Bahston

This past week I had the opportunity to go to Boston MA to attend a family practice medical conference. Boston is a super fun city that I wouldn't mind going back to visit. It is full of history and smart people. Not only is it home to MIT, Harvard, and Berklee College of Music, but it is also home to 34 other colleges. Crazy huh? The only bummer part was that I was there all alone. I need a travel companion next time I go. It's definitely not as fun to travel on my own. But I did consider it a "growing up" experience...one that I needed to have before I turned 30 probably! hehe

At the end of this post, after my pictures, I will have another post that tells a tale of the drama that happened to me while I was traveling home. It's kinda long, but also kinda funny if you have time to make it through to the end.

Before anything else, I did want to tell something funny that happened just as I got to Boston. I had to take a shuttle to my hotel from the airport. The shuttles are big vans that are all privately run. I got into the wrong one. The older (probably in his late 40's-50's) foreign man was trying to make small talk with me as he was driving me to my hotel.

-Shuttle driver: What are you in Boston for?

-Me: medical conference.

-Shuttle driver: where are you from?

-me: Salt Lake City, UT

-Shuttle driver: what do you think of Boston so far?

-Me: It's freezing! (side note: it was 43 degrees outside...brrr!)

-Shuttle driver: I can keep you warm!

-Me: hehe (akwardly) that's ok!

-Creepy Shuttle driver: I come to your hotel room and keep you warm?!

-Me: (nervous that I will soon be taken hostage, never to see the light of day again)...hehe...that's ok! I'm used to the cold...SLC is cold too!

-Creepy Shuttle driver: I can come to SLC and keep you warm too!

-Me: (inside: Argh!!!!!)

Luckily, at this point, creepy shuttle driver noticed another potential patron so pulled his van over and loaded an unsuspecting man's luggage into the back as he climbed into the shuttle too. He made one more stop where me and unsuspecting man decided that we, as newbies to the city of Boston, had been fooled by this man into getting into his van...blast! The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. Just before the creepy driver pulled into my hotel he wrote his name and number on a paper and handed it to me. When I realized what it was I quietly folded it up and stuffed it in the cup holder near my seat. As creepy driver got out of the van to get my luggage out of the back, I gathered my things and opened the van door. As I got out of the van I wished unsuspecting man good luck! I paid creepy driver and walked into the hotel as quickly as I could without making it appear as if I were running for my life. I do hope that unsuspecting man made it safely to his hotel!

Skyline of Boston as seen from the Convention Center where my conference was held.
The beginning of the Freedom trail. A walking tour of the city that follows the path of the red line (usually noted by 2 red bricks laid side by side as seen on the right of the picture, but occasionally painted as seen on the left of the picture). This path takes you by 16 historical stops through the city and is 2.5 miles in length. The guided tour is 1 mile and goes by 14 of the stops. I finished the tour and went the full 2.5 miles seeing all of the historical sites!
Me at Boston Commons. One of America's oldest parks. In times past this was where people would come to get on their soapboxes. It was also the site of public hangings. No hangings take place anymore, but you can get on your soapbox if you'd like, as long as you pay the fee!
Our tour guide. James Otis, a famous patriot and orator who was hit over the head by a British soldier and became crazy and eventually died by being struck by lightening. He coined the phrase: "No taxation without representation" among others.

A very cool monument to the brave black soldiers who fought for the North during the civil war!

The new state house! I can't remember for sure, but I think the corner stone for this building was laid by Paul Revere...so that's how new it is!
The tomb and monument to the John Hancock. One of the richest, if not the richest, person in America during the revolutionary war times.

Samuel Adams tomb.
This is a donkey that is outside the town hall. I was told it was there because MA is a democratic state. It wasn't until looking at my pics afterward that I noticed that it only had 3 legs. I don't know what that is about, so don't ask. But do tell if you know!

This is the meeting house where the patriots would gather to discuss all of their disputes against the British government. This was where the brilliancies of the Boston Tea Party were hatched and it was finally decided to be carried out.

This is the old state house. Every year on the July 4th the Declaration of Independence is read from the 2nd story balcony you see in the picture here. On the 200th anniversary of our independence, in 1976, Queen Elisabeth came to visit and the mayor of Boston gave her a $30k check, for the tea that was dumped in the harbor (didn't give her any of the interest that would have accrued). She took the check in good will but to this day has not cashed it!

This is about 50 feet from the front door of the Old State house (in the picture above). This is the site of the Boston Massacre. The 1st bloodshed of the revolution.
Faneuil Hall. This was Boston's town meeting hall where the colonists 1st started to speak publicly about the injustices of the British rule.

