Boston is one of the oldest cities in the
United States, founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from
England. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such
as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and
the Siege of Boston. Upon U.S. independence from Great
Britain, it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a
center for education and culture.
Getting there ...
| Linus has moved to Boston in late
July to start his first job after
college graduation. We decided to visit him as our first stop
of this Christmas, and we will continue to go to
Stockholm, Sweden together
for a family vacation. We had a red-eye flight on the late night
of 12/23 (my last working day of the year) and arrived in Boston at
8:30AM on 12/24. |
Day 1 (12/24) ...
- Linus' apartment
We took a Uber from the airport to Linus' apartment
in Brookline, and had a simple breakfast together around his tiny dining
table.
- Chestnut Hill Reservoir
We took a walk to the nearby Chestnut Hill Reservoir.
The weather has been too good in the past few days that there was not much
snow left on the ground. It was a nice clear day to try on our new
winter clothing.
- Boston Custom House (Marriott Vacation Club
Pulse)
After a Korean lunch around the Coolidge Corner, we took the
Boston Metro to Boston downtown to check in our hotel for the next 2 nights.
The original Custom House building designed in the Greek Revival style was
constructed in 1837-47, and the tower was added in 1913-15. At 496 ft
(151 m), the new tower was
Boston's tallest until 1964. When custom officials moved out of the Custom
House in 1984, the building remained unoccupied and inaccessible for 14
years. In 1995, the Beal Companies and Marriott Ownership
Resorts International announced plans to develop the building into
a timeshare resort, Marriott Vacation Club, with 87 one-bedroom suites on 22
floors. Unfortunately, the observation deck on the 26th floor was
under re-modeling and was closed for visitors. We spent some good time
to play a few rounds of 8-ball pool games in the recreation room on the 24th
floor although none of us were any good
at all.
- Quincy Market at Night
After dinner at the
Legal Sea Foods, we walked to the Quincy Market to feel the Christmas
atmosphere. There were Christmas light shows going on every 30
minutes, and we could just see the show right out of the window in our room.
Day 2 (12/25)...
- Sunrise
Due to some jet lag (3 hours earlier here than California), I
woke up just 15 minutes before sunrise. I quickly got up to get
everything I needed and ran across streets to the Long Wharf for a
spectacular sunrise.
- Star Wars and Chinatown
It's Christmas Day! Most attractions
were closed today so the best activity for Christmas was to watch a movie,
the new Star Wars, episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
- Boston Common & Downtown
Boston Common, established in 1634, is America's oldest
public park. Puritan colonists purchased the land rights to the
Common’s 44 acres from the first settler of the area, William Blackstone.
The pasture then became known as the "Common Land" and was used to graze
local livestock until 1830. Today, the Common serves as a public park
for all to use for formal or informal gatherings and events such as concerts,
protests, softball games, and ice skating. Famous individuals such
as Martin Luther King Jr., Pope John Paul II, and Mikhail Gorbachev have
made speeches there.
We walked through the Boston Common and back to the
downtown, and passed by Linus' office on Washington Street.
- City Night View
After another dinner at the Legal Sea Foods (it did
open on Christmas day), we walked to the Columbus Park for some good holiday
lights with city view in the background.
Day 3 (12/26) ...
- Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market
While waiting Linus and Miriam to
come, we visited Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market and let Iris do some
shopping to kill some time...
- ICA Boston
We met Linus and Miriam back at the hotel and had their
luggage stored at the hotel lobby, and then we went to a nice
Italian for lunch.
After lunch, we visited the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA Boston),
which was founded in 1936 as the Boston Museum of Modern Art—a sister
institution to New York’s MoMA, and changed its name to the Institute of
Contemporary Art in 1948. In 2006, the ICA opened its visionary new
building, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, on the Boston waterfront. In
its new facility, the ICA has expanded the scope and size of its exhibitions
and programs—increasing its audiences tenfold and serving as a catalyst for
contemporary art in Boston.
Next Destination ...
| We took the subway to Boston
Airport in the late afternoon to catch our flights (Linus and Miriam was
on Lufthansa via Munich, while we were on SWISS Air via Zurich) to
our next destination:
Stockholm, Sweden. Our winter adventure will begin soon... |
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