New England 'Marmite' Flydrive - Day2 - Duck Tours

[roonlou]

Day 1 - The Journey

Sunday 16th August 2009, Day 2
Omni Parker House Hotel, Boston MA
Distance 0 miles
Duck Tours, High Views and Fishy Treats

Long night due to jet-lag, noisy neighbours and late afternoon iced coffee, finally awoke at 05:30hrs, giving me the chance to update my diary – so much easier with a laptop. We enjoyed a nice cup of coffee in bed before receiving a text from the folks just after 6am informing us they were up, so we arranged to meet them in reception at 7am. We hopped into the shower and prepared ourselves for a full day in a very warm and bustling Boston city.



It was nice and quiet out, and we headed off towards the Science Museum looking for a tasty place to pick up breakfast along the way. We stumbled upon a Finegal Bagel shop next to a major hospital and treated ourselves to a bready breakfast. I had a Phoenix press - cheese, avocado, tomato, black beans and salsa on a jalapeņo bagel, while Roo had a classic of ham, eggs and cheese on a French toast bagel. The folks also enjoyed cheese and ham type treats with coffee and juice, whilst the nursing staff from next door passed in and out with their own breakfast delights.



We then headed on through the city towards the pick up point for our pre-booked duck tour at the Science Museum. This was a scenic tour of the city in an amphibious vehicle, travelling across land and water. We arrived very early and managed to move our booking from 10:30 to 09:30hrs. We lined up in the very hot morning awaiting the loading of the duck! Ours was called Charlie River, and was bright green and an original World War II version. We squeezed into the super soft vinyl seats with 28 other enthusiastic passengers and headed off with our guide Marco (dressed very similar to a certain Italian plumber Nintendo character, saying he had two famous brothers that were into video games). Then the hour and half tour of the city commenced, taking in sites such as Boston Common, Bunker Hill, North End and many other locations before finally plunging into the Charles River Docks in the amphibious beastie. Marco allowed the children on board to have a turn at piloting the water craft while he continued to point out points of interest and supply more educational facts on this old city.









After the tour we were all feeling the heat, so enjoyed the air-con of the Science Museum with an iced coffee and a real fruit lollipop. The restaurant soon filled up as it was close to lunch time, but it was also full of like minded duck tour passengers. From there we wandered the mile or so back to the hotel via a chemist to pick up some much needed sun-block and so Ma could collect her hat. With a vague plan in our minds, we headed down to the Park Street Station to jump on the red line T train to Harvard to nosey around campus.




The train was quiet and lovely and cool, so made for a very pleasant journey. On arrival at Harvard we grabbed a free map and headed into campus. The College itself didn't look that old with its Colonial red brick buildings but apparently some parts had been built over 300 years ago. The grounds were very pretty with lots of grassed areas with large trees dotted about. We recognized many parts of the College from watching Fringe back home.

Using our guide book we headed out of Harvard and down the road to a famous deli called Cardullo's to grab a bite to eat. What a lovely shop to have visited, very high ceiling with lots of shelves packed full of interesting foods to eat. There were a few chalk boards above one of the counters listing a selection of sandwiches to purchase. We waited while the server tried to figure out what the French couple in front of us actually wanted, while we decided on our choice. We ordered up a Gorgonzola, pear, proscutto and rocket ciabatta with a side order of tortellini salad to share. Ma and Pa ordered a Chicken ceaser with wheat wrap and a side of coleslaw. We then headed back on campus for a shady spot to enjoy our tasty tasty lunch. After a little more wandering we were ready for a desert, so headed to the homemade ice-cream shop just outside the main gates. With a large selection, choice was tricky, but in the end - peanut Oreo for me, Mocha Chip for Roo, small raspberry yoghurt for Ma, and finally cup-o-chino crunch for Pa. The ice-cream was very tasty, but sweet and a bit sickly.





Back on the T for a bit of train swapping to get to the harbour to see the famous Boston Tea Party ship and museum, only after eventually arriving to find it missing for renovation, doh! So, we headed onwards and upwards for more train swapping to get to the Prudential Centre for a view of the city. We arrived at the shopping mall, and followed the signs to the Sky Observatory on the 50th floor. A short ride on an ear popping lift and we'd arrived at the correct floor. After we paid our entry we headed through the turnstile and into the windowed viewing area. The skies were lovely and clear, so the views of the city were amazing and went on for miles and miles.





With the day drawing on, we decided to wander back to our hotel to freshen up before dinner. On the way back we found a restaurant called Skip Jacks that looked very interesting, so decided to return there later on. Ma had a pedometer on, and informed us we'd walked over 9 miles so far, so no guilt about the ice-creams. We had a bit of down time at our beautiful hotel, and showered and changed before meeting up again at 7pm.



The restaurant we'd chosen was a 25 minute walk away, but when you're hungry that seems like longer. We headed off out into the balmy evening with the sun low in the sky and through the beautiful park to see the same concert going on as the night before. The meal at Skip Jacks was really good - we were seated at a table by the window in a fairly quiet dining room, and the waiter really knew his food. We ordered half a dozen Rhode Island Cherry Stone clams to sample – a first for all of us, and hopefully not the last. Salad course next with a crisp Pinot Grigio, then Ma and Pa both had Skip Jacks combination platter of swordfish, Maryland Crab cake and shrimp on wilted spinach with a side of fries. While Roo and I both had Stripped Bass with honey mustard sauce, squeaky green beans and a side of garlic mash.

The fish was cooked to perfection, and everyone was very quiet whilst enjoying the food, no photos unfortunately. A nice smoked Islay single malt for us and a cappuccino for the folks before heading home through the warm but windy streets back to our comfy beds for a much better sleep. Tomorrow the road journey starts.

Day 3 - Witches and Light Houses

[DisneyMadAng]

Wow a long day for you. I love your photos... lunch looks yummo!

[Mickeyetta]

Originally Posted by roonlou

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Lets face it that's the closest any of us would get to a high brow edumacational establishment such as harvard

Another great days guys.

H

[Guest]

Another great report with lovely photos.

[ethanjosh]

Another great day, can't wait to read more :pop:

[Strommie]

Fantastic day, I really want to visit Boston.

[purple myra]

A really busy day! I'm so ignorant of that part of the USA I had no idea there was so much to see and do.
Loved the fact my 2 favourite words made it in to your trippie
PINOT GRIGIO!

[orlandosgr8]

A lovely day sightseeing, and your evening meal sounds lovely

[DIBBadmin]

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