Boston Massachusetts | Visit With Our Son
Visiting other cities is so much fun! Even though my husband and I really love our simple life in the country, traveling to new places is exciting! Due to my husband’s work schedule, I went solo on this trip. Totally not the norm for us. But our son was temporarily working in Boston this spring and wanted at least one of us to come and visit. So on a plane I went :). Hey, the sacrifices we make for our kids!!
I haven’t flown a lot in my life, but it is not something I mind. The new and exciting part for me was that I would be using the Lyft App for my ride from Logan International Airport to our son, Stephen’s, place. His temporary stay in Boston did not warrant the need for a vehicle so he wasn’t able to pick me up.
The app was already set up on my phone with the payment and profile information before I left Delaware. When I landed in Boston, all I had to do was hale the cab! The Lyft ride was there exactly three minutes after I requested the ride! Wow, I am a small town kinda girl 🙂
Thirty minutes later, I arrived at his Brownstone apartment.
Talk about gorgeous architecture! This was old town USA! Copper roof details were everywhere in this part of the city. Beautiful old buildings stretched towards the sky in a very commanding yet welcoming way. I couldn’t wait to see the inside!
Stephen literally greeted me at the door of his place, grabbed my suitcase and said, “Let’s go!” Off we went exploring. He had so much to show me and I wanted to see all I could while I was there.
Gorgeous and blooming, the trees lined the streets. Someone out there probably knows the name of each tree, I just soaked them in. We had to walk everywhere we went so each trip out was filled with the beauty of these white and pink trees.
I couldn’t get enough of them! Plenty of photos were taken for future watercolor projects. 🙂
Exterior staircases like these were in many of the alleys. The ironwork alongside the brick is so pretty:)
Each day we had to pass the Boston Public Library. Stephen pointed it out to me and said that it would be good to go exploring the library the next day while he was at work. Stunning place! I used my iPhone for pics the first day and then took my DSLR back on another day. I wanted to snap pics all day! So much to see and capture!
The quote on the side of the library building read,
“The Commonwealth requires the education of the people as the safeguard of order and liberty.”
I am sure all of you teachers and educators out there agree with that 100%!
Also, be sure to notice the tall modern-day building peaking in the background. The old with the new.
The entrance of the library was stunning. After passing through security, visitors are greeted with a beautiful inlaid tile ceiling. Some of the tiles are probably only about an inch wide! I am sure these tiles didn’t not come in sheets like they do today. The craftsmanship was stunning!
Names of historical greats were inlaid tiles all over the room. Here is John Adams, one our nations founding fathers.
Most of the rooms were open for photography, so I just snapped away! Unfortunately, I had already taken this picture of the Reading Room also called Bates Hall before I saw the sign saying ‘No photos taken please.’ I did ask someone that worked at the library why and she said just for the sake of the privacy of those using the room. After editing and cropping the image, I am not sure anybody would recognize anyone in the image. Sorry if that is you in the pic 😉
Staircases leading upstairs were lined with marble and granite from overseas. It is amazing to wonder how on earth they were able to do this kind of work so many years ago, without the modern-day equipment we have now!
The paintings were huge and all of them were custom painted for the library.
The two lion statues that flank both sides of the staircases were also made of granite. The granite on the lions was unpolished so they had a distinction to them. They were like giant pumice stones! Over the years though, the parts of the lions that could be reached by visitors were worn done to a shine! Years and years of touching those same spots softened those areas!
We walked and walked everywhere! Here we are in Boston Park. Beautiful landscape areas where people can gather and enjoy fresh air and greenery.
We also walked The Freedom Trail. Over the four days that I was able to spend in Boston, we walked close to 18 miles!
I loved seeing the contrast of old town history like this statue of Washington with a backdrop of the modern-day city. These scenes are everywhere! They speak of our country’s roots and of the continuing growth of our nation!
There are so many older churches scattered throughout Boston. The gorgeous architecture is a sight to see!
Samuel Adams stood proud and tall in front of Faneuil Hall.
Behind Faneuil Hall was Quincy’s Market. A large market that included fresh produce and food goods as well as restaurants and clothing stores. We headed inside for a lobster roll. My hunger overtook me when I saw it so I didn’t get a picture of it before I devoured it 🙂
This is the Old State House, the location of the Boston Massacre.
Paul Revere’s house is the small building on the left in the image. You can see the old buildings with all that gorgeous copper on the rooftops. It has aged with a beautiful aqua color that only copper can produce. Think Statue of Liberty 🙂
This statue of Paul Revere was located in a small paved park. We had coffee and just enjoyed the view. There was a violinist playing music from the days of Paul Revere and the sound made for a beautiful setting.
The Old South Meeting House was a gathering place for church on Sundays and town meetings during the week. It is overwhelming to think about the debates that must have taken place in this building that determined our nation’s future.
I was especially intrigued by the seating. Small cubicle type areas with built in pews were located behind half doors and half walls as you see below. Groups of 8-10 people could sit inside each little cubicle and use body heat as a way of staying warm in the colder months! I could imagine families attending church and sitting together in each little area. Or even, groups of people who possibly disagreed about our nations future sitting in the same cubicle!
This structure was interesting as well. The pastor or the speaker for the day, would stand inside this elevated podium with the small roof overtop and his voice would project out because of the hanging structure above him. I love inventiveness like this!
The New England Holocaust Memorial was solemn. You can’t see it in this photo, but the names, all the names, of the victims of that terrible time in our world’s history are engraved in the glass of the six towers. This memorial in all of it’s splendor and shear presence seemed to call out to be quiet and reflect what evil can accomplish. Let us never forget.
Old City Hall has a statue of Benjamin Franklin that we admired while on our walk for the day. Quite lovely with the flag flying so pretty!
Each day was a new experience in food! The day we walked the Freedom Trail we ate the lobster rolls along with other goodies. We had authentic greek gyros with goat cheese fries. And yes, the stuffed the gyros with french fries! The Best!!
One evening after a wonderful Italian dinner of pasta and sauces, we enjoyed panna cotta with glasses of wine. Delish!
For lunch on one of the days of adventuring was a simple, but delicious, bread and cheese board. Dipping sauces and fruit chutney were so good along with the varieties of cheeses that were offered. Yummy!
Last but not least, is the Massachusetts State House. The land where this building is once was the location of John Hancock’s mansion. Regretfully, it was taken down after many years of neglect and The State House was built.
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Boston! Certainly not exhaustive, but I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and time with my son 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!! Hope you get a chance to visit Boston one day too!