Downtown Boston (08.18.22)

For today’s adventure, we decided to venture out and visit the area, specifically to walk through the Beacon Hill neighborhood and to check out the Boston Public Garden and the Boston Common… with 6 young children. We got this. It’s fine.

BEACON HILL NEIGHBORHOOD

We parked in the Common parking garage and walked over to Beacon Hill. On our way, we stopped at a Starbucks to get a caffeine refresh and for a potty break. And then for food. We were off to a roaring start. 😂😂

But eventually we were able to break away from the Starbucks and we turned the corner and found ourselves surrounded by an incredible neighborhood. We walked for a few minutes and we ended up at one the most photographed streets in Boston:

ACORN STREET

It felt a bit like being transported back in time, with the narrow cobbled road and the gorgeous red brick rowhouses on either side. I loved it. We snapped (far too many) pictures and then made our way up the street.

And we continued to wander for a bit longer. But let’s be honest, we knew our audience (did I mention the 6 kids?) and so we only hung out in Beacon Hill for a few more minutes.

Otherwise we probably would have ended up with a mutiny on our hands. So, next we made our way over to our next stop.

BOSTON PUBLIC GARDEN

Upon entering, one of the first things we saw was the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture which is based on a 1940s children’s book in which a family of ducks comes to the Boston Public Garden to look for a new home.

The kids had a great time climbing around on all Mrs. Mallard as well as all the ducklings: Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack. 😂😂

Pond

Then we made our way over to the lagoon and we hung out for a while. We watched the tourist-laden swan boats; Clara, our Disney princess, communed with the Canada geese; and all the kids climbed the trees and just enjoyed themselves. And I am pleased to report that no one fell into the lagoon. We continued our tour of the garden by crossing the bridge that goes over the lagoon.

And serendipitously, we ended up at the Good Will Hunting bench. I haven’t seen the movie, but I have seen the scene which took place at this bench. And it’s a great scene, even without the rest of the movie. So, we took 10 seconds and took a couple of pictures.

What a beautiful garden this is. I just loved it. It was such a nice day and we were in a nice spot, so we busted out the picnic blanket and took a minute for snacks.

And of course, all the squirrels and birds started coming around hoping to get snacks out of us. Clara was delighted that she got to pet a squirrel and a pigeon. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ (That child is going to end up with rabies or something.)

BOSTON COMMON

After our brief pause, we made our way across the street to Boston Common. It is America’s oldest public park, being established in 1634! WHAT!?! That’s crazy. Weeeeelll, it’s crazy by American standards…. (Europe scoffs at 1634!! Asia chortles at 1634!! “I’ll show you old” they say…..)………….(I think I’m getting a bit loopy over here. Maybe I should go to bed soon…🤪🤪)

When we walked in, one of the first things we saw was the Frog Pond which is a giant wading pool with a large spray fountain in the middle. Once the kids saw that, it was game over. They started out by wading demurely. But before long, they were completely drenched. This surprised exactly no one.

Most of the kids were happy to stay and play in the frog pond, but Isaac saw the playground that was 50 feet away and he really wanted to go. And we had two adults!! So Sarah hung out at the frog pond, and and I took Isaac over to the playground to play for a bit.

Eventually it was time to head home. We rounded up all the children and started making our way back to the parking garage. But on the way we passed the Carousel. And the kids really wanted to go.

I told my kids they could go if they used their own allowance to pay for it. So, Clara, Jonas, and Logan all got in line with Ezra. I took the twins a bit further away so that they wouldn’t realize what was happening.

And I am really glad that I did because it turns out that you can’t ride the carousel if you are wet, and Evie was still quite wet. And we probably would have had a meltdown on our hands….

In the end, Logan was the only Urie that got to ride (because his basketball shorts had dried quickly, and he just wasn’t wearing a shirt). Fortunately, Clara and Jonas (while disappointed) were able to come out of it pretty well.

After the ride was over, we made our way back to the car and headed home.

This diem was totally carpe-d.