We Made It To Beantown!

We departed Hamilton, New Jersey around 8:30am and hit the road headed for Boston. The drive was beautiful via I-84 through Connecticut to the Mass Turnpike. I will say the girls had a swell ride. The night before I put in the movie “The Sixth Sense” and they decided to finish it during this leg of the trip. Let me just say that this type of movie isn’t in Sienna’s wheel house and she needed a little comfort from her baby sister. Briana had to capture this moment.

We arrived in Boston just before 2pm and made our way to the Omni Parker House where will be home for the next 2 days before we continue on to Acadia National Park. This hotel dates back to 1855 and is the oldest in Boston and the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States. More about the hotel later.

Hotel Lobby, not sure a Herndon boy should be in here.

We dropped our bags with the bellman and we were off to Cambridge. Before kids, Briana and I lived in Harvard Square for 2 years, so we wanted to show the girls where mommy and daddy had lived. Plus Briana and I hadn’t been back since and we wanted to see how Harvard Square had changed.

We jumped on the T (their metro), next stop Harvard Square. Now let me back up a little and say it was HOT yesterday and Kiley was not having it. She seemed like she was melting and from the picture below, wouldn’t you agree:

We hadn’t even made it to Harvard Square yet.

Once out of the station we rounded the corner making our way to our old apartment building. On the way we spotted a wonderful little ice cream shop called Lizzy’s with hopes that it would help our wee one from melting. And of course it did! It was quite delicious if I may say so myself. And I’m not supposed to be eating sugar. But I digress. We finally make it to 60 Brattle Street and there she was, Brattle Arms Apartments. WOW such great memories we had there. The only one missing was our very own Jill Lewandosky. She was Briana’s roommate in college and lived just 3 blocks from us in Cambridge. So many memories of us cabbing up to Davis Sq to our favorite bar the Joshua Tree which is still there. Harvard Square will always have a special place in my heart.

image1 (6) — I do remember folks falling UP these steps.

We then ventured over and walked the grounds of Harvard where we stopped to take a few photos of the library. Down a alley were these two great photo opps. Amazing paintings of wings and our little bean didn’t hesitate, she jumped right in.

From there we had to make a quick pit stop into my favorite gourmet shoppe Cardullo’s for some fine chocolate’s and a bottle of Rose. I use to stop here on a weekly basis and order the BEST liverwurst sandwich I’ve ever had. Always top notch! Then back on the T to shower and meet up with the Potts.

But not before we ventured into the Granary Burying Ground. This is where John Hancock, Paul Revere, Sam Adams, James Otis and Mother “Mary” Goose is buried. The worst part of the Granary is the Infant’s Tomb, where some 400+ children are buried.

Showered and ready to eat, we met the Potts in the lobby and off to Faneuil Hall for some ramen at Wagamana’s. On the way we stopped and witnessed a sing-a-long, some serious tap by a very talented street performer, and to pay our respects at The New England Holocaust Memorial.

After dinner we made our way back to the hotel for a nite cap in Parker’s Bar. And here’s where I got caught about not being forthright about the history of this hotel with the Potts. As we entered the lobby there was a large group gathered just outside of the Kennedy room listening very intently to a young woman about a man who killed himself in room 303. Cut to Maurisa saying “OH HELL’S NO!”, oh and they are staying on the 3rd floor. TEE HEE!! Guests staying in that room over the years had reported the smell of whiskey and raucous laughter, even when neither was to be found. After many guest complaints, the room was eventually converted into a closet. This room 303, was also the inspiration for Stephen King’s short story turned John Cusack film, “1408”.

The other haunting story of this hotel is about Charles Dickens, yes “A Christmas Carol” Dickens. This story involves a mirror. Dickens stayed at the hotel during his tour of America in 1867 and 1868, and he would practice his readings in his third-floor room in front of a large gilded mirror. The story goes that if you look long and deep enough into the mirror, you can see Charles Dickens himself.

After scaring the shit out of the kids, and Maurisa, we jumped into Parker’s Bar and had that much needed drink. Me a Moscow Mule, Maurisa wine, Briana prosecco, and David a swizzle.