Boston by foot

Hubby, Caleb and I just finished off a summer vacation in Maine with our final night in Boston. 
We are pleased that we got to spend the final night of our vacation in air conditioned, king-sized bed comfort at the Westin Waterfront in Boston.  No complaints about Maine - I just enjoyed the royal treatment in Boston.
During our inaugural visit to the beautiful city of Boston, Hubby and I decided to fit as much in as we could.  We had only one afternoon at our disposal. 
The concierge at the hotel urged us to not use a car, but tour the city by foot.  So we checked our rental car in one day early, which ended up being a good thing.  Parking for one hour at the hotel was $20.  The luxury accommodations were a pretty penny too - but that came as no surprise, and one well worth it.

Our hotel, the Westin Waterfront.

We dropped off the car at the rental place near Government Center and started our journey toward Faneuil Hall Marketplace in the center of Boston.

 View from below in downtown Boston.

We stopped along the way to watch a street performance - three very energetic performers who played music, danced, and did acrobatics.  They also passed around a bucket to collect money, pleading with the crowd to "help keep the black man out of prison and out of your houses."  These humorous fellows enjoyed calling attention to their ethnicity.  

 Street performers in Boston.

Then we entered Faneuil Hall, a market building built in 1742, where town meetings once took place including protests by Samuel Adams and others against the imposition of taxes on the colonies. 

 

 

Faneuil Hall

 

 Upper level, Faneuil Hall

Upper level, Faneuil Hall.  

Each step represents the first 13 United States in order of statehood from bottom to top.

 Shopping and attractions in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

Our next stop was a merry-go-round (a first for Caleb) near the waterfront.  This activity was followed with a popsicle, a constant Caleb request.

 

Midway through the ride, the conductor stopped the merry-go-round, approached me and told me I had to get off the seat and stand beside Caleb instead of riding.  It was safer that way, according to him.  Felt a lot less stable to me, but I'm just the mama.

 

After a brief stop at the waterfront, we moved on to the King's Chapel and Burying Ground.  I love cemeteries, but this is not news.  I try to photograph at least one during every new place we visit.

 The King's Burying Ground

 Neat architecture in the cemetery

 The King's Chapel. Very cool pews - these were the originals.  They are like family boxes.

After a hushed visit to the chapel, which had Caleb in fits to scream and yelp with all his 2-year-old energy, we scurried on to the Tadpole Playground and the Frog Pond, a free sprayground in the Boston Commons.  Much fun was had splashing around.

 

 The Frog Pond, Boston Commons

We got drenched and then began the mile-hike home to the hotel.  Some sights along the way...

 

Then dinner in the hotel room, bathtime and bedtime.

    

Caleb curled up in a bath towel, ready for bed

 

City views from our 16th floor room at dusk

 

The Westin even provided a crib for Caleb.  It came with a cute little baby rug. How precious!

We can't wait for our next visit to Boston.