Last weekend Aldo and I went to Boston for a quick getaway. Work has been crazy busy for me, so we could only take off one day, but it was a much needed mini-vacation. We stayed at an apartment in Chinatown that we found through Airbnb. It was a very simple small apartment, but we had our own clean room, and this was the only place we could find for less than $100 a night. It was in a perfect location – very close walking distance to Boston Common, very close to the South Station, and very close to the Freedom Trail. We loved being able to walk through the Boston Common every morning. We enjoyed people watching, and we got to see baby ducks and two love swans in their nest.
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We spent the first day walking the Freedom Trail, Aldo pretended to panic every time we walked even as far as across the street from the trail, and we sang the Yellow Brick Road song all day long. Fun times. Even though I’ve been to Boston once before, I was still surprised by how small the city is – we walked the whole trail by noon! Our feet were tired, but conveniently enough, we wandered over to the Esplanade and got to sit down, relax, and witness a family of geese crossing the water. I love springtime!
From the esplanade, we walked through the Back Bay neighborhood, and passed by the gorgeous Trinity Church.
We also went to tour the Otis House ($10 per ticket). There was no photography allowed inside, but I wanted to mention this historical house/museum because it was a very interesting tour. I love learning not just about historical facts, but about how people lived and interacted with each other, and it was fascinating to learn about how a rich influential family designed their house to fit their lives. For example, in the lower part of the house where common visitors would stop by, there was no candle chandelier, and the visitors room was on the east side of the house, so that guests would be forced to leave once the room was not lit up by the sun in the afternoon. The dining room was on the west side of the house, so that dinner with business partners could take place later in the day with natural sunlight, but once again, guests would have to start going home once the sun set. But upstairs, where the fancy drawing room was, there was plenty of candle chandeliers, so that the guests who were asked to stay late were able to enjoy the house even when it was dark out. I love learning details like that.
Since we were pretty much done with Boston in one day, we went to Cambridge on our second day there. We wandered around Harvard, sneaked into some buildings to see the classrooms (nothing special, we didn’t immediately feel smarter just from being in Harvard), and went to the Museum of Natural History. I love the natural history museums. I love looking at all the different animals – there is always a new creature to discover! Or, there are always new things to discover about creatures you thought you knew. Aldo didn’t know Emperor penguins were huge, he thought they were like the little Argentina penguins.
One of my favorite exhibits from the natural history museum is the gems and minerals section. So many different colors, shapes, and textures! And it’s fascinating that gems with such similar chemical composition can look so different.
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[/one_half_last]On our last half day in Boston, we walked through the Boston Common one more time to go to the Massachusetts State House, where they had free tours. It was actually very impressive both inside and out. Grand staircases, massive halls, very majestic looking. Nice job, Massachusetts. We also got to sit in on a state senate voting session – it’s great that people are allowed to participate in the government, or rather, at least view what is happening.
Massachusetts State House
Overall, our trip was a great success. Boston is a beautiful, interesting city, very clean, very safe (we stayed out of the South End), and I would go back there again for a weekend trip. Here is Aldo’s post about Boston – there is information about the Bolt bus, where we ate, etc.
Where do you like to go for a weekend getaway? Do you like to visit different cities or get away from civilization for a weekend?
