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Leaving a summer storm in Washington that evening to arrive in Boston to a cool 11 degrees was a bit of sudden change. Being the first cool weather we'd had in weeks, it was also welcomed.
Boston was officially the last hostel we would be staying in on our trip so no matter how bad it was, I was sure I could do a couple of nights. The irony was that the hostel was actually really nice.
We checked in and took the elevator to our room. The place was really modern and looked after. Our room was a 4 bed dorm and it had all the creature comforts that can be found in a half decent hostel. Things like individual lights for each bed and a little cubbyhole in each bed with power points to charge your things. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were also included in our stay but breakfast was all we would need as we were out seeing the city.
In travel books, Boston is promoted as a walkable city, which is completely agreeable, in ideal weather. The first day in Boston it was very cold, windy and rainy. There wasn't a huge list of things we wanted to do so it was a casual walk to places of interest. Once the cold really got to us we made our television pilgrimage to the original Cheers tavern inspired from the hit TV show starring Ted Danson. The pub is split into 2 main areas that were joined into one room for TV. The walk down stairs into the entrance is exactly the same as the show, and then they take you to the dining area where they have recreated the bar that had the characters names engraved on where they sat. We were showed to a table and ordered a couple of Sam Malone beers in Cheers glasses and Anita feasted on a local delicacy Baked Beans soup. After I got myself a couple of tourist photos, we walked back towards city hall following the memorial trail. It's a red painted line through the city that acts like a self-guided tour. I was keen to learn more about the history of the Boston. My understanding was that it was a major colonial city governed by the British and because of that, it was where the civil revolution began (thanks assassins creed). We went to the original old town hall where the rooms had been preserved in their original state and the rest was a museum. They had actors there dressed the part and depicting different characters of that era. It was interesting listening to their stories but got real awkward when they tried to force you to ask the person a question. The character would try to break the ice and say(in ye ole English),
"Where have you travelled from to be here?"
Me: "Howz it goin? I'm from Australia"
"Well I've never heard of that place" (because it's 1765)
Me: "Right…."
After our interesting look into Boston's past, we braved the cold once more and headed back to the hostel for dinner plans.
Earlier in the day we went to a phone shop because Anita wanted a US sim card. You walk into the shop take a seat and get put on a waiting list. While we were chatting, a local overheard us and was excited to know that we were Aussies. So he quizzed us about our trip and life back home and couldn't believe how much time we got off from work to travel. Then he got quite depressed telling us how miserable his life is because he'll never be able to do that. BUT he did recommend a great place for dinner at the top of The Prudential Centre. So a reservation and a taxi later and we were having dinner on the 52nd floor overlooking Boston. As far as fine dining goes, it was really up there (no pun intended). It was also graduation night for Harvard University, so there were a lot of young hopefuls with positive attitudes on life surrounding us. After dinner we headed back outside where the temperature had dropped further again. I think Boston was the only stop where I did the whole double coat. So the combination of that and a post dinner food baby took away any buzz of going out and the desire to jump into bed and sleep a full 8hrs was too much to resist.
The next day the weather was so much better and we wandered to the shopping district for a browse and some souvenirs for our loved ones. Lunch was at the famous Oyster Union House, one of Boston's oldest restaurants and has been around since 1826 - luckily the oysters haven't! I ordered myself a whole lobster, so for me it was seafood heaven, but for Sav it was a game of life and death as he is allergic to crustaceans. Looking back I guess it was a bit shellfish of me to make him eat there.
Once we had lunch and decided there wasn't anything else we really wanted to see, we grabbed our luggage and walked to the train station where we would spend the next 4 hours on a train to New York City.
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