The Black Bunny: My Trip to Boston

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

My Trip to Boston

So I recently got back from a business trip to Boston. It's about my 8th trip but only the 2nd that I had the opportunity to stay downtown. Not only downtown but at the Omni-Parker Hotel. Not only does the Omni-Parker sit on the Freedom Trail but it is also the birth place of Parker House Dinner Rolls and Boston Creme Pie.

It was definitely a hotel I could get used to staying at on a regular basis. As a Select Member, I received turn-down service, free beverages delivered to my room in the mornings and free in-room Internet. It was AWESOME!!!

The hotel was in an ideal place. I was across the street from King's Chapel and the Old City Hall. Boston Commons, Cheers and Quincy Market were only blocks away. It only took 10 - 15 minutes to Long Wharf - home of the Boston Aquarium or to get to the North End for a fantastic Italian dinner and the best Cannoli's from Mike's.

So, I was able to strike a few things off my MUST-DO list in Boston:
1) Dinner & Cannoli's in the North End
2) Walk part of the Freedom Trail
3) Have a beer at Cheer's
4) Tour the USS Constitution

Here are a couple of pictures from around the hotel and on the Freedom Trail:

One of my favorite things to do was talk walks in the two historic Cemeteries that were within 2 block of the hotel; the King's Chapel Cemetery and Granary Cemetery.

During the conference, the NBA Championship game was played on Tuesday, June 17, 2008. The Boston Celtics won. The celebrating went on all night outside. There were car horns, yelling, swinging and lots of sirens. On Thursday, the 19th, Boston celebrated with a ticker tape parade. It was insanity outside and I didn't brave it but you could see the parade from my hotel room. I really take pictures of anything but the crowd. The players were in DUCK boats and I couldn't see any of them. Here are a few pictures I took from my room that day.

I didn't get go out on a schooner this visit but I did get to go out on the harbour. On Thursday, we had a scavenger hunt and a dinner cruise. Then on Friday, I took the water taxi from Long Wharf to the USS Constitution. It is the cheapest, closest and most direct way there. $3.50 for a round trip. Here are some of the picture I could from the Harbour.

On Friday the conference was over at 2pm and since my flight wasn't until 7:30pm, I stored my luggage at the hotel and headed to the USS Constitution. I spent some time in the Museum and took some pictures until I saw the sign that said "No Photography". So I just wandered thru and enjoyed the rest of the museum and bought my souvenirs; a t-shirt for me and a cap for Darrell. The security to actually get on board was exactly like it is at the airports. You have to empty your pockets and put all bags on a conveyor belt to be xrayed. Then you walk thru the metal detector. The only liquids allowed thru are baby things, medications and water. By the time I got thru security, the guided tours were full til 5:30 so I jumped in the speed line. The speed line only grants you access to the top deck but that was good enough for me! Here are just some of my pictures from the USS Constitution.