We are now entering my favorite part of the trip. Before I get to Boston, let’s talk about the road there. We left New Hampshire first thing in the morning with the intent of driving straight into Salem. We took a little detour to Concord, Massachusetts – home of the first shot of the Revolutionary War (although neighboring town Lexington would argue that they’re the location). We stopped at the Old North Bridge, the place where the “shot heard round the world” was fired. It was a beautiful, peaceful place now, but like any historical battle site, definitely had the feeling of historical significance.

We left there bound for Salem, which was a complete disappointment. I had been expecting something of historical significance there, but instead was met with cheesy museums and fortune tellers. We quickly departed Salem (seriously, we spent about 15 minutes total walking around) and beat feet for Boston.

Let me being by saying we fell in love with Boston almost instantly. So much so that we decided to skip Nantucket and spend an extra day in Boston before heading to New York. If we ever had to move to the East Coast, Boston would be our city of choice. It had the big city feel, but the people were nice and vibe was very mellow. As luck would have it, Mike’s aunt was in town visiting, so we met up with her and her mother in law for drinks and dinner our first evening in town. We stayed at the Marriott Custom House, which was absolutely amazing. Originally the building was used as the customs location in Boston (the bar is located in the “counting room”), a skyscraper was built on top in the early 1900’s, and Marriott purchased it in the late 1990’s. If you’re ever in Boston, this is THE place to stay.

We spent day two in Boston following the Freedom Trail. It’s a two and a half mile walking path through the city (marked by a double brick line in the sidewalk) that takes you to Boston Common, Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, King’s Chapel, King’s Chapel Burying Ground, Benjamin Franklin statue, Old Corner Bookstore, Old South Meeting House, Old State House, the site of the Boston Massacre, Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s house, Old North Church, Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, Bunker Hill Monument, and the USS Constitution. Yeah, a lot of places – a great way to see a ton of history without having to pay or stick with a tour group. In fact, we ended up doing about half of it in the morning, having lunch, taking a nap, and then heading out for the other half.

We spent the morning of the third day visiting the Sam Adams Brewery, which was absolutely amazing. It’s a free tour and you get to drink a lot of beer. What better way to spend a rainy morning! After the tour, we took a nap (of course) and then headed out to see the Boston Marathon finish line. From there we headed to Fenway Park for a tour.  Even if you’re not into baseball, this tour is amazing. They go over the history of the park and take you into places you’d never go if you just went to a game (the visitor’s locker room, press box). Seriously spectacular.

Like I said, Boston is an amazing city. If you’re ever out that way, definitely stop in for a visit!