This was a fun street post I saw in little Italy on my walk through the city.

Here I am in front of the Old North Church. (Notice my cute headband I had to buy because of the cold weather, and my red nose and face...it was about 43 degrees and threatening clouds all day, parts of New England even got snow this day). The Old North Church was where the lanterns were placed in the steeple "One if by land and two if by sea" to alert the colonists to the way in which the British soldiers were to leave the town of Charlestown.

This is Copp's Hill burial ground. I believe it is the 2nd oldest graveyard in Boston.

Cold cold Becky walking along the double red bricked Freedom Trail!

Old Ironsides. Still a float, although docked in the harbor most of the year. She is taken out through the harbor 6 times a year. 2 times they put her out with her sails and the wind powering her. The other 4 times she hitches a ride by a tug boat. In this picture she doesn't have her sails or her complete mast. They take it apart in the winter to prevent damage to the mast and sails.

You can't really see it, but that life saver in the background says "USS Constitution". I am on the top deck of the ship.
The cannon on the gunnery deck.
This is in the Captain's Quarters. Tiny bed! But it's better than what the rest of the crew gets.

This is me standing on the lower deck where the sleeping quarters were. Look how low the clearance is. I am 5'4" wearing probably 1" soled shoes. I didn't have to duck but it was pretty close! (and of note, it was freezing even here. no insulation anywhere, I would never survive!)

Me and old Ironsides!

Cool Bridge...I don't know what it's name is. But on the left of this picture you can also see the Garden Event Center!
This is the monument on Bunker Hill. Unfortunately I got there just 5 min after they closed shop. Blast! But I still made it on the entire 2.5 mile walk! yay!
So after completing my 2.5 mile freedom trail walk, I had to walk back the 2.5 miles! hehe! I took a slight detour and walked through an H&M and then found my way to Chinatown! It was kinda fun getting lost in the city. But I didn't get too lost! I stayed relatively close to the subway system.

This is a picture of Revere Beach on Saturday when I met up with Kristin's mom, Marcia for my trip up to Maine! Note my red nose and rosy cheeks again! Brrr!

Most of these were taken in a car so the clarity is not perfect, but the colors is what is spectacular! The leaves were just starting to turn. I wish I could be there the first week of November, I bet that is the best time! Alas!

More of the pretty leaves!

And even more!

This is the restaurant on the coast where Marcia and I ate. I should have chosen to go see the lighthouse first, but opted to see it when it was dark. That didn't make for very good pictures, so I am not posting any of the lighthouse.

Me and one of my fresh Maine lobsters, that is about to get it's left claw pulled off by a ravenous Becky with a plastic bib on! (the plastic bib is just too funny!)

Me and Marcia! It was so great to see her and I was so happy she willingly came to Boston to get me. It's amazing to me that she only lives 1 hour away, and yet is 3 states away. Crazy!

Lastly, I thought I would write some quick notes about my trip:

Things I did not like about this trip:

1-IHC arranged my travel

2-Boston is expensive

3-The rock hard bed in the Sheraton

4-No continental breakfast at the Sheraton which I (or IHC really after they reimburse me) paid $280/night for!!!! Bah!

5-$10/24hrs for internet in my hotel room when you can get it free in the lobby???!

6- getting a queen sized bed when you reserve a king sized bed

7- a tiny hotel room that only has 3 feet of clearance on 3 sides of the bed

8- the people in the hotel room next to mine that insisted on beginning their loud cussing at 10pm and wouldn't stop until after midnight!

9- Freezing cold in Boston in October!

10- Coffee and tea everywhere, no hot chocolate in site!

11- Pepsi products only at the convention center, NO DIET COKE!!?? This is unAmerican!

12- Having to walk the streets of Boston alone

Things I loved about this trip:

1- the history of Boston

2- most of the lectures (some of them made me feel smart, some of them were a good refresher, and some of them made me realize how much I have lost since I graduated).

3- the shower head in my hotel room...it was 10-12 inches in diameter and the water poured out of it! It was heavenly!

4- the wind and water proof gloves that I purchased...life savers!

5- the headband I purchased...another lifesaver!

6- The freedom trail! I even met some people from Spanish Fork Utah! Go figure!

7- Seeing Kristin's mom Marcia

8- driving through New Hampshire into Maine and seeing all the leaves that were changing colors

9- Fresh Maine Lobster!

10- the little neighborhoods in Boston...little Italy, Chinatown, it's all very cool

11- 37 colleges in Boston, wicked cool!

12- the beach, even if it was freezing cold!

13- old ironsides

14- walking walking walking walking!