Monday, September 28, 2009

swan boats, ducklings, playgrounds, graveyards, and hip hop

A blistering hot day in the middle of August. Humidity at 1000% and temps near 100. Sounds like a great day to take the train into Boston for some fun around town! Well, in our defense we chose the day in advance, without knowing what the weather was possibly going to be. And even though we were melting into human puddles at times, we had an amazing visit to Boston.

The iconic Swan boats of Boston. They are pedal powered and you cruise around the small pond with all the other ducks and swans.

Getting a closer look...plus it was shady under the bridge, so I let them look as long as they wanted, in order to take advantage of the blessed relief from the sun.

If you visit the Boston Public Garden, you have to go find the Make Way for Ducklings statues. Mrs. Mallard and all her rhyming babies can be found marching along one of the pathways. My kids were not at all happy I forced them into standing with the statues for a picture. I really wanted them to sit on the statues or pose in an adorable way. However, the heat of the day caused those metal quackers to be as hot as the blazes. The best I could do was to get them to stand next to them.

On the Boston Common we stopped at the Tadpole Playground, next to Frog Pond, for a play break. The kids had fun sliding and climbing. I loved all the artsy details I found all over the playground.











As we walked towards Faneuil Hall we passed a graveyard. The gravestones were so cool, with skeletons and the angel of death.



Faneuil Hall is well known for the street performers that stage impromptu performances. We watched a group of hip hop dancers. The moves were unbelievable, especially when you consider their stage is concrete. One wrong move and OUCH!



We collapsed beneath a HUGE tree on the Boston Commons with our fresh squeezed lemonades and even though I had no desire to move, the kids got up after a few minutes and played tag.







It's funny how the smallest things are the biggest deal and have such a big impact on them. My kids could not get over the buses, the really wide sidewalks, the streetlights (they fought viciously over who would push the button), and the cobblestone sidewalks. They continually push me to see what I think of as mundane, from a new perspective. Considering the kids were asking when we can go back on the train ride home, I'd say our trip was a huge success.

1 comment:

I heart said...

Looks like it was a wonderful day! :) Great pics!