BOSTON: Tea Party; Freedom Trail; USS Constitution; Bunker Hill; Ye Olde Union Oyster House; Joe's; Game Night

Our bags were packed and Friday morning we bid Falmouth farewell and repositioned ourselves in Boston at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel. 

This is the view from our window looking out over a beautiful park and, looking the other way, we could see the water.

We were anxious to do more exploring of Boston and began at the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum.

It was not far from our hotel. 

For the next two days we were on foot as we had returned our rental car upon arriving in Boston. We loved walking around, not worrying about finding parking spots. 

The museum provided learning experiences about why and what happened to cause the Boston Tea Party. Our guide was dressed in period costume, talking to us as if we were all living back in that era.

We took a journey back in time and became active participants in getting riled up against British taxation. "No taxation without representation!" 

We walked down a ramp to board the ship and took a tour below deck. Once on deck, in a revolutionary act of resistance, we threw chests of tea into the sea. 

Don't worry! We were not littering the harbor. The chests were tied to the ship and were pulled back in once thrown into the water so the next person could have a turn.

In the museum store, there were interesting displays above the cabinets near the ceiling.

We walked through the park near our hotel so I could get some photos of the autumn leaves. We were headed in the direction of where we could once again pick up the Freedom Trail and see the other half of what we didn't see two days earlier. 

Did we have an ice cream snack lunch that day one might wonder? NO! We were in Boston and had to have a Dunkin' Donut (or two). Glen also got hot chocolate with his since it was a chilly day (and he really loves hot chocolate). 

Old North Church/Statue of Paul Revere -- "It was from this steeple that Sexton Robert Newman hung two lanterns on April 18, 1775, to signal the beginning of Paul Revere's momentous ride. The action is widely regarded as the spark that ignited the American Revolution."

We followed the Freedom Trail to its northern point, walking across the Charlestown Bridge to the USS Constitution.

"Launched in Boston in 1797, the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. Her nickname, Old Ironsides, was earned during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs appeared to bounce off her impenetrable hull and the seamen cried out 'Huzzah! Her sides are made of  iron!' Today she is manned by an active-duty U.S. Navy crew and docked in the Charlestown Navy Yard." 

We were able to go on board and take a tour both on deck and below deck of the warship. 

In general, the Bostonians did not decorate for Halloween very much. BUT...in the neighborhood leading to Bunker Hill, the homes were all decked out in Halloween decor. I especially loved this patriotic Halloween display positioned right along the red-brick Freedom Trail.

Bunker Hill Monument -- "The Battle of Bunker Hill was one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution. 'Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!' became the legendary battle cry, according to lore, and immortalized the determination of the ill-equipped Colonists who stood facing the powerful British Army on June 17, 1775. 

"Today the 221-foot granite obelisk commemorates the site of this first major battle."

We hopped on a Hop On Hop Off bus from there and took a tour around the city and were able to see some things we had not seen on foot. 

We hopped off close to our dinner destination, Ye Olde Union Oyster House -- "Boston's oldest restaurant, serving seafood and New England specialties in a historic setting on the Freedom Trail."

Funny story there. Our waiter brought our food. He set Glen's plate down and then accidentally hit the side of my plate and two of my shrimp went flying onto the floor. He said a very bad curse word in his embarrassment as he bent down to pick them up and took them away.

Off he went to get some shrimp replacements...or so we thought...and never came back with anything but the expensive bill charging full price for my shrimp meal. Seriously??!!??

We did have a lovely backdrop for our photo which the server so graciously asked if we would like him to take our picture--before the shrimp debacle.

Our cute little Magnus celebrated his 6th birthday at DisneyWorld. How fun for him! 

Sarah works virtually from home, but has work trips come up once in a while where she has to show up in person. She was attending one of them the day before her big run. 

Sarah can power through anything and didn't let a little travel or her recent case of shingles hold her back from participating the next morning in the Provo Runtastic Haunted Half Marathon. 

This girl inherited her energy from her father!!

Runners were wearing costumes. How uncomfortable!! I like what Sarah chose to wear.

The Saturday Sarah was running, we had one more day to finish our exploration of Boston. It was a cold and windy day, but we didn't let that stop us from doing some more sight-seeing. 

I wanted Glen to experience the outdoor New England Holocaust Memorial -- "Designed to inspire remembrance, reflection, and hope. A beacon of light to fight darkness, these luminous spires stand more than 50 feet high, engraved with numbers representing the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust."

We walked by the water as we were making our way back to our hotel. 

I love taking photos of old churches. This is a little closer look at the one in the background of the previous picture.

We decided to eat dinner at Joe's on the wharf across from our hotel. It is the building by the road built on the water that we could see from our hotel window.

The food was yummy and we could see our hotel through the restaurant window.

Glen was anxious to call it a day and get back to the hotel so he could watch the BYU/UCF football game. 

He had already been occupied for a while watching the verbal play-by-plays on his phone. He wanted to actually watch the game.

Abe and Newland joined in on the BYU/UCF football game portion of Magnus's birthday celebration. 

How nice to have a BYU win as the culmination of the birthday festivities.