Boston Adventures

Arriving in Cape Ann

Before leaving Hersey, we changed our itinerary, staying north of Boston in Cape Ann, rather than South. The challenge with camping outside of large cities is the commute into the city and home each day. Last year, we were “lucky” to find a parking lot in downtown Chicago. I know, if you remember, our “luck” was debatable, but it was much easier to just Lyft where we needed to go in town. So, after a 10-hour drive with little stops, lots of working on multiplication tables, reading, movie watching, and navigating around traffic, it left us no time to “enjoy the destination.” We were lucky to find a campground in Cape Ann, which is a popular, quaint little town for whale watching.

Heading into the City!

We took the commuter train into the city each day, which took around an hour. We had lots of heated card games of Go Fish, War, and Uno. By Day 2, we were pros at the routine.

First Ride on the T

Once we arrived, we used either the T, Lyft or our legs, to get around town. We started with a Hop On and Off Tour, which was included in the Go Boston passes, we booked. We saved additionally through Groupon, and highly recommend booking to bundle activities and save money.

Lots of History!

We explored the Old State House, Paul Revere’s House, and the USS Constitution. We loved the war stories that the Navy soldiers and veterans shared about “Old Ironsides,” a Navy vessel, active since the war of 1812, and still operated. And, the tour guide we had at the Old State House was fantastic. She captivated the kids and they didn’t want to leave.

In Boston Commons, we took a Swan Tour and discovered Crazy Squirrels!

One of the highlights of our visit was seeing Timothy and Danielle, our cousins. They live in a studio apt near Fenway Park with rooftop views. Timothy hung out with us some each day, with Danielle joining us after work. We also visited the Cheers Bar, and walked up Beacon Hill, one of the oldest roads.

Learning About Cancer Research

Timothy and Danielle are PhD scientists, who conduct cancer research, primarily in colon, prostate and lung. Timothy has his own lab at Harvard, where he is focused on protein research (that’s as deep as I can go!), and Danielle works at biotech in immunotherapy. They brought their research to life, and we learned so much. We are thankful for the difference they are making in the world to beat cancer. The level of commitment required to drive discovery is extraordinary.

Then, we went up into the Prudential building and to the Skywalk Observation Deck, where there were beautiful views.

Day 2 of Adventures

We visited the MIT Technology museum which was fantastic and perfect for Brady, the girls cruised the Charles River, then finished at the New England Aquarium, Piper’s choice.

Cruising the Charles River

(We thought it was funny to take a selfie with the Captain in the background!)

Our favorite aquarium experience was watching the penguins (and yes, several were mating), and then we finished the day at Regina’s Pizza, which is the oldest in Boston. It was delicious!

We winded down our trip with a walk along Cape Ann’s beautiful shoreline, finding special rocks.

Wheels up to Bar Harbor!