New England Aquarium

Posted on September 12, 2012September 12, 2012 by Dusty Roads

What a busy week that last week in August turned out to be! I had a wonderful day with Nancy, Alex and Dawn at the Roger Williams Park and Zoo. I told you all about that but then I was surprised by a visit from some of my New York relatives. They were taking their kids to the New England Aquarium in Boston and wanted to see if I wanted to meet them for the afternoon. Silly question. Of course I did!

I had a work commitment in the morning but it turned out that I finished at the perfect time. I got a Text from them letting me know they were about 90 minutes away and so was I! Could that have worked out any better if we’d planned it?

I headed into Boston but today I chose to drive in. I knew parking would be expensive and it was. $35.00! And the garage only took cash. Oh well what’s that saying, Admission $20.00, Imax $10.00, parking $35.00 , an afternoon with family…PRICELESS!!

George is my Nephew and his wife is Kelly and the two awesome kids are my (dare I say it) GREAT Niece Catherine and GREAT Nephew Patrick.

Of course they are GREAT but in this case I’m referring to the generational fact that I’m not just an aunt but a great aunt..WOW. I am getting old!

I haven’t been into the Aquarium in quite a while so it was fun to go again and to watch the kids get so excited about the great ocean tank. We even got to see the divers go in to feed the fish.

They’ve added a new Shark and Ray Touch Tank since I was there last too. Everyone enjoyed that, adults and children alike.

The sea lions aren’t on a separate boat anymore either. They have a beautiful enclosure where they are out for visitors to see all the time instead of just when the trainers come in to do a show.

Catherine slipped under the sea-lion statue for a photo moment.

Cute and she thought of it all on her own.

We also squeezed in an IMAX 3D show.

We were busy every moment.

The kids were great too. After that long drive they still held up the whole afternoon. I was very impressed. George and Kelly can be very proud.

Finally as it approached closing time we headed out.

The kids, and I bet the adults too, were getting hungry. George, Kelly and the kids headed over to Faneuil Hall to the food court and I headed back to the car. I had things I had to get done so I had to beg off from dinner but the time we had together was lots of fun.

Thanks guys for inviting me along! 🙂

It’s Always Cooler on The Water

Posted on August 10, 2012August 10, 2012 by Dusty Roads

With the heat and oppressive humidity in Boston Nancy and I made the decision to take a harbor cruise. It wasn’t much of a decision. The temps were so uncomfortable that it was really the only option.

We made a stop at Quincy Market where Nancy got a smoothie and I got a cup of watermelon then it was back to the wharf for the harbor cruise. What a difference. As soon as we pulled out of the slip we could feel the cooler air…natural air conditioning.

The sights were many…Nantucket Lightship, Fort Independence, Castle Island, Cod-zilla, Bunkerhill Monument, USS Constitution, The steeple of the Old North Church, Coast Guard Ships, Boston Fire Boat, Logan airport, the beautiful bridges around Boston The Zakim and the Mystic River Bridges and the list goes on.

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It was only a 90 minute cruise but it was just enough of a break before we had to fight the afternoon crowds back onto the “T” to head back to the “Burbs”.

Boston on a Hot Hot Day

Posted on August 8, 2012August 8, 2012 by Dusty Roads

A couple of weeks ago my friend Nancy and I made plans to meet in Boston for the day. She is a college professor and she only had morning classes. I wanted to get some pictures of Boston landmarks for my photo cards. I figured I’d go into town early, grab as many shots as I could then meet Nancy for the afternoon.

Well, let me just say that going into Boston is never an easy jaunt. In fact it annoys me so much it’s hard to believe people do it daily for work. Trying to be frugal I decided to take the “T”. I timed my departure (I thought I was being so smart) for 9:30 am to miss the rush hour traffic on Rts 24 and 93. Well that part worked . Traffic was heavy but moving and I found a parking spot on the 5th level of the Quincy Adams Parking garage…inside…so the sun would not be turning the car into an oven. So far, so good.

10:00 am I’m in front of the Charlie Card machine and I hear a train pull into the station. I grabbed my ticket and ran for the platform…too late it had loaded and was just pulling out. Boy that was quick! No problem though. Trains run about every 10-15 minutes at that time of day. Sure enough it wasn’t long before another train pulled into the station. It was pretty empty and I got a seat right away. Only 10:15. I expected to be in town by 10:45 which would give me an hour to shoot pics before meeting Nancy.

But here’s where things began to fall apart. We seemed to be waiting longer and longer at each stop. Finally just before we got into Boston proper we stopped completely between stations. Now we got an announcement that there were “switching” problems at Park St. As soon as they got the train in front of us out of the way we’d be on our way. Tick Tock Tick Tock…I could hear the clock ticking in my mind.

Finally moving again we made it to Boylston but then we sat again. By now it was after 11:00 am So much for a free hour for my photo shoot.

Originally I was going to get off at Park St. Take pictures of the Boston Gardens and then walk over to the Aquarium taking pictures as I went. Now pulling into Park it was almost 11:15 and it was HOT…a record setter and HUMID. I decided I might as well take the train to Government Center and switch to the Blue line to get to the waterfront where I was meeting Nancy.

I’m not sure how I messed up. Probably faulty memory since there were no maps posted in the T car I was in but somehow I got twisted around and ended up over by The Rehab Hospital and the old Jail, the Science Museum and Esplanade on the Green Line. I got off and changed platforms to back track.

Finally on the Blue Line I made it to the Aquarium Station. Stepping onto the street was like walking into a solid wall of humid heat.

It was so extreme it took my breath away.

The various trolley companies all have ticket booths right there so I stopped by the Olde Town Trolley booth for a short chat.

JR used to work for them once upon a time so I have a soft spot for them. But aside from personal prejudice I do feel they do the best job for the money.

Ghosts and Gravestones is Olde Town’s Ghostly tour. Love their promos! Halloween all year ’round! But I imagine the young lady was pretty warm in those volumes of skirts.

Leaving the trolleys behind I noticed that Boston has continued to move into the eco-friendly realm with bicycle rentals. A very nice idea.

By now I was soaked with perspiration and feeling very uncomfortable. I found a nice outdoor bar on the wharf and plunked myself there to wait.

My icy cold club soda arrived at the same time Nancy stepped out of the T station. As I went to meet her the waiter reminded me to “stay hydrated”. Got it! I sure will.