Days 10 & 11 - Boston, MA

 Kirtland to Boston trip July/August 2024

August 2nd & August 3rd, 2024 - Boston, MA 

Friday, August 2, 2024 - Day 10

We ate breakfast in the hotel. They had chicken and waffles, eggs, potatoes. This was the nicest breakfast and hotel of our entire trip.

After breakfast, we took an Uber to the Boston Common and started our walking tour of the Freedom trail, a 2.5 mile red bricked trail that winds through Boston and passes 16 historical landmarks significant to the history of the US. 

We bought a book that told about each stop at the visitors center. We saw a lot of historical sites

Massachusetts State House

Park Street Church

The Granary Burying Ground, the city's third-oldest cemetery, founded in 1660 is the burial location of Revolutionary War-era patriots, including Paul Revere, the five victims of the Boston Massacre, and three signers of the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Robert Treat Paine.

King's Chapel and King's Chapel Burying Ground

Old City Hall & Statue of Benjamin Franklin

We had reservation for the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum at 10:30, so we hopped in an Uber and headed that way.

We arrived early and went into the gift shop

There was a reenactment of the events leading to the Tea Party, then we toured the ship and threw tea overboard

The tour continued inside for two short films and more to see

After the tour finished, we hopped back in an Uber and resumed our walking tour of Boston on the Freedom Trail

Birthplace of Benjamin Franklin

The Old State House and location of the Boston Massacre

The "Boston" sign near the Old State House

We ate lunch at Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Taycen had pizza, Natalie had a chicken Caesar wrap, and Joe and Jair had a Philly Cheesesteak. After lunch, we continued on the trail past the Holocaust memorial.

We passed by some of the oldest taverns in the US, then ventured into the North End to visit Paul Revere's home and the North Church. It was here that the lanterns were hung, which Paul Revere saw before making his famous ride to warn of the approaching British troops.

 We toured the Revere house which was very interesting.

We then visited the Copp's Hill Burying Ground, the city's second cemetery.

We walked across he bridge into Charlestown to see the USS Constitution and the Bunker Hill monument. It was unseasonable hot and very humid, so we stopped for ice-cream along the way.

We toured the USS Constitution and just as we finished, it started raining and they shut it down. We went to the museum to wait it out and then continued walking the trail up to the Bunker Hill Monument.

USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest commissioned naval warship still afloat.[9][Note 1] She was launched in 1797, one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 and the third constructed.

Dry dock, used to dock drain, and repair ships

The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War.

We were so hot and tired. The observation at the top of the monument was closed due to excessive heat, so we ubered back into Boston and had dinner at Panera Bread, then walked to the Charles Theater where we watched The Blue Man Group. The boys thought it was funny and fun. After the show, we returned to our hotel and got ready for our last day.

Saturday, August 3, 2024 - Day 11

After breakfast, we checked left our luggage at the hotel, then headed back to Boston Commons to explore a little more, including the Beacon Hill neighborhood. We walked down Acorn Street for a reminiscent ride back to colonial Boston, the Cheers bar, and the botanical gardens where the boys fed squirrels. 

We wanted to walk through the USS Cassin Young, a destroyer, and spend the rest of the time in the museum. The boys enjoyed the hands on exhibits there.

 We took a car back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, then another car to the airport and boarded the airplane at around 6 pm. We had chicken fingers and some ice cream shakes in the airport. We flew Jet blue back to Las Vegas and were able to enjoy movies on the plane on the way bay.

 We arrived in Las Vegas at 9:30 pm and went to a bus stop to go to our car. It took about 45 minutes for the bus to come. We got to our car and left Las Vegas and arrived back in St George at 2 am. We were all so exhausted. We showered and got into bed.