to walk. We ran into the horse drawn carriages, which Arabella wanted to ride in, but decided against it. It was a warm sunny day, so we walked around Quincy Market, which was packed. Mom/Grammie had caught sight of a farmer's market when we were looking for parking so we set out to try and find it. We were lucky, it was right around the corner. What a great find - I couldn't believe the prices on the fruit and veggies - they had plums and peaches for 10 for $1! Trays of raspberries for $1, and whole watermelons for $3!! Seriously, if I lived in or near Boston, I would make the trip each weekend to score some great food!






After the farmer's market, we took a short walk to the North End, which is famous for it's Italian restaurants and bakeries. Being 1/2 Italian, I was in heaven...and so was everyone else. We found a great little place on a corner and grabbed some lunch, it was packed and seating was at a premium, but we found a table and dug into pizza, pasta and a tomato, mozzarella and basil salad that was the best I have ever had!




We made sure we saved some room so we could stop at a bakery for some cookies and cannoli! We had to wait in line, but the cannoli's were so worth it. I just love a fresh ricotta cannoli, YUM! And you might not be able to tell from this pic, but Arabella did too!

After our treat, we decided to cool off in an splash pad/fountain park. It was so nice, and it was hard to believe that before the "Big Dig" which put all the highways under Boston, that right where we were playing, ran the highway. Arabella got soaked, but had a great time. I even had fun chasing her around!



After getting dried off and purchasing a new outfit for Arabella (I wasn't thinking and didn't pack her a change of clothes)(and THANKS GRAMMIE for the very cute outfit from the GAP), we decided to do the most touristy thing in Boston - the Duck Boat tour! It was a great way to see Boston and it was a ton of fun! We laughed, saw a ton of sights and enjoyed the fun ride, both on the road and in the water!

Arabella fell asleep as soon as the tour started!






One of my favorite hotels in Boston, I loved staying there!
That is us in the reflection.

Boston and the Charles River