“Running away” to Boston

I’ve been booking a lot of Boston trips lately.  So when my youngest daughter, Adri, and I decided to run away somewhere during her fall break, Boston was top-of-mind.

Since we could only run away for a long weekend (3 nights) and had to find decently priced last-minute flights (that was hard!), we departed Greensboro, NC, at 5:50 am.  That meant leaving our Greensboro Airport hotel at 4:00 am.

But arriving before noon has its benefits!  I decided to stay near the airport since we have to fly again on Monday at 6:00 am.  I chose to splurge and stay in a room overlooking the harbor and the city.  We almost didn’t leave our room after an early check-in.  The views are just so mesmerizing (and we were operating on very little sleep!).

Although Hurricane Matthew was causing havoc along the southeastern coast, up north was sunny and gorgeous.  Adri and I attained our Charlie cards, loaded them with some money and headed out on the Blue Line subway.  We got off after only 2 stops and started the Freedom Trail walk.  Even though we could have done the guided trip for free with our Go Boston cards (and I normally prefer to hear the stories and information great guides provide), we were in the mood to meander on our own.  The trail is easy and fun to follow with its brick lines and we had to keep stopping just to admire the great architecture, much less read the historical markers.

Open-air windows in restaurants, pubs and cafes, flowers in window boxes, a brilliant mix of historical and modern architectural beauty and the harbor make Boston such a great place to just “be.”

After walking the trail at our own pace, we stopped for a coffee on the waterfront.  Sitting on a park bench, admiring the harbor views in the sunshine with a saxophone melody in the background, we settled into admiring the scene while we people- (and dog-) watched.

Lack of sleep was catching up, so we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and enjoy dinner overlooking the bay and the city as the sun set in the background.  Here I sit now with our curtains open wide so we can fall asleep with the water shimmering in the cast-off light of the city behind it.  Tomorrow… whale watching and…?