Day 1 we started our adventure in Boston taking a harbor cruise. It was a great way to be introduced to the city. We wandered around the north end and found their "Little Italy." Cannoli was devoured from the cutest little bakery where they were speaking Italian. We then discovered we were on the path of the Freedom Trail so we followed the red brick path and soaked in the revolutionary sites starting with the church steeple that signaled Paul Reveres famous ride. We got to Bunker Hill and marveled at the memory of the farmers who changed the tide of the war. The USS Constitution was incredible and hard to imagine how it battled so many times and never was defeated. Taking a tour inside the boat was incredible. We ended the freedom trail in the Boston Common and happily headed for a bite in Chinatown nearby where we ate yummy dumplings from the Dumpling House. We then hopped on the T and headed to Fenway for a Redsox game. The game was sooooo much fun. We shared a hotdog in Fenway stadium and sang Sweet Caroline (major Redsox significance) and Take me out to the Ballgame with a huge stadium. The Redsox won the game and the excitement from the crowd was unforgetable when they cheered the line from Dirty Water "Boston you're my home!"
Day 3 we awoke in a cozy little bed and breakfast in Provincetown, Cape Cod. We found the first landing site and Mary realized the cool family history connection (thanks Dad and Angie), that one of her ancestors John Howland (famously known for falling off the Mayflower) first touched land at this site. We walked the jetty to find the coastline reflecting on 1620 history and saw a beautiful lighthouse.
Day 2 began our foody adventure starting with the award winning Legal Seafood clam chowder that is served at the presidential inaugurations (someone told us that- not sure if it is a fact). It was yummy but what really was unforgettably mouthwatering was the lobster bisque and the crabcake- warm fresh crab without the work. We wandered around and found Quincy Market where we shared a lobster roll and then checked out Faneuil Hall. We saw some incredible street entertainment- Houdini impersonation of his upside down straight jacket escape. We found our way back to Boston Common and checked out one of the oldest bookstores in the country- Brattle Books. We found acorn street and enjoyed walking along the regal brown stones and then found our way to the Public Garden and found the statues of the famous "Make way for Ducklings" ducks. We then found Trinity Church dwarfed by the tallest sky scraper in the city. And then happily realized the famous Public Library was across the street- with Aslan looking Lions greeting you as you climbed the stairs. We hopped on the T and headed to Harvard- found the campus, a no line Mike's Pastries, tried the famous square pizza and listened to a band wish everyone a Happy 4/20 in Harvard Square. And finally wandered a little more to checkout the Harvard Bookstore. We then headed out of Boston and arrived in Province Town on the tip of cape cod late at night.
We then found a beautiful beach nearby, found seashells for the boys and had some zentime. We opted not to go to the top of the huge monument commemorating P-town as the first landing sight but took a pic instead and headed down the cape, checking out quaint little towns along the way. We stopped for lunch in Chatham and ate at The Impudent Oyster, where Brad tried oysters for the fist time and we ate cod on Cape Cod as well as delectable scallops. Chatham was a charming little "gilmore girl" town with cute little shops complete with a gazebo. We then made our way to Plymouth where we checked out the Plimoth Patuxet outdoor museum where we visited a Native American village and English settlement. In the English settlement they had actors playing the part of all the people on the Mayflower, so though James Howland was not there we talked to many people who knew him and realized he is not famous for falling off the boat during a storm but rather surviving it because the boats do not turn around so he found a rope and they pulled him up, "for many a people fall off a boat, but few survive it- twas providence that saved him" they told us. We checked out the Mayflower and found Plymouth rock and the Jenney- the first mill in the country.
Day 4 we started in beautiful Newport, Rhode Island. We did the famous cliff walk over the ocean connecting gilded age mansions and enjoyed the daffodils all along the way. We found The Breakers- the Vanderbilt mansion and toured inside- so cool. We lunched at a nearby town-Narragansett at Champlin's Seafood where they have the "just off the boat" freshest seafood. We ordered some freshies (stuffed clams, RI is famous for) and a lobster dinner. Thank goodness for youtube so we could watch how to eat a full lobster- because we were literally expecting just a lobster tail. We will never forget cracking the lobster dipping it in butter and sitting on the seaside deck. We then made our way to Purgatory Chasm- a natural phenomena in MA. We ended the day in Salem and found the Witch Village, Cemetery, and Salem Witch Trial memorial. We found another cool ship and dined at The Witches Brewery and Cafe where Brad tried the haddock and Mary tried the shrimp- again delicious and super fun to chat with the waitress about Salem and all the "wicked" craziness during Halloween. In a nearby tavern the Redsox game was on so we stopped to join the fun and listen to some live music.
Day 5 we started back in Boston. Mary ran the Charles River Esplanade with the trees in bloom and daffodils everywhere- just beautiful. We saw some yachts out and saw a rowing team practicing. Now it makes sense why Harvard is famous for its rowing team, with the Charles River so close. We then headed to the beach in South Boston and rented bikes and biked along the waterfront to Castle Island- a revolutionary war fortress. We decided to bike to the other side of the harbor and will never forget biking through the busy city. We said our farewell to Boston lunching at our now favorite Legal Seafood and tried mussels for the first time as well as swordfish and we couldn't leave Boston without trying famous Boston cream pie- a delicious treat to end the trip. And a street vendor outside caught our eye with a t-shirt "Wicked Smaht-Boston" which after 5 days in New England made us laugh with the accent and "wicked" phrase which you really do hear often. What an unforgettable New England adventure.
