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Sunday 3rd September 2017

Yesterday was a lovely sunny day but today we weren't so lucky. What was remaining of former Hurricane Harvey passed over Boston today, meaning it rained for most of the day. Thankfully it wasn't heavy rain, just constant. So please ignore our slightly soggy look today

I managed to sleep to my alarm today, at 07:00, which was good. We got ready and left the room at 08:00. We had the Fenway Park tour booked for 09:00, so needed to be out quite early. Flour Bakery was the choice for breakfast today, as we wanted something easy to eat on the go. I’d read great reviews about Flour Bakery and when we arrived it was very busy but worth the wait. We got an almond croissant and a coffee each, to go. Total cost was $15.41.

From here we walked to Copley station and took the train to Kenmore, which is the nearest stop for Fenway Park. Once we were off the train we tucked in to our croissants, which were so good. They’re quite crispy on the outside, with lots of filling!

We needed to head to Gate D to pick up our tickets for the tour. We couldn’t figure out where the gate was and ended up walking round the whole stadium before we eventually found it. At least this gave us time to eat our croissants. Once we’d collected our tickets, we waited outside the Red Sox gift shop with the rest of the group.


Our tour guide started by asking where everybody in the group was from; he had the best accent From here we headed into the stadium and through security and a bag check. We were brought out into the bottom stands, where they were taking photos of everybody. After this we took a seat while we learnt a lot about the history of the stadium. I believe Lady Gaga was performing the weekend we were there, so we could see the stage being set up.


Next, we were taken to the 'Green Monster’ seats, which are considered the best seats in the stadium. We didn’t stay here for long as these aren’t so sheltered, the rain was coming down and it was so cold. The view from here was great though.


Thankfully the next part of the tour was inside, this is the area where the media sit during the game.



The final part of the tour was back outside, to the stand right field. We continued to learn a lot about the stadium and the Red Sox. The tour ran 15 minutes late but we didn’t have a problem with that. Unfortunately, the Red Sox weren’t playing until the day we left Boston, so we didn’t get to see a game. I really enjoyed the tour though and would highly recommend it.

On the way out we were given the option to buy the photo they took. I think the full package, with keyrings etc. was around $40 and the photo alone was around $30. We thought this was quite pricey so didn’t bother. We also popped into the Gift Shop but found this quite expensive and didn’t really see anything we would want.

By this point I was very wet and my cardigan just wasn't keeping me warm. We quickly popped into a nearby Target to pick me up a sweater. The choice wasn’t great but at least I was warm for the rest of the day. We walked back towards Fenway Park to find the Old Town Trolley Tour stop 12, on Ipswich St. A trainee trolley driver turned up first but as he was training we couldn't get on.


Soon enough another trolley turned up. It was very busy, probably because of the rain but we were able to find a seat at the back. The tour took us through Cambridge and past Harvard before coming to stop 14 for Beacon Hill, where we got off. We spotted a Peet’s Coffee, which we love, so headed here for a latte each to warm us up.

We spent some time wandering around Beacon Hill, which is beautiful and so clean. Most definitely one of my favourite parts of Boston, I would happily live here. Acorn St is a real highlight but Louisburg Sq and Pinckney St are also lovely.


There is another stop on the tour for Cheers but as it was only a short walk away, we decided to head here now. Neither of us have really watched Cheers but I know the song and it was one to tick off the list. We just took a photo outside before walking back to stop 14.


We got back on the trolley to Stop 16 for the Boston Tea Party Ship. We took a short walk along from here to Fan Pier Park. From here you get a great view of the Boston skyline. We then headed back to the Tea Party Ship, to take some photos.


The plan then was to get back on the trolley to take us to stop 1 but as the rain had started to ease off slightly we walked it. This meant we could walk along Harborwalk to better enjoy the views.


We stopped at a 7Eleven for a quick chocolate bar each, for some energy. Eventually we came to Long Wharf and spotted the New England Aquarium. I knew this was a popular attraction but the queue was huge, again I’m guessing people wanted to get out the rain.


We got back on the trolley here, at stop 1 and continued to stop 3, for the USS Constitution. We spent a little time wandering round here before walking up to the Bunker Hill Monument.


After this we got back on the trolley and stayed on to stop 11, which was nearest our hotel. We passed a lot of places we had seen yesterday when walking The Freedom Trail. The driver of this trolley was very good, he’d lived in Boston his whole life and had lots of facts about the area to share.

Once we’d got off the tour, we took a walk through the Prudential Centre shops. There was a couple of shops we went to but didn’t buy anything yet. I’d planned to do some more shopping today along Newbury St but the weather put us off. Instead we headed back to the hotel to dry off and change.


I had a couple of options for dinner but we decided on Cheesecake Factory again. It was so close to our hotel, so we wouldn’t have to walk long in the rain to get there plus we just really enjoy it. Again, it was busy but the wait wasn’t long at all. Mark went for the mac & cheese burger and I had the parmesan herb crusted chicken, that I’d had before in L.A. It was just as good as last time We got a pecan turtle cheesecake to takeaway. Total cost $51.41 plus tip. Another great meal here!


After this, it was back to the hotel.

Next: Day 4 - Travelling the Maine Coast to Portland

What a shame about the rain! Good that you didn't let it stop you seeing so much!

Loving your report. Thanks for posting. We're planning 3 nights in Boston Oct 18 - so this is really helpful x

We didn't have a lot of time in Boston so we couldn't let it ruin our day

Thank you for reading along That sounds great, glad you're getting some ideas. We really loved Boston!

What a shame it was wet but you still had a fab day, loving all the pics and places that you stopped at. So many interesting things to see. And another nice dinner at the Cheesecake Factory to round off the day. Fab.

Shame about the rain but you still got lots done

Joan

It was one of my favourite days actually, despite the rain. You don't really realise how much there is to see until you start doing some research. We could have easily done another week

We certainly couldn't let the rain ruin our day!

Horrible weather but great day!

Really happy we were able to do everything we wanted to, despite the weather!

lots to see despite the rain