Boston!!

I'm trying to get caught up on my blogging, apparently the fact that I don't blog very often leads Sean to believe that I think our life is boring. I definitely don't think that, so here we are!

For Labor Day weekend we took our annual pilgrimage to Boston. Boston is our favorite place, and we love the time we spend there. These were some of our adventures:

THE USS CONSTITUTION

We tried to get on the Constitution 2 different times last year, and it never worked out. This year, we made sure it was the first thing we did. We arrived shortly before it opened, but it was already really busy and we opted to only view the top deck instead of doing the guided tour of all the decks, as we would have to wait for another hour. Here's the lovely deck, and us lookin cute on it :)

After we got off the boat, we were talking to Sean's mom and found out that his grandfather once served on the Constitution, so that was an excellent family history moment for us!

FANEUIL HALL/QUINCY MARKET

This is where we spend a large part of our time every trip. The great thing about Boston is that it's a big city that feels like a small city. Right in the middle of the Financial District is Quincy Market, home to many shops, restaurants, street performers, and the beautiful and historic Faneuil Hall. We would get Dunkin Donuts in the morning (Sean's favorite) and then eat them in the square you see in the first picture. Then you wonder through the shops and street vendors, it goes all the way out to the bay! Such a good time, and there's always something different to see! But by far, our favorite part of Quincy Market is Cheers:
Downstairs is an exact replica of the bar from the show, but this outdoor cafe portion is our favorite. We eat there basically every day when we're in town, splitting a giant appetizer sampler, the Norm's Platter, and a hot fudge brownie sundae. It's a delicious, if not completely healthy, tradition, and we look forward to it all year long! The last day we were there we sat inside for the first time, and witnessed a terribly awkward break up at the next table, so I think we're sticking with the patio from here on out!

FENWAY!

The reason we began going to Boston in the first place was Fenway. We are HUGE Red Sox fans, and Sean is a card carrying member of Red Sox Nation. Thanks to that, we get a free set of tickets every year, and so off we go! This year, we were able to take a tour of Fenway before the game where we learned a lot of the stadium's history and caught a few minutes of batting practice. Then we watched the Red Sox get a great win over the White Sox, and our hometown guy Jacoby Ellsbury (he's from Corvallis, played for OSU) had a great game! Go Sox!

BOSTON HARBOR

Our big event of the trip, other than baseball, was going whale watching out in the Atlantic. We took a high speed catamaran about an hour out into the water, and it was amazing! The tour was narrated by some scientists who were familiar with the feeding ground we went to, and they kept us informed the whole time. We saw Humpback and Minke whales, but it was the humpbacks that were the most friendly. They would lift their flukes, slap their flippers against the water, and stayed near the surface for most of the tour. Here a few pics:

It was hard to get good shots, since they're only at the surface for a short time, and I didn't want to miss the great stuff by being too busy trying to find it in the lens. I HIGHLY recommend anyone going to Boston to do this, it was such a great time! One recommendation though. Don't bring your silly little dog. I don't get people who use pets as accessories anyway, but bringing a tiny dog on a whale watching boat makes no sense to me. Don't do it. You'll look ridiculous. I promise :)

BEACON HILL

We stayed downtown this year, and our hotel was directly across the street from the start of the Beacon Hill neighborhood. It is so beautiful, and encompasses everything I think of when I think of Boston. We wandered around for hours our last night, looking at the neat apartments (including Robert Frost's from when he was teaching at Harvard) and even sneaking into one apartment's courtyard. They're gorgeous little gardens, and I want one. We've decided this is where we will live one day :)

So there's some insight into the most beautiful city in the country (in my opinion), highly recommended to all, I'm counting down to next year!!!