Duck tour through Boston - Monday, July 13, 2009
My daughter slept with me last night and spent the night kicking, punching, and just jumping all over the place. I did not get much sleep. Al had to stay in the hotel and work so I took the kids to the Prudential Centre (attached to our hotel) and had breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. I studied brochures, guidebooks and talked to the concierge and couldn't decide what tour(s) to take. We walked around a bit, and finally decided on the Duck Tour.
We got lunch at Shaw's (market) so we could take it on the tour with us since we'd be on the tour for a long time. We arrived at 1:00 p.m. as we were told for a 1:30 p.m.departure. We were third from the last row to board, but took the last row of seats. The two kids sat on one row and I sat across by myself. Once the tour guide came on, she closed the ladder and added a third seat in between the 2 rows. We had a lot of space! These are interesting vehicles and the kids loved it.
The vehicles used for these tours are modeled after vehicles from World War II (DUKWs). Due to many challenges facing by the armed services during World War II, it became apparent that troops needed vehicles that could carry men and supplies on land and water. In 1942 (within six months), the DUKW was designed. D is for designed in 1942, U is for utility amphibious cargo carrying vehicle, K is for front wheel drive and W is for double rear axle drive. I know it doesn't make sense...
They made about 21,000 DUKWs and women mostly made them since the men were off at war. When the war ended they sold the vehicles and that's how Duck Tours got them. Some are original, but the majority are modified reproductions. Each of the vehicles is painted and has a cute name. Ours was painted in Red Sox colors and was named "Red Sox Nathan." My son was happy about that. Our guide was Penny Wise and she was in a Navy Uniform. All the guides must wear costumes. She wears the Navy uniform in honor of her Dad and Grandad who served in the U.S. Navy.
The tour was informative, funny and very entertaining. We drove on Bolyston St. (we drove right over the finish line for the Boston Marathon). We passed in front of the Trinity Church, Beacon Hill and the State House in between the Public Garden and Boston Common (the oldest public park in the U.S.), and many more sites. Then we went to a deserted construction site where the ramp to enter the river is found. The kids were filled with anticipation and their faces were glowing with the excitement. We basically drove in and then the propeller kicked on. It was great! We cruised on the river for awhile.
While we were on the river, we saw many sailboats. The view was beautiful with the skyline in the distance and hundreds of sailboats in the river. One of the sailboats almost crashed into us and did hit the wall of the bridge. It turns out this was one of the students from the nation's oldest boating program. Every summer, local school children (about 1600) participate in the program to learn to sail. They pay only $1.00 for the whole summer and go out every day and all day. The little sailor was fine. Our guide called for help and someone came out to help him immediately.
Our ride on the Charles River continued and it was wonderful. Then the kids got a great surprise as they were all going to take turns driving the DUCK. They both had turns and got their pictures taken while steering. We were on the river for 45 minutes or so, then we went to Charlestown, Quincy Market, and back on Tremont Street (where we saw the three mountains), and back to the stop. We bought the book, "Make Way for Ducklings" and the state book of Massachusetts at the DUCK gift cart. We had a stupendous time, and we were all glad we decided on this tour over the other ones!
We met Al at the hotel and went to the Public Garden to ride the Swan boats. We had a beautiful ride. It was very serene and the views from there were breath-taking. Boston is a gorgeous city. We walked around the park, took many pictures on the "world's smallest suspension bridge" and then took a cab back to the hotel. We picked up our car and drove to Cambridge, Harvard Square and around Harvard. We parked and explored the Harvard campus. We walked around a long time and got to hang out with some of the students as they walked around us getting to their classes and dorms.
We had dinner in Cambridge and then went back to the hotel!
