The first leg of our trip to Boston saw us attack the 7 hour commute to Bangor, basically a travel day. We usually set the car up with snacks / essentials and try to do this in one big “gulp”! Thus, our 4:00 PM departure from Antigonish, after Peter finished work at Staples, put us in Bangor at around 10:00 PM eastern. We checked in at our accommodations, the Hampton Inn Bangor, and had a quiet evening… Clear roads all the way and a great test for the new car on the highway.
Up and at it early after a quick breakfast to take on the 3 1/2 hour trek from Bangor to Boston. Boston has always been a bit of a puzzle as far as navigation goes, but after a few hiccups we cruised into the area of our first stop for the day, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Museum. Snuck into a parking space pretty close to the entry!
Really had missed trying MIT on previous visits to the area and enjoyed the stop quite a bit, checking out exhibits that ranged from robotics through to kinetic art. Great collection with lots of hands on activities. Had some neat “simple computer explanations” that would have been great with my grade 8 students… And a troublesome display that somehow took a picture of items and then presented them on a conveyor belt (see photo). I should have stopped and looked at that one more closely!
After another little driving adventure, we boogied to the Hampton Inn Boston/Cambridge and parked our car for the rest of the stay. This Hampton turned out to be a sound choice as location, with a good price tag, next to the Lechmere subway station, and perfectly safe underground parking (wifi and breakfast included). Loved it! We settled in for a couple of days in New England.
So, my fantastic idea for the evening was to head into Faneuil Hall area and take in the sights, heading to the Hard Rock Cafe Boston for a treat! However, slipped up on the entry. I guess the biggest issue being that Gov’t Centre Subway stop was shut down for renovations. Ended up being dumped out at the next stop in the Boston Commons.
Although a longer trek, we spilled out above ground just yards from the Nova Scotia Tree (which came from the Antigonish area) in the corner of Boston Commons. Nice coincidence. Then a brisk walk down to the Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall area. Lots of holiday shopping and we did fix in on the Hard Rock Boston for an excellent supper. The kids always enjoy the memorabilia and menu!
The evening saw the girls doing some shopping around Quincy Market, checking out the amazing tree in the square and snacking in Faneuil Hall, which was extremely busy! Of note, we did have difficulty picking up the location for the closest subway stop to get home. Eventually, however, we found it tucked into the lower confines of the Old State building (seemed an odd choice/such an historic building). Then home to snuggle in after a cold, clear evening.