Here's a few more shots from our trip to Boston in August, plus 5 more recommended things to do:
6. Visit the New England Aquarium. We love to hit up aquariums whenever we go to a city that has one. Sometimes they are great, other times there isn't much to see. Boston has a great aquarium - lots of tropical fish, places to touch stingrays, penguins, plus a huge tank (3 storeys high) with bigger fish and a sea turtle. Our other favourite place was watching the seals and sea lions. There's something so relaxing about sitting and watching fish swim...
7. Wander around near the Prudential Center. This part of the city has taller buildings and is busier in general, so there is lots to see. We were there shortly after the bombings, and it was amazing to see memorials like the one below - pieces of material with encouragement tied all along this church fence. The Prudential Center also has a great courtyard where we took our lunch. And Boston is full of parks and open spaces which are beautiful at dusk.
8. Take the metro across to Cambridge, Mass to visit Harvard and MIT. Just like watching fish is relaxing, walking through an Ivy League campus is inspiring. Cambridge is a very well kept place, so it's beautiful for walking.
9. Even if you don't care to visit the universities, cross the river just to see Boston from the other side! In retrospect I think it would have been cool to spend some time on the water as well - either in a kayak or sailboat.
10. See a baseball game at Fenway Park. My husband is a big sports fan, so of course this was on our list. But in all honesty this was the best live sports experience I've had thus far. For a few reasons:
- The stadium is old. It's not a jazzed up place with all the techno gadgets to distract you. It feels like a genuine American pastime in a nostalgic place.
- True blue fans. I've been to lots of games surrounded by drunk, angry fans shouting and being inappropriate. And I realize this was likely happening to others in the stadium...however we were sitting with some of the most hilarious and true Red Sox fans. So thank you random strangers for making it a great night.
- They were playing the Yankees. If you can swing it, go to a rivalry game. It was close, it was exciting, and the stadium was still full near the end of the game. And as a side note we were at a Yankees vs. Tampa Bay game the next week, and it wasn't nearly as exciting.
- It was a beautiful night. Obviously I realize this is something we can't control - but as you can see by the amazing sunset over the stadium, we lucked out.
Of course it wasn't a perfect experience (over priced food and we had to leave early to catch the last subway train), but I couldn't have asked for a better grand finale of our time in Boston.