Showing posts with label Charleston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charleston. Show all posts
Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, and Fort Sumter, South Carolina - Sunday, June 28, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
We woke up a little late because we always end up going to sleep late no matter how early we arrive at the hotel. We drove into town and drove around the downtown area. We drove to Mt. Pleasant and went to see the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier and then took the ferry to Fort Sumter. The ride was beautiful. The bay was choppy, but the day was sunny and nice. There was a harborfest so they had old, ornate ships docked in the harbor. There were beautiful homes on the harbor as well.
We arrived in Fort Sumter and the ranger gave everyone a short history lesson. We learned that the first shot of the the Civil War was fired there. What happended was that Gen. Anderson (the artillery teacher of Gen. Beauregard) decided to take over the fort that the confederate soldiers had built. The South made Beauregard the leader of the mission because he knew Anderson and they thought he would be able to convince him to leave. He stayed in the fort a long time with his men. Beauregard gave him an ultimatum to leave in 24 hours. He didn't leave. So he gave him another hour and then another 30 minutes. Since he didn't leave, the Confederates opened fire on the Union group. The firing lasted 34 hours and nobody was killed. Beauregard convinced Anderson to surrender. He agreed but with several conditions with the most important one being that they give him a 100-gun salute. When the men were getting ready for the salute one of them was accidentally shot by a cannon and that was the first recorded death of the Civil War.
After we left Fort Sumter, we went to the downtown area. We walked around, took many photos, went to the marketplace, and had dinner at Jestine's Kitchen at 251 Meeting Street. This is a small restaurant with authentic southern-style home cooking. It was named after a slave that worked at the original owner's home. The restaurant has been in the family since then. We had fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, fried okra, coconut cream pie and chocolate coca-cola cake. It was heavenly and highly recommended by the B-Ns (thank you)! Make sure to be prepared to wait in line as most times there is a crowd of people outside (which is always a great sign). Our recommendation is to go between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. for a late lunch/early dinner.
We tried to go on a carriage ride but it was too late. We walked around the harbor and looked at the magnificent antebellum houses. Then, off to the hotel.
We woke up a little late because we always end up going to sleep late no matter how early we arrive at the hotel. We drove into town and drove around the downtown area. We drove to Mt. Pleasant and went to see the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier and then took the ferry to Fort Sumter. The ride was beautiful. The bay was choppy, but the day was sunny and nice. There was a harborfest so they had old, ornate ships docked in the harbor. There were beautiful homes on the harbor as well.
We arrived in Fort Sumter and the ranger gave everyone a short history lesson. We learned that the first shot of the the Civil War was fired there. What happended was that Gen. Anderson (the artillery teacher of Gen. Beauregard) decided to take over the fort that the confederate soldiers had built. The South made Beauregard the leader of the mission because he knew Anderson and they thought he would be able to convince him to leave. He stayed in the fort a long time with his men. Beauregard gave him an ultimatum to leave in 24 hours. He didn't leave. So he gave him another hour and then another 30 minutes. Since he didn't leave, the Confederates opened fire on the Union group. The firing lasted 34 hours and nobody was killed. Beauregard convinced Anderson to surrender. He agreed but with several conditions with the most important one being that they give him a 100-gun salute. When the men were getting ready for the salute one of them was accidentally shot by a cannon and that was the first recorded death of the Civil War.
After we left Fort Sumter, we went to the downtown area. We walked around, took many photos, went to the marketplace, and had dinner at Jestine's Kitchen at 251 Meeting Street. This is a small restaurant with authentic southern-style home cooking. It was named after a slave that worked at the original owner's home. The restaurant has been in the family since then. We had fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, fried okra, coconut cream pie and chocolate coca-cola cake. It was heavenly and highly recommended by the B-Ns (thank you)! Make sure to be prepared to wait in line as most times there is a crowd of people outside (which is always a great sign). Our recommendation is to go between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. for a late lunch/early dinner.
We tried to go on a carriage ride but it was too late. We walked around the harbor and looked at the magnificent antebellum houses. Then, off to the hotel.
