Voyage of the Vikings Cruise - Boston Day 1

We both slept really well last night and didn’t get up until close to 10:00.  By coincidence, our friends, Doug and Ev are also here in Boston for a conference so we had made plans to meet them when they got out of their conference around noon.  Before that we decided to take a tour of Boston on the Old Town Trolley, a hop-on hop-off bus.  We bought tickets online before we left so we made our way to a stop near our hotel to catch the trolley.

The temperature was quite hot and while the humidity was not terrible, it was definitely noticeable.  The first trolley that came by was full, but we did get on one that showed up a few minutes later.  While we were on the bus we received a text from Doug and Ev saying they were out of the conference.  We decided to cut our tour short and got off at a stop in the Theater District to meet them.

 

Views of Boston from the trolley.

Edgar Allen Poe with the raven coming out of his suitcase.

Edgar Allen Poe Square

A few minutes after we got off the trolley, Doug and Ev walked up and we went to eat lunch in nearby Chinatown.  It was very strange to meet with them so far from home, but very welcome as it’s always more fun to share your travels with good friends.  Ev had read about the Hei La Moon Restaurant, which specialized in dim sum and supposedly the best in Boston so we decided to eat there.  We weren’t disappointed as we had an excellent lunch; very good choice Ev.

Doug, Ev and Dave

The entrance to Boston's Chinatown.

Dave, Val, Ev and Doug

Despite the hot weather, we decided to walk to the Old South Meeting House, which is where the American quest for independence took a step forward when it was decided to show our resolve with the Boston Tea Party. We talked to one of the docents there and she provided interesting details about that meeting, and the determination of Samuel Adams. 

The Old South Meeting House

 

A docent gave us a lot of interesting details on the events that happened here.

After that we continued our walk to the Old State House, which was near our hotel.  It is fascinating to walk around Boston and see Colonial and Revolutionary War history everywhere you turn, and to be in the actual buildings where such significant events happened.  After touring the Old State House we were all feeling the heat and effects of our walk so we all decided to go to our hotel and rest for a while before dinner.

The Old State House

We were staying at the Omni Parker House, the oldest continuously run hotel in the U.S., and where the original Boston cream pie and Parker House Rolls were created, so we felt we should eat at the hotel and try those out.  We had a good dinner with good conversation and of course we had Parker House rolls with our dinner and Boston cream pie for desert.  For those of you that don’t know, the original Boston cream pie is not a pie, but a kind of sponge cake with a cream filling and chocolate topping.   

The Omni Parker House

Inside the lobby.

The dining room.

The views from our window.

 

After dinner we went for a short walk and then it was time to say good-bye to Doug and Ev.  It was really great to be able to spend time with them and will be one of the highlights of our trip.  Tomorrow Val and I will be exploring Boston on our own.