We had a great time but are now heading on to Germany. This is the Lufthansa gate, blessedly heavy with charging ports. I picked up some euros at the exchange here. Always good to have a few when we hit the ground.
We took the train/shuttle to the airport. A whole $5 for both of us and very easy. The transit ambassadors at main stations are extremely helpful.
One thing I found especially pretty in Boston was all the churches. I understand they have some beautiful synagogues and mosques as well. So here are some pics of a few that I walked by.
Almost anytime someone goes to Boston, they do the same things. And those are great things: the Freedom Trail, Chinatown, Little Italy, and the JFK library. There are good reasons that these are popular Boston activities and if you haven’t already done them, I highly recommend them. But, if you’ve been to Boston before and are looking for some fun, different activities, here are some to try.
For a different breakfast experience, we went to Clover, a plant based restaurant. Their cranberry, apple, maple oatmeal is awesome, as is their hibiscus iced tea. Ray also liked his veggie sandwich and coffee.
For a free museum that’s slightly on the geeky side, go to Massachusetts General Hospital. Their Museum of Medical History and Innovation will make you extremely grateful to be living in modern times. Here are a few highlights.
Many displays highlighted WWI medicine, like these sleeping bags used by WWI nurses.A traveling pharmacy from when physicians made house calls.Diagnosis has improved dramatically thanks to new tools.
One of my favorite exhibits (not shown, sorry) allows one to try and diagnose three patients using results from modern screening tests.
A sample trunk filled with a nursing jacket and bonnet. Considering what those WWI nurses endured, they deserved more serious hats than these little pill boxes.
Surgical tools from the 1800s. They would not have been this clean, either. The relationship between sterile surgery and survival had not yet been established.
Another fun but unexpected destination is the main library. The library has two buildings, the McKim building, a classical building with notable murals, including some by John Singer Sargeant.
The newer building, the Johnson building, is thoroughly modern, and boasts the latest in library services innovations for Boston residents.
Exterior of the old library building
A fun photo opportunity to take a pic of my son and his wife
Walking back, we were able to enjoy the Christmas lights in the Commons.
The Cartier cat is actually across from the commons but too cool to omit!
Finally, make a quick visit to see the adorable burro statue in front of the old city hall (now Ruth Chris). Believe it or not, placing this staue here was controversial as it was Italian and had nothing to do with the American Revolution to justify it being on the Freedom Trail. But finally, it found its place there, delighting all the children who visit. The bright spots on the statue testify to the many children who have petted the little burro.
What would a stay at the Omni Parker House be like without trying their famous Parker House Boston cream pie? So we tried it! By the way, don’t get your taste buds set for a pie; that is definitely a misnomer. This is a fluffy light sponge cake filled with a thin layer of a light custard rather than the heavy custard associated with eclairs and donuts. There is also no crust, but there is a lovely chocolate topping.
For those who are interested in savoring this treat without traveling to Boston, you can have a 10-12 serving pie/cake shipped to you through Goldbelly for $89. We can verify that these are the original Boston cream pie from the Parker house as we saw crates of them being loaded onto a truck outside the restaurant. Hotel staff also confirmed that Goldbelly only uses their pies.
Have you ever wondered what happens to seeing eye dogs when they have to retire?
We met a sweet retired seeing eye dog in the park near our Boston hotel so we discovered the answer. The puppy breeder gets first dibs on adopting the retired dog. Many breeders do adopt retired dogs as it’s hard not to get attached in the 14 to 28 months before the dogs start training. And of course, these dogs are exceptionally well trained so they make great pets.
I got to pet Maxie but only after giving her the signal that it was ok to come over. What a wonderful dog!
If you’re interested in adopting a retired guide dog or a dog that couldn’t complete the grueling training (but would still make a great pet), you can apply here.