Hilton Head Island, Beaufort, and Charleston, South Carolina - Saturday, June 27, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
We drove a bit around Savannah on the way out. We went to Hilton Head Island via a scenic road rather than the highway. It was nice and after several stops, like TJ Maxx and Ross for items we needed to buy and Moe's for lunch, we finally arrived at Hilton Head Island (HHI). It is an upscale community with mostly with seasonal residents.
We parked by a playground with an amazing treehouse. It was shaped like a ship. We took many pictures there and the kids enjoyed playing on it. We climbed to the top of the HHI Lighthouse in Harbour Town. It has 114 steps. We were a tiny bit out of breath when we reached the top. They have a webcam at the top of the lighthouse and people can see you on the internet. We called Uncle Tio to look at us, but he wasn't home. By the time he got home and looked we were already gone. It would have been nice for him to see us. It gave us the idea to set up the webcam on my laptop so we can communicate with family and friends, but we haven't had time to set it up yet.
We had a lovely time in HHI. We got virgin daiquiris and sat on rocking chairs to drink them by the marina. What a relaxing and beautiful moment! We drove to the other part of the island called South Beach where they had several beachy shops, a place called Jake's Pizza and a Life is Good store. WE love the Life is Good stores and we will see them throughout this trip. They go into every one they see.
We drove through Beaufort, SC on the way to Charleston. It was small and cute and saw a wedding and a house set up for a reception. Jake took moss from a tree for me, because I made a comment that I buy the moss for my plants and the people here have it just hanging from their trees. We arrived in Charleston around 6 p.m. and there was a horrible thunderstorm. It was so bad they had tornado warnings and hail. We arrived at our hotel (a new SpringHill Suites right outside of the city center in North Charleston, but it was brand new) and unpacked. The hotel just opened weeks before on June 4. It was very clean and decorated nicely with free breakfast. We attempted to go sightseeing, but the weather was so bad and we turned back and had dinner at Cracker Barrel. Later, we turned in to get ready to explore Charleston tomorrow.
We drove a bit around Savannah on the way out. We went to Hilton Head Island via a scenic road rather than the highway. It was nice and after several stops, like TJ Maxx and Ross for items we needed to buy and Moe's for lunch, we finally arrived at Hilton Head Island (HHI). It is an upscale community with mostly with seasonal residents.
We parked by a playground with an amazing treehouse. It was shaped like a ship. We took many pictures there and the kids enjoyed playing on it. We climbed to the top of the HHI Lighthouse in Harbour Town. It has 114 steps. We were a tiny bit out of breath when we reached the top. They have a webcam at the top of the lighthouse and people can see you on the internet. We called Uncle Tio to look at us, but he wasn't home. By the time he got home and looked we were already gone. It would have been nice for him to see us. It gave us the idea to set up the webcam on my laptop so we can communicate with family and friends, but we haven't had time to set it up yet.
We had a lovely time in HHI. We got virgin daiquiris and sat on rocking chairs to drink them by the marina. What a relaxing and beautiful moment! We drove to the other part of the island called South Beach where they had several beachy shops, a place called Jake's Pizza and a Life is Good store. WE love the Life is Good stores and we will see them throughout this trip. They go into every one they see.
We drove through Beaufort, SC on the way to Charleston. It was small and cute and saw a wedding and a house set up for a reception. Jake took moss from a tree for me, because I made a comment that I buy the moss for my plants and the people here have it just hanging from their trees. We arrived in Charleston around 6 p.m. and there was a horrible thunderstorm. It was so bad they had tornado warnings and hail. We arrived at our hotel (a new SpringHill Suites right outside of the city center in North Charleston, but it was brand new) and unpacked. The hotel just opened weeks before on June 4. It was very clean and decorated nicely with free breakfast. We attempted to go sightseeing, but the weather was so bad and we turned back and had dinner at Cracker Barrel. Later, we turned in to get ready to explore Charleston tomorrow.
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