Boston you're my home

We decided to venture out to Boston last Saturday, mainly because the forecast was for sunny skies and warm temperatures, but also because we've been slipping lately with our Friday Family Fun Nights. Seems the weekdays get away from us and suddenly it's 8:30 on a Friday and we're rounding up the kids for bed. Plus, this winter we were overloaded on the weekends with ski, skate and swim. It was our first Saturday in a while without anything on the books for a change.

So we spent all afternoon disconnected from the computers, TV and DVD players and enjoyed a stroll around our fair, little city.

We started our day at the Boston Fire Museum down by the Children's Museum on Congress St. I had one goal - stay outside. I didn't want to find myself inside on a sunny, warm spring day (only exclusion was grabbing something to eat at the Sinatra Brunch at Lucky's - kids complained the Frank impersonator was singing too loud).

The Boston Fire Museum is small, but free, however they do take donations. And they have the pump trucks from the 1800's which the kids thought were very cool. Along with displays of old helmets, badges and memorabilia.

We then walked towards the water to inspect the new buildings that seem to be popping up everywhere along the Seaport area. That landscape sure has changed since 1994.We showed the kids where Mommy and Daddy met at work...and where we met Uncle Fugi, Uncle Ben, Mr & Mrs. Black, Auntie Jocelyn, Uncle Dave, Fairly Odd Mother and Father, Lily & Paige's Mommy...ahhh the list went on and on.

After the stroll down memory lane, we made our way along Rowe's Wharf where my son was excited to see the guy from 'The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" at the Boston Harbor Hotel. We are assuming he was referring to the Bell Captain - but we're not totally sure.  There were some people tooling around on Segways which looked like great fun.  Too bad those never really hit mainstream.

There was a police boat cruising the harbor as we made our way along the water. That's all my son needed to see to make his afternoon complete.  We continued our stroll over to the Aquarium where the line was one that could rival the lines during summer vacation - so we took in some time with the seals out front while they were fed and did some tricks. 

One promise I made last year (and the year before) to my daughter was that we'd take a horse drawn carriage ride around Boston one day.  So when she saw them parked out front of the Aquarium, her face lit up.  I, of course, insisted there were more over by Fanueil Hall so we continued our stroll across the street to the Rose Kennedy Greenway.  I'm still amazed that was the smelly, old, crumbling Expressway.  They have done an amazing job of creating walkways, parks and seating all along the surface road.  It was so pretty.

Across the way was the entrance to Fanueil Hall, where we took in a street performer on a pole, juggling knives.  In my traditional fashion, I saw tragedy so I kept trying to get the kids to back away a bit.  He was pretty entertaining.

Naturally, the horse and carriages I imagined on the other side of Fanueil Hall were not there, but we did find some tucked away by Sissy K's and the Hong Kong (which sadly is still boarded up from a fire. RIP old happy hour memories).  Note: the carriages by the Aquarium are 100 times nicer, but a promise is a promise and she wanted in on one of those buggies, so off we went.

Our horse went nice and slow, so we got to enjoy the sights of all the closed office buildings and restaurants in Post Office Square.  But seriously, it was cool to just trot around the side roads and get off our feet. The rest of our afternoon was spent wandering around Fanueil Hall, enjoying some ice cream and cookies for dessert, and picking up a few gifts from our trip.

At the end of our day, we made our way back over to Congress St. via the Intercontinental Hotel for a potty break.  Abby was fascninated at how soft the paper towels were in the ladies room.  I told her to work hard and aim high in life and she could have those same towels in her own bathroom.  She had no clue what I was talking about, but did exclaim she wanted to move to Boston with her husband some day so she has a dream - those are important. Alex saw another guy from "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" at this hotel, too.

The best part of the whole day was that we spent almost all of it outside, strolling and observing the city before the rush of tourists sets in. No real plan. Just the family spending time together in Boston, for no particular reason.