Breakfast was good but limited seating.The park was lovely and peacefulA one man band entertained the kidsFrogs outside the tadpole play areaRay and I being sillyThe tadpole playgroundMassachusetts state housePark Street churchCathedral church of St Paul
Bike rentalsSolar powered pay station for bike rentalsHistoric map in sidewalkFreedom trail signs are everywhereThere was a big flash mob in front of Fanueil hall marketplaceTime for lunchThis place is popular!Ray is contemplating the menuYum!Ray’s yummy lunchAt the fresh air marketOyster shucking is hard workLots of great produce. Blueberries are 2 boxes for $1!!This sounds tastyQuincy marketLoved some of the fun signs inside Quincy marketI wasn’t hungry but. . .Cool decorationsChristmas in BostonCheers bar Christmas decorationsMap for the freedom trail
A little sticker shock. Glad we don’t have a car hereOld Courthouse
Wasn’t this a fun walking tour of Boston? It’s one of my favorite cities, especially since the food is amazing.
Since we were in Boston, we had to visit Bromfield pens. Despite my taking lots of pics and not buying anything (tight luggage constraints as we’re still heading to Germany), the staff was delightful and kind.
The cases were filled with delectable pen goodies. Here are a few samples.
I definitely recommend a visit the next time you’re in Boston. And unlike me, leave room in your suitcase for pen goodies.
Boston has a wonderful metro system so if you’re heading to downtown from the airport, and want to save big bucks, take the metro. There are shuttles for the blue line (shuttle number 22), the red line, and the silver line. The red line shuttle was free. I suspect the others are too. Although the #22 shuttle was only labeled on the outside as the bus for other terminals and rental cars, it definitely stopped at the airport metro station–before going to the rental car sites. At the metro, it cost us a whole $5.50 for two of us to get within a couple of blocks of our hotel.
One caveat. If you buy 2 tickets together at the machine, it’ll spit out a receipt and one pass. Both people need to use the single pass to go through the turnstile. The receipt is only for your records.
At your subway stop, let Google maps take over.
If you can’t walk a few blocks or have heavy luggage, Lyft is another affordable option. Reddit users claim it’s much more affordable than taxis.
But if you are able to walk a few blocks, the Boston metro can get you anyplace you might want to go in Boston, affordably and quickly.
By the way, Boston, including our hotel, is all dressed up for the holidays. And the Omni Parker House is the birthplace of Boston Cream Pie and Parker House rolls. Want to try them?
By the way, if you’re planning an Omni hotel stay, sign up for Omni select so you don’t get charged a big (about $10/day) internet fee.
Lobster is what I think of first when planning a trip to Boston.
We were planning a trip to Boston for a business meeting and said, “Hey! We’re well along the way to Europe. Let’s go!” We settled upon Germany, because Brenda wanted to finally put her German language minor in college to good use.
Lufthansa offered flights from Boston/Logan to Frankfort, so we opted to visit that area. Once there, we considered our options: travel hither and thither, staying in various places, or establish a base of operations in one place and explore the environs. We opted for the latter, eschewing the multiple unpack/pack cycle. We also travel light, so readily finding a laundry with time to use it is a must. (At least, our seatmates on the flights home would prefer it.)
The next decision was where to establish our home away from home. There’s where the DK travel guides for Germany came in handy. The Rhineland offers an abundance of pleasant towns to choose from, so we felt we couldn’t make a wrong decision. We opted for Koblenz because it was convenient to both the Rhine and Moselle attractions, and was large enough to provide lots of different fun things to do and enjoy over our stay.
What about touring the countryside? Car or train? We opted for the convenience of the German railway system. We will use their affordable and convenient rail pass to avoid dealing with auto insurance, parking, and foreign language highway signage. The train system offers direct service from the Frankfort airport to Koblenz and convenient service from Koblenz to other towns and cities that we wanted to visit. And we won’t have to worry about driving after Wine tasting our way through the countryside.
Just a few more details to take care of and we’ll be ready for our trip. What about you? Where in Germany would you like to go?
Travels with Owen 