We bought a one day pass that cost $12 and allowed us to ride the T as much as we wanted in 24 hours. Once we had our pass and made it to the station, we made our way to the start of the Freedom Trail, which was located at Boston Common. We then followed the path and walked up to the Massachusetts State Building and Park Street Church. This area is in the heart of Boston, but it is very touristy. You can see people dressed up in colonial attire, lots of tours going on, and like any big city there was lots of traffic.
We continued on the Freedom trail walking by Granary Burial Ground, King's Chapel, the Old City Hall, the Old State House, and finally to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. We loved seeing all the history as we walked the streets of Boston. It was an incredible feeling imagining all the people that have passed through these streets before us, and what their actions helped to provide for our country! By the time we made it to Quincy Market, it was around 11:45am, and we were hungry for lunch! Quincy Market had lots of options for food, so there is something to please everyone. There were also vegetarian and vegan options here. We opted for a slice of pizza from Regina Pizzeria. There was a deal where you got two pieces of pizza and a drink for $6! It was the way to go for us, and the pizza was very good.
Once we had finished our pizza and had walked around the market a little more, we made our way(about a 5 minute walk) to the New England Aquarium. There is a price of admission here, but they offer many different discounts to help you lower the cost(e.g. military, student, etc). The main reason we wanted to go to the aquarium was to see their penguin exhibit! We were not disappointed and even enjoyed their other exhibits. We got to "pet" the stingrays, see multiple tanks of jelly fish, admire the adorable penguins, and be inspired by the tropical fish tanks. They have one tank that is four stories tall! In this tank it looks like a large ocean where you can see fish, sharks, and even a large sea turtle all living together! This is quite a site to see!
After we had said our final good byes to the penguins(they were SO CUTE!!) we continued on the Freedom Trail and walked by Paul Revere's House. We knew there was a price of admission here, but what we didn't know was that you are not allowed to take pictures inside. Due to this, we skipped this attraction since we couldn't take pictures to share with our readers! We were going to continue on the Freedom Trail, but we found out that there was still a mile and a half to go(it was about 1:30pm), and we still had a lot we wanted to see. With that, we decided to make our way to our next food stop, Mike's Pastry! We had been given this name from a friend, and we were told to try the canolli. We were not disappointed! They were delicious, and we even found a nice little seating area not too far from the bakery.
We got a nice sugar high from the canolli and it was nice to sit down, so after we ate we made our way to Harvard! We couldn't pass up an opportunity to see this historic college. It did not disappoint either! The brick architecture and the atmosphere was very cool to see.
It was around 3pm after we were done visiting Harvard, so we decided to head back to downtown Boston, and make a stop at Beacon Hill so we could see Cheers and the Boston Public Garden. Along our walk to Cheers we made a stop at Beacon Hill Chocolates and picked up some amazing gelato! We had the cookies and cream and chocolate flavors. It was some of the best gelato we have ever had! Walking through Beacon Hill you really got a sense of the town of Boston and had lots of picturesque moments to experience!
When we had finished walking and eating our gelato we had finally made it to Cheers! This bar is very small on the inside, but was cool to see. It is a working bar with food available, but it was packed! They even had a set of the original Cheers Bar upstairs that you could see, with a gift shop available.
The mock television show set!
Right across the street is the Boston Public Garden! There are many trails you can walk around, the famous swan boats, and just an overall scenic place to take in Boston. The swan boats do cost money to ride. We just opted to sit on a bench and take in all the beauty of this park.
It was around 4:30pm by the time we had finished at the garden, so we decided to head to our last major stop while in Boston, the Prudential Skywalk Observatory. While walking there we got to see Newbury Street which had many high end shops and cute cafes/restaurants. This was definitely an area we would have loved to spend more time in, but unfortunately on this trip we had to skip the temptation. If you like shopping though, this is a must see for you!
The Observatory was located in the in the Prudential Center at "the top of the Hub", which was actually just a large and upscale shopping mall. When you go inside you follow the signs to the Skywalk Observatory, and take the elevator; there are people who help show you the way. There is a cost of admission, but military get in free, and they offer student and senior discounts. The views were breathtaking at the top of the building, as you can see Fenway Park, the Charles River, all the brick architecture of the city, and even the airport way out in the distance. The great views aren't the only thing this stop has to offer, you can also see some exhibits on the history of Boston and you can walk around a small gift shop.
After we said good bye to the Obsveratory, we had about an hour and a half till we needed to be back at the airport, so we took our time and strolled through downtown Boston. We took the T back to the aquarium stop and admired the water. There are so many sights to take in and admire. We loved seeing the blue water and the boats gracefully parked at the dock. It is really easy to get back to the airport as you can take the T right to the airport stop on the blue or silver line(we took blue). From there it is a quick shuttle ride and you are right back at the terminal.
Sights from the Boston Waterfront
Our one negative to our whole Boston trip is that the restaurants in the airport close really early, so if you have a later flight be sure to eat before you get to the airport. We ate at Stephanie's, and after a confusion in ordering, our food ended up being mediocre.
Dinner at Stephanie's at Logan Airport
Overall, we LOVED Boston! The views were spectacular, the history was interesting, and we had some of the best food we had ever had there! This was the first time that we both wanted to stay in a city longer...so be expecting a Boston Part 2 sometime! Below is a map of our travels to see exactly where we went!
What did we miss in Boston that we should have seen? Tell us in the comments below! If you want to see more pictures check out our Instagram and Twitter accounts! Our next trip is Philadelphia, so be on the look out for that.
Blue Skies,
Elle and Kat
#americainaday
