Mom's Travel Log: Boston Anniversary Adventure

This past week our family turned nine!  To celebrate we trekked to Boston to get together with friends and see new things.  

In an attempt at full disclosure, this is the version of the trip I want our kids to remember, so all tales involving tears and lost sleep will be omitted. 

After a delayed start on Thursday evening, a missed meeting with friends in Connecticut with friends (oh, Jones family, we still wish we could have come), and a rough night in a hotel en route, we started fresh on Friday morning.  That day we walked through Cambridge.  The buildings of Harvard and the houses on Brattle Street were magnificent.

That afternoon we swam in the hotel pool and had a fun dinner with the Shumway family--two highlights to our trip which I mistakenly didn't document with photos.  We had so much fun doing those two simple activities.
The Boston Temple was on the path into the City, so we stopped there on Saturday.  We stepped into the lobby so that our kids could understand how white it is inside, and then we snapped photos outside before leaving.  

I remember when the plan to build this temple was announced in General Conference.  The girl next door to me in my college dorm was from Boston and she was so excited.  It is so lovely.  Temples are such blessings to the communities in which they are built.

Saturday morning we took the T and met another friend Josh who walked with us through the streets of Beacon Hill.  He had his daughter with him, so we went at the perfect pace.  Even in its late-fall state, the collage of colors in the foliage and the lines and forms of the townhomes and doorways are an impressive combination.  I was so tempted to peek into windows and knock on doors just so that I could get a glimpse at family life in this neighborhood.

After amazing pizza at Upper Crust, we spent the morning and early afternoon at Boston Commons and the Public Gardens.  Make way for the Player ducklings!

Boston's Freedom Trail, marked by a red brick path (or thick red line in some places) led us from the park into the city.  Learning the history of each destination on the trail made it all come alive.  I'm grateful I did this ahead of time.  It was here in Boston that George Washington took command of the Continental Army.

The work of wise men and women was all around us--the faith and endurance of early pilgrims and settlers, the brilliance of amazing architects, and the wisdom of framers of the early democracy.

The State House--one example of Charles Bullfinch's handiwork.  

(This guy's resume is impressive.)

 The Old South Meeting House

King's Chapel and its Burying Grounds 

Here's another one of our classic, imperfect "We Were Here" photos outside the Old State House.  We were just a little chilly, but M&Ms helped us hold it together.

The drive home was uneventful and went much more quickly than I imagined it would.  The DVD player kept our kids (nearly) completely happy, our trusty GPS helped us to locate a Trader Joes on the way home, and the autumn colors made the drive pleasant.  We are already talking about going back, perhaps when our kids have developed their coping skills.