Listen My Children and You Shall Hear...

This was the week of our Boston trip. Wed Feb 1 was the Excellence in Engineering Technology corporate award night. Felicia and I left on Jan 31. 

It was snowing when we arrived. We had planned to take the water taxi to the hotel because the hotel was directly across the bay from the airport. We road the airport bus all the way to the water front only to find the taxi had stopped running due to low visibility and strong currents. We got back on the bus and the driver took us to the regular taxi drop.

We pulled up to the hotel and the snow was still coming down. Suddenly a doorman was opening the taxi door, the bellhop was loading the luggage on a cart, and the concierge was escorting us to the front desk.

Boston Harbor Hotel (in Summer)

Wharf View of Hotel

We had some seafood at the hotel and then went on walk to find Mike's Pastry.

Mike's Pastry is not nearly as busy in the winter as in the warmer weather. I ordered a cannoli and Felicia ordered a black and white.

When we returned to our room we were surprised by the maid asking to provide turn-down service. This amounted to providing us each a bottle of water and placing slippers by our beds.

Here is the view of Boston's North End from our hotel window.

The tower is the Customs Building. This always served as a good marker for us as we were walking around town. It is very near the Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market area.

Sam Adams statue and Faneuil Hall

We visited the USS Constitution that was in dry dock. They have another year of work to do.

Felicia and The USS Constitution

"Old Ironsides" in Dry Dock

 The Navy runs a museum that is free to the public.

USS Constitution model in the museum

The hull was made of 22 inch thick Georgian Live Oak. Enemy cannon balls would bounce off.

This model shows the copper sheets that are placed on the hull to keep the worms from eating the wood.

I tried out the crew hammock

The Old North Church as would have been seen by Paul Revere across the Charles River

Bunker Hill Memorial

We walked from the USS Constitution up to the memorial on Bunker Hill.

Statue of William Prescott, commander

"Do not fire until you see the whites of their eyes!"

On our way to the Tea Party

The Eleanor is one of the ships with the offending tea

Instructions for how to react if something is said we like or dislike

Sam Adams stirs us to action

Go to it. Just don't damage my ship.

A bail of tea

Overboard it goes

Felicia takes the wheel

Our transportation during the day was the Old Town Trolley.

That evening was the award ceremony. We had assigned tables and I ended up sitting next to the president of Raytheon Missile Systems. He was very pleasant and friendly.

The next day we went to visit Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church.

Outside the silversmith's house

 Paul Revere had 16 children, 8 by his first wife who died giving birth to number 8, then 8 by his second wife, Rachel. The house had 3 bedrooms.

Paul Revere statue and the Old North Church in the background.

"The regulars are coming out!"

Objective was to rally militia and warn Adams and Hancock in Concord.

 We next followed the freedom trail back to Little Italy

Then we went to hang out with the Cheers regulars.

 Time for lunch.

Then we had to Make Way for Ducklings at Boston Public Gardens.

It was a long walk back to the hotel from here (the trolley stops at 4PM).

Good times in Boston

Friday morning we took the Water Taxi to the airport.

Leaving the water taxi at the airport

In honor of Superbowl weekend