Almost exactly seven years ago, we took a trip to Boston!
My husband needed to work in the US office (where he now works full time) for a week and I didn’t fancy staying at home on my own with the baby. I only had a few weeks of maternity leave left, and it seemed wrong to pass up the chance of a holiday to Boston!
So, we set off with our five month old son (whose carbon footprint was already awful by this point!) and flew to Schipol and then onto Boston.
The journey was long. Very long!
Our son coped really well until we arrived in Boston, by which point none of us were particularly happy. It was 10pm (which meant 3am for us). We made the mistake of taking a cheaper option on car hire… An hour and a half later we were finally strapping our extremely unhappy child into an awful car seat.
Then we got lost!
Anyone that knows Boston will know that there are some major roads that go through the city centre (now under the city centre, but on this trip the Big Dig was still in progress) and over the Charles River. If you get caught on one of them it can be tricky to get off again, and if you get caught on the wrong one, you’re in trouble! We drove for what seemed like forever – every so often catching a glimpse of our hotel… But it was always on a different level to us! We’d be on a flyover and it would be below us and would then disappear into the distance again.
I will admit that I cried :)
We did eventually find the hotel! And, the upside of our horrendous car journey? No jet lag for any of us :) We were so traumatised exhausted, we all slept straight though until morning, did the same the next night, and that was us sorted!
We had a wonderful trip. I had visited Boston four years earlier with my mother and sister, and then a year later had a work trip here too, so I already knew the centre of Boston fairly well – enough to get my bearings anyway! It was slightly different navigating with a buggy though! But, I made the most of it and visited galleries and shops and landmarks on my own (with buggy!) during the week while my husband was at work. I stuck to central Boston, limiting the need to navigate the T (subway) with the buggy but there is so much that you can walk to in Boston, which is one of the things I love about the city. I did make it to the Museum of Fine Art though, which involved lots of steps!
Then hubby took a few days holiday so we were able to spend a long weekend sight seeing together. We visited the Aquarium and Science Museum. We went into Cambridge and visited both the MIT and Harvard campuses, taking in the Harvard Natural History Museum as well. We went up to the Skywalk Observatory in the Prudential Center (which is where the above photograph was taken) where you are treated to stunning views across Boston. We found the real Cheers bar, wandered round the Back Bay and the North End and visited Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall. We ate good food, enjoyed a much needed break and survived the cold weather!
It is now strange to think of that trip, with just our oldest in tow (who of course remembers nothing of his first visit to Boston!). Little did we know that six years later we would move here!
I still love Boston, and although with the day to day of school and activities, we don’t get into the city as often as I would like, I still get a buzz on those days that we do.
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What a lovely post. You’re so brave to have done such a long trip with a young baby. I bet you never would have imagined living there in the future!
Brave, or a little mad :) It is funny to look back on the trip now, I thinking of how much has changed xx
Aww what a lovely trip down memory lane. What a little cutie as well :) I always found it strange to know I’d been to places but had no memory of them!
He quite likes the fact that he was here without his brother and sister!
Looks like a fab trip and it’s a city I’ve always fancied visiting.
It really is worth visiting – such an interesting city.
awww honey what a memory and a half! i think i would of cried too if we had got lost! I am so pleased moving there has not lost you the love of the place honey xx
Thanks for linking up with #MagicMoments x
Thanks Jaime x And thanks for hosting :)
Lovely post, with so many gorgeous photos. Don’t blame you for crying either!
Oh Jocelyn, it was such a stressful end to the journey! But, we got there, and had a lovely break :)
It’s funny how life just unexpectedly changes, I wonder what life will be like in a couple of years, so much can happen. #MM
It is isn’t it, I would never have thought we would move anywhere let alone all the way to the US!
Sounds like it was a really adventurous trip. I completely understand that feeling of seeing your hotel when you’re completely exhausted and then it disappearing before your very eyes. I think I would have cried too :)
It was a rather stressful hour :) We can look back and laugh now…!
I would love to visit but my Hubbie wants to move there too and I am just not ready for that at the mo. Looks such a beautiful place x
It is beautiful, it’s a really interesting city, and the surrounding ‘suburbs’ are lovely… Would certainly recommend a visit :)
Wow what a wonderful post Sara – apart getting lost. I would have cried too! It must have been really special looking back on that trip given you’re living there now. Thank you so much for sharing #whatsthestory
It is lovely to look back – we still go to many of the places we visited that trip. Trying to find the hotel goes down as one of our worst holiday moments :)
Lovely photos and great memories.
Thank you Tami xx
I would’ve cried too! Glad that experience didn’t turn you off the place :)
We can laugh about it now :)
Very brave to do that journey with a baby, although I’m not sure I would have refused the offer either
It was hard to resist!
So brave to tackle that journey with a small baby! Have been lucky enough to visit Boston a few times and it’s an amazing city, there’s so much to see and do!
It’s fabulous isn’t it? I feel very lucky, although I don’t get into the city nearly often enough!
Looks great, I can’t imagine flying with a five month old, you were very brave!
It was an interesting journey – but actually far easier than when he was two…!
Looks like a fascinating city with so much to offer
It really is, there is so much history, some really beautiful buildings and fabulous galleries :) Love it!
You’ve taken me down memory lane with this post as I lived in Cambridge when I did my postgraduate degree at Harvard! Of course, I didn’t have any kids then to deal with!
Oh, lucky you :)
I am glad your trip improved a lot after that not too great start! xx
Thanks, it certainly did :)
Lovely photos, it sounds like a lovely trip apart from the long journey xx
It was wonderful, thank you x
We took a similar crazy trip to New York with Emma when she was less than 2! And just like you, suffered no jet lag and had a great time on the other side of the pond :-)
Linking in late from Magic Moments.xx
It’s great when you can avoid the jet lag and just enjoy isn’t it! Haven’t made it to New York yet, must get there :)
Love Boston!Was only there for a few days, years ago when I was only 19 with a dodgy fake ID-lots of hassle getting into bars. Although would really have to leave the babies behind if I wanted a proper go at visiting the nightlife!
It’s a fab city, isn’t it? I still get ID’d here, and I’m 40 :)