Every other year, we do a No Kids Allowed trip. This year, due to schedules, we split the trip in two. We enjoyed a week on a Mexican cruise with our son Jade. It was now time to enjoy a Bermuda cruise with our oldest daughter and her husband. (Our youngest daughter was excused for this year, as she had a new baby).

We meet Jodi and Wade in Boston and enjoyed a packed afternoon and evening. But in true BAM/Carson fashion, we had to have a slight glitch. One of our bags got stuck in the luggage conveyor “tube”. It took about 20 minutes and 5 workers but we got the bag back, only slightly scuffed and the airline was accommodating and gave us a travel voucher.

We checked into our hotel and then headed to downtown Boston by way of the “T” train. Wade was in charge of directions and he took the job seriously.

We had a tour of the Charles River booked, but arrived quite early. None of us had anything to eat all day, due to tight plane connections, so we asked the clerk for a dining recommendation. He sent us to Tia’s. It did not disappoint. The chowder was amazing, and Jodi loved her lobster roll.

After eating, we still had a few minutes so took a walk along Long Wharf. The British, under General William Howe, landed here in 1774. It was a relatively short occupation, as they evacuated on March 17, 1776, as George Washington and the American soldiers had occupied the surrounding hills, over-looking the wharf. It was the first victory of the war for the Americans. Evacuation Day is still celebrated in Boston.

You have to love modern technology…as we waited for our tour, Wade and Jodi were watching softball stats for our granddaughter Whitney and her HS team.

Our itinerary for the evening was a driving tour of downtown Boston and a cruise on the Charles River. Due to the NBA Finals game, the tour had some variation due to traffic flow. The foggy weather had deterred people, along with the expected crowds for the basketball game, so our tour was only about 1/3 full

Some of the buildings we drove by…The Ames Building was completed in 1893 and was the first skyscraper in Boston. The Starbucks has a steaming kettle above it’s door.

The Old Statehouse was built in 1713 and served as the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. The Boston Massacre occurred here on March 5, 1770 during a confrontation between colonists and British soldiers.

We drove past the Granary Burying Ground. This is where Samuel Adams and Paul Revere are buried. Benjamin Franklin’s parents are buried here as well. It is located next to the Park Street Church

We drove through Boston Commons, which was once used for grazing livestock, militia activities, as well as public hangings.

The “new” Massachusetts Statehouse was completed in 1798 at a cost of $133,000, which was controversial at the time because it was original projected to cost only $30,000. It is one of the oldest state capitals still in use.

This is the address where John F. Kennedy stayed when he was in Boston. It was also his voter registration address.

The Old West Church that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow attended. John F. Kennedy’s voting precinct was in the basement and it is where he cast his vote when he ran for president in 1960.

Our bus crossed the Charles River into Cambridge, where we boarded the Henry Longfellow for a short trip on the Charles River, which is named after King Charles I.

The dock for the tour is in a side channel. We had to motor down a small “canal” to reach the main Charles River. The water is now fresh due to a dam built in 1907. At one time is was brackish…a mixture of salt and fresh.

We sailed under the Longfellow Bridge, which has intricate carvings.

The river basin is surrounded by colleges, such as Cambridge, Harvard, Boston University, and MIT.

With the close proximity to the river, the sports of rowing and sailing are popular. We watched the MIT sailing team practice and went by the Boston University boat house.

We sailed down a side canal that is the outlet for the river water to reach the ocean. The outlet has a draw bridge for sailboats but you have to give 8 hours notice!!

The Boston Gardens from afar, where the NBA Finals were being played. Everyone in Boston had Celtic Pride, as a building had it’s lights on to say Go Cs.

After the river tour, we crossed the Longfellow Bridge aka as the salt and pepper bridge as the lights look like salt and pepper shakers. It separates Boston from Cambridge.

We drove past DeLuca’s Market, one of the longest serving markets in Boston.

The Old North Church…”one if by land, two if by sea”. The lights were hung in the church tower so Paul Revere would know how the British were coming to Concord.

We also drove back by the “new” Statehouse, which is beautiful at night.

Our final drive-by was at the Boston Latin School, which has a statue of Benjamin Franklin in front

Our tour guide, Bailey, had been great and we loved his Boston accent. We took the “T” back to our hotel.

The next morning we would head to the cruise port and board a ship headed for Bermuda.