Trish Traveler

As lunchtime approached we found ourselves at historic Faneuil Hall (we viewed the historic Great Hall on the second floor) and Quincy Market. Lots of tourists on this beautiful early fall day! We had the obligatory lobstah roll and clam chowdah and sat outside to eat enjoying a busker show of a bagpipe-playing, unicycle-riding performer! Also in this vicinity is the Sam Adams Taproom. A little further along is Union Street with many cute old pubs and restaurants with many alfresco diners. We stopped to rest and hydrate at Hennessey’s Irish Bar that had live music to enjoy. Further along is the Boston Public Market and outside was a colorful, bustling farmer’s market.

Backtracking we stopped for photos of just the outside of Cheers (as we read the inside does not look like the TV show and is a bit of a tourist trap). We also found little cobblestoned scenic Acorn Street for pretty photos. And continued on to Louisburg Square to see the lovely mansions and especially, #10, which was were Louisa May Alcott lived. Onward to the brilliantly gold-domed State House, and a statue of President Kennedy on the west wing lawn, although currently that area was under construction. Not far from there across the street is the Massachusetts 54th Regiment Memorial (whose story was depicted in the movie Glory, which we watched in prep for our trip). Next we saw the Giant Tea Kettle from 1873 (ironically now on a Starbucks); and nearby City Hall, an example of Brutalist Architecture.

We headed south to Boston Common Park for the sights there including numerous beautiful sculptures and Brewer Fountain; and on to the bustling Visitor Center (with restrooms). Lots of people enjoying the day and joining walking tours. We continued on to the Public Garden to see the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture (based on a children’s book) along with the idyllic pond lined with weeping willows and real ducks swimming; and the sculpture of George Washington on his horse. Continuing on we visited Copley Square and saw the outside of the beautiful Trinity Church (inside closed due to a memorial) and the Boston Public Library which is like a museum! With the background of modern downtown buildings, you see the amazing contrast of old and new.

BOSTON After breakfast, we walked from the hotel about 15 minutes to the Revere Beach T stop to take the quick subway ride into downtown Boston. We also had the option to take the airport shuttle back to the airport and catch the T from there. Our plan was to walk the entire 2.5 miles of the Freedom Trail consisting of 16 specific sites, while adding in several side sites I read about and stopping along the way for food/drinks. We began our touring of the Freedom Trail (which is marked by a narrow red brick line/trail throughout) around State Street in the early morning of Boston, just waking up on a Saturday. So we would be walking out of order of the trail, but it was fine. None of the buildings were open yet on this first segment as it was too early, but we at least got pictures of the outsides. Amazing to finally be here after refreshing ourselves on our American independence history and plotting our sightseeing for the day. Our first site was of the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians, and the Boston Massacre site. We next saw the Old South Meeting House (planning for the Boston Tea Party), the Old Corner Bookstore (now a Chipotle), and the Irish Famine Memorial in this area. On to the Ben Franklin statue and & Boston Latin School (America’s first public school). Already feeling the shivers of pride and gratitude thinking about the birth of our nation and the freedom these people fought for and the benefits we continue to reap today and God willing… forever. Marveled at the beautiful steeple and clock on the Park Street Church (where “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” was first sung on the church steps). King’s Chapel & Burial Ground were next. Wow, those are some old, historic headstones. Quite different than what we see now. Next up the even more historic, Granary Burying Ground where Paul Revere, John Hancock & Sam Adams are buried along with many other famous Bostonians including the woman known as Mother Goose. There was a man in front offering a laminated guide to the graves which was very helpful. You return it when finished for a free-will offering. Again, it really gave me pause to stop and thank God for these men and women; and many more ancestors who fought for all the freedoms we enjoy today.

PRE-CRUISE This would be our first New England/Canada cruise. Although we cruise frequently with various cruiselines, this was only our 2nd Royal Caribbean cruise, the last being 20 years ago. This was prior to recent changes, so we were still required to have a covid test 2 days prior to sailing as we would be visiting Canada. We chose the proctored at-home emed tests. Was pretty easy. Printed out all documents including cruise pass, negative covid results, and ArriveCAN which was still required for this sailing. To refresh ourselves on the history and to learn more about Boston, we read some basic history books and watched the mini-series “Sons of Liberty” which is a bit “Hollywoodized”, but gave many of the basic facts. I apologize in advance for any possible incorrect facts in my descriptions. I have added some photos along the way. We flew in two nights early to tour Boston for the first time. Since the downtown hotels were out of our budget we looked across the bay near the airport for something more affordable. We were very happy with our choice of the Comfort Inn & Suites Boston Logan Airport Revere (3 miles north of airport). We used their free airport shuttle. As we arrived in the evening, we chose to just eat at the attached Tex-Mex restaurant, Margaritas, which was pretty good, with tasty margaritas. They also have an adjacent pizza spot that seemed very popular with hotel guests to carry-out to their rooms, or enjoy in the restaurant. The hotel also had a comfy outdoor seating area with a fire pit. Great customer service at the front desk; with clean, modern lobby and rooms. They have a nice warm indoor pool, but no hot tub. The following morning we had a very good complimentary hot breakfast buffet in the hotel lobby. Also saw flight crews there which is a good sign. Not much in the area as it is more industrial with a large Amazon facility next to it. I forgot to take any pictures of the room, but the pictures on the hotel website are pretty accurate. I would definitely stay there again based on quality and value.

Thanks all. bookbabe - thanks for the recent link also. I missed seeing that.

This feels like a dumb question, but will we need to exchange USD for Canadian for spending in port? Or is USD accepted? Visiting Saint John, NB and Sydney, NS. TIA

Thanks for the info. We enjoy exploring towns, historic places, hiking and nature as well as tours if needed to see highlights. This gives me some idea. 👍

Looking at two similar cruises, but with the exception of Halifax or Sydney in Nova Scotia, on the two different itineraries. I've never been on a NewEngland/Canada cruise so it's all new info for me. Any opinions?