Boston

Our last mini break out of New York was to Boston, home to Samuel Adams (one of the Founding Fathers), the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Red Sox and the Cheers bar!

We arrived around lunch time after a very pleasant bus ride, which included wifi (thank you Megabus!) and got straight into the sightseeing.  The harbour was littered with trolley bus tour companies trying to bully people into buying their tours.  We walked over to one such counter to chat to a ginger haired woman who was surprisingly helpful and upbeat (despite being ginger).  She obviously recommended her tour but told us to check out the map and decide whether we thought it was worthwhile.  After examining the map we soon realised that the place was small enough to walk around and we wouldn’t really need someone to take us around.

Boston Harbour

We headed off in the direction of the North End, which also happened to be Little Italy.  We managed to stumble across some historic sights without even trying such as the church where they hung lanterns to Paul Revere would know the British troops were coming to claim what was rightfully theirs.

Statue of Paul Revere

The church where they signalled to Paul Revere that the British were coming.

Marc trying to figure out where we are meant to go next.

We then wandered back towards the harbour and stopped off at Faneuil Market and Quincy Market which are pretty much just small shopping centres and food courts but set up in more of a cute way.  We had a look at some of the stores and grabbed a drink at one of the many Irish bars in the area.  For dinner we decided to try some of the seafood everyone was bragging about and headed to the Barking Crab for lobster and crab legs!

Marc getting a little too gropey with the Boston Red Sox mascot.

My head looks much larger than normal in this shot.

After dinner we went to check in to our accommodation for the night, which happened to be on a working tall ship!  We met some of the other guests and all decided to head out for a few drinks to get to know each other.

The next day was Harvard day.  Marc and I navigated our way around the Boston public transport system (which was very easy and efficient) and went over to Cambridge for a Harvard Campus Walking Tour.

The next day we finished off our Boston self guided walking tour by checking out the USS Constitution, an old Navy Tall Ship that has been restored and maintained for the general public. 

Our last tourist stop before heading back to New York was the Cheers Bar – a Boston must.  While the food was lousy the novelty factor was through the roof!

Washington DC

Our fourth trip away from New York was to Washington DC.  It was also our first trip camping in  our new car.

The first day was spent setting up the car and identifying (through the awesome power of realisation) of what we were missing and really needed for a longer road trip. It also meat deciding how we would sleep in the back of a Nissan Pathfinder for two months and how best to bug proof the car. After trying to bug proof the car as much as possible with the little that we had we headed out for dinner.  Dinner was in a slightly different political arena...Medieval Times!!!!!!  The action was gut wrenching, as was the food, but it was all a lot of fun.

Our proper sight seeing started with us boarding our bright red Big Bus for a hop on hop off tour of the city.  As we had two days in total to explore the states capital, this turned out to be the best value for money and the most efficient way to see the city. Union Station was our starting point, and we bussed off exploring. 

Looking back down to Union Station

First stop on the tour - the US Capitol

The Smithsonian Castle

Unfortunately our limited time in Washington did not allow us to spend the requisite hours exploring the Museums. This is  something we are disappointed in but will return for in the future. 


Next on the tour were the monuments and memorials.

Washington Monument

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

View of the Washington Monument from the Jefferson Memorial

Outside the Lincoln Memorial

View of Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial

We then headed over to Arlington Cemetery.

Heading across the Arlington Memorial Bridge

The Grave of the Unknown Soldier

Changing of the Guard

The Changing of the Guard at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier was a true experience. We watched in awe as these Soldiers dressed in their full ceremonial uniform, in the searing heat, performed the drills precisely and to perfect timing. Each soldier standing guard spends 30 minutes during the summer at his post.

We finished the day off at the World War II Memorial.

Our first stop the next day was the White House.  FYI - if you are

 wanting a tour of the White House, plan ahead. If you would like a tour you need to contact your friendly local embassy a minimum of three months in advance. Although disappointing to find this out on the day, we still were able to gawk at the White House through the fence and 

experience a virtual tour

 at the visitor centre.

We then headed up to Georgetown, wandering the cute streets and taking a river cruise from Georgetown Harbour.

Washington National Cathedral in Georgetown

The Watergate!!

Our last stop was to the Pentagon.  Sadly you are not allowed to take photos so a crappy shot of the sign is all you get.

Taking into account the large number of tourists (tourists are the worst) and the very hot days, our favourite places were the frozen yogurt store, all the Memorials and Arlington Cemetery. The losers were the buses which were over heating and breaking down, other tourists and the little children that could run through water fountains without judgement.

Washington proved to be a great weekend away, with many great memories. We will definitely return in the future. Now back to NY to feed the cat.