Through History and into Boston

We reluctantly left Acadia National Park after a sobering view through our finances… turns out brewery visits, eating out, and paying an increasing number of campsites eats our budget faster than we accounted for!  It was a good wake up call to be a little more discerning when exploring new cities (although we still want to experience some restaurants and paid activities since it is a gateway to experiencing culture).   While Acadia was amazing, it also tempted us to eat and drink out, and the paid campsite in the park quickly added up to expenses.

Our next stop was Boston.  Budget aside, still opted for 2 nights in a paid campsite since this was the most convenient way for us to spend a day in the city.  We split the drive through Maine by a stop at Allagash, because, after all, when’s the next time we will be able to taste so many unique Belgian ales?

Boston was a great experience, and a city I would highly recommend visiting.  We were only there for a day, but it was a wonderful change of pace from our more often rural explorations.  We started with a started our visit with a stop in Salem, and a tour of the House of Seven Gables, a house built exactly 350 years ago, in 1668.  It is one of the oldest wood-frame houses still in existence, and gave us a new appreciation for the colonial architecture seen throughout New England, and especially in Salem.

Our foot exploration of Boston centered around the main waterfront, and nearby Farmer’s market.  It was made convenient by a nice underground parking garage that actually fit our large-for-a-city full size Tundra for a reasonable cost ($10 for the day).   The farmer’s market was a delightful surprise, as it had some of the best range and affordability of mostly fresh produce.  I say mostly, because they still had many packaged fruits that you had to select from carefully.   We’re still not sure how they managed such good prices, but it made for some good fruit snacks for our planned driving the next day.

The Boston Waterfront reminded us a bit of San Francisco in the sense that boats were coming from every direction in seeming chaos, with each vessel just barely missing the other in a display of seaborne dancing.  We sat on the edge of a pier with the dogs and enjoyed fresh raspberries as we dreamed about which boat we would prefer for our next adventure .

Our day was finished with a fresh canole from Maria’s bakery just outside Boston’s little Italy.  It was a throwback to some fantastic memories of walking through Little Italy and savoring the Ricotta filled pastry in Manhattan during our previous 3 month residence there.  If we had more time, larger appetites, and a less constrained budget, we would have enjoyed one of the many pasta restaurants that dotted the streets of this area of Boston.   I guess now we have a reason to return for a future weekend trip!