New England Staycation July 2017 - Day 7 Boston!

[debidee]

Today we were truly going to be tourists in Boston! The weather was set to be perfect so everyone was super excited to explore the city! We have been a couple of times now so it's starting to feel a bit more familiar but we all agreed we wanted to do one of the bus tours to really see all the major attractions! I logged onto viator and secured 1 day passes for us all - they were $41 each for hop on and off and a free boat trip as well

On the way we decided (of course) we needed coffee and munchkins (donut holes!) so did a quick drive through

Ria also picked up a cup cooler! For $4

We thought it was easiest to drive into town and I found a car park right next to the aquarium for $20 all day - this was perfect as it's literally a 5 minute walk to Faneuil hall and where we needed to pick up our actual tickets

I would say as we learnt during the tour - I'd recommend getting on at this stop, it's the first stop so you can get a good seat together if you are in a group. On many of the stops people didn't get off and there were often people waiting. In fairness he was radioing in the queue sizes and said they were sending new buses - I'm not sure if this was the case or not. In total there were 20 stops along the way and it took roughly 2 hours to do the full tour.

The list of stops were really good and our guide pointed out sights along the way and was pretty amusing - here is the complete list for info

Here are a few snaps from the tour...

Where everyone knows your name...

Just an arty shot! Lol

I bet these houses are amazing inside!

Fire station

Red Sox were playing today so it was really busy around the stadium

Pretty view as we crossed the bridge

Last time we passed here was February and it was so cold!

Once we had done the full lap we decided to get lunch on the harbour at Mia's, it didn't take long to get a table and the food was served pretty quickly and was really good

We had a wander around the harbour but all agreed we didn't fancy the boat and would prefer to head back to Charles street and get an ice cream Lol!

One day...

On the way we looked in Quincy market - here you can get pretty much every food choice under the sun! We also looked at the outdoor stalls and I picked up this Tshirt for $14

I have to say as much as we liked New York and of course London I love Boston, it is definitely not as busy and there is a lovely relaxed vibe about the place. It was so great just wandering around in the sunshine and looking at all the beautiful buildings

Charles street is a mix of cafes, antique stores and shops. Of course we stopped and I needed some sorbet to cool down :-)

Once refreshed we just mooched on Boston common, it was lovely - lots of people sunbathing, there was a wedding (nothing like the one we spotted in NY) and a lovely little boating lake. It really reminded me of a mini Central Park

Little ducklings...someone had knitted a hat for one!

They had swan boats on here as well

There were some areas you couldn't sit on the grass but tons of places you could

I had booked a table in Magiannos for dinner - our favorite Orlando restaurant...

It did not disappoint with the gorgeous bread and I knocked us up a quick dip!

I had my usual chicken in a light lemon sauce - even though this is the lighter version it was huge! Top marks for this wonderful meal!

2 spoons please...

We had a very slow walk back thru Faneuil marketplace, lots of people were eating outside in the evening sun - it was such a great day and I can't wait to come back and explore more!

So the rest of the gang are watching Game of Thrones which I'm not interested in the slightest! So I'm off for a bath and face mask!
Tomorrow we are off to Maine and Freeport - the home of LL Bean! Until then... Debs xxx

[app]

New Photo Added by debidee - 17 Jul 17 2:36 AM.

[aqualiv]

Love your trip reports! So interesting and such nice photos 👍🏻

[Jake71]

What a fantastic review of Boston Debs, a great day out indeed, and your food looked absolutely delicious too. We've never quite made it to Maggiano's in Orlando yet, but it is still on the list.

[Megandllsmum]

Boston looks lovely Debs, sounds like a great day.
Maggianos was my favourite place to eat ... that bread and dip mmmmmmm yummy.
The bus tour looks great , we did one in Madeira last November and loved it, we had planned to hop on and off but ended up staying put and doing the full tour, then got back on it later and went to our favourite spot on the tour lol

[mick]

Great day we enjoyed our time in Boston as you say not as busy but some lovely buildings

Joan

[JoJo88]

Oh what an absolutely perfect day. Boston has always been on my list of US cities to visit, but I've never really been sure why However, you've just confirmed that it should definitely remain on that list! xx

[mossyflossy]

Boston looks gorgeous. Have you been to Chicago? Also stunning!

[mrsdjh]

We like using the HOHO buses on a short break to get a quick introduction to a place – looks like it covered a lot. A nice relaxed day it seems – Boston does look very laid back – I’ll tell DH he might be right after all about going one day!

Both your meals look delicious. We tried Maggianos in Orlando at Easter and the food was lovely.

[debidee]

Originally Posted by aqualiv

Love your trip reports! So interesting and such nice photos 👍🏻

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Ah thanks so much! Xx

Originally Posted by Jake71

What a fantastic review of Boston Debs, a great day out indeed, and your food looked absolutely delicious too. We've never quite made it to Maggiano's in Orlando yet, but it is still on the list.

See more...

You have to get it to the top of your list! The food is really wonderful! Xx

Originally Posted by Megandllsmum

Boston looks lovely Debs, sounds like a great day.
Maggianos was my favourite place to eat ... that bread and dip mmmmmmm yummy.
The bus tour looks great , we did one in Madeira last November and loved it, we had planned to hop on and off but ended up staying put and doing the full tour, then got back on it later and went to our favourite spot on the tour lol

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The dip is so simple yet amazing isn't it?!? The bus made it easy to see everything and decide where to go back to xx

Originally Posted by mick

Great day we enjoyed our time in Boston as you say not as busy but some lovely buildings

Joan

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A more chilled city vibe for sure x

Originally Posted by JoJo88

Oh what an absolutely perfect day. Boston has always been on my list of US cities to visit, but I've never really been sure why However, you've just confirmed that it should definitely remain on that list! xx

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Yes it has to remain so we can meet up! Xx

Originally Posted by mossyflossy

Boston looks gorgeous. Have you been to Chicago? Also stunning!

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We haven't but it's on our list to go! I'll be coming back for suggestions! Xxx

Originally Posted by mrsdjh

We like using the HOHO buses on a short break to get a quick introduction to a place – looks like it covered a lot. A nice relaxed day it seems – Boston does look very laid back – I’ll tell DH he might be right after all about going one day!

Both your meals look delicious. We tried Maggianos in Orlando at Easter and the food was lovely.

See more...

Yes come - we can go Sephora and Target one spot shopping together! Xxx