Boston: Round 1

Over Christmas break, Jonathan and I got to go back east to spend time with Lyndon, Missy, Claire and Sydney. We flew into Boston and after getting lost on the subway a couple of times and walking through the freezing cold, we eventually made it to our hotel. That night we ordered tons of Chinese food and just hung out inside. But the next day, we took ourselves on a tour of the city.

Here is Boston as viewed from our hotel window...



Jonathan standing next to Claire and holding Sydney, who normally does not like to cuddle. Apparently Uncle Jonathan is an exception.

For Christmas, Jonathan and I bought ourselves a Flip camcorder. We love it and took it all over the place. Here is a short video from our hotel room.

Claire loves to pose for the camera, and she should! She is adorable.

Our first stop was Chinatown. While Lyndon and Jonathan checked out of the hotel and took our luggage back to the car, Missy and I strapped Claire and Sydney onto our backs and went to explore. It was so strange to hear Missy speak Cantonese with the shopkeepers! And it was great when they would be talking about us, and Missy could understand and reply. It definitely caught a few of them off guard! After a while, we met back up with Lyndon and Jonathan. I should have taken pictures of the food we bought - a dragon heart, lychees, and some delicious pastries. I also bought a beautiful green scarf - you might see it in some later pictures or video.

After Chinatown, we did what every tourist must do when in Boston: The Freedom Trail.

Our first stop was the Boston Commons park. For some reason I have no pictures of the park itself. But I do have a video of the squirrels who were stalking us.

Part of the trail leads you through a very old graveyard where many great Americans are buried.

Along the way, we passed the biggest Borders I have ever seen. Mom, this picture is for you!

Faneuil Hall, or the "Cradle of Liberty," which has been a marketplace and meeting hall since 1742.



For lunch, we made a stop in Little Italy. We were standing outside looking at the menu when a nice old Italian man invited us in, telling us that they "love children!"

The food was delicious, the atmosphere was inviting, and the company was fantastic. :)

We also took a tour of Paul Revere's house, which is the house he left from when he made his Midnight Ride.

Before we left Paul Revere's house, Claire made us all sit down and watch her perform "Families Can Be Together Forever."

A statute of Paul Revere with the Old North church in the background. The Old North church is where the lanterns were hung as a signal from Paul Revere to notify the people of Boston that the British were coming. "One if by land, two if by sea..."

We passed through another graveyard. I love the way the vines have crawled across these two graves.

At one point, we ran into "Santa Claus" and his "elves." No idea where they were going... they just came out of a random building and started walking down the street. But they were nice enough to stop for a picture.

Our tour ended at the pier looking over Boston Harbor, where we took a video and some more photos.

I love this picture. It's a keeper.

And I love Jonathan. He's a keeper, too!

After we finished the Freedom Trail, we rode the Subway back to the cars and drove the two hours to Hanover/West Lebanon, New Hampshire where Lyndon and Missy live, and where Lyndon attends medical school. I'll have more posts about our adventures soon!

By the way, what do you all think of the new blog layout? And how do you like the header that Jonathan designed?