Democrats in Boston

We had been planning to do Boston the week prior to Family Week in Cape Cod. In our planning, we were shocked at the prices in Boston that week. A Quality Inn was per night! What is up with that, we asked? We soon learned we had planned our Boston getaway during the Democratic National Convention! Boston was gouging the Democrats!

We chose to stay up in Salem and pay a reasonable price. We did Boston as a one-day visit.

I was worried about the crowds during the convention. However, it turned out to be a great to visit Boston. The crowds were thin, tourists were scared away, and things ran smoothly.

It was also fun to see political celebrities in town. We saw Ron Reagan, Jr., DeeDee Meyers, and Chris Matthews, just to name a few. This was exciting and fun. The people were friendly and great. Our day visit was all too short, but enjoyable. It turned out to be a perfect week to visit Boston.

Quick Tips:

Make sure and do the Freedom Trail. It's one of the best self-guided tours around. You can start at Fanuiel Hall and follow the red line through Boston and the Old North End. It will take you past places like Paul Revere's home or the place where the Boston Tea Party took place. It's fun and educational and, best of all, FREE!

Best Way To Get Around:

In Boston, you can walk, take the subway, or hail a cab. I would not suggest having a car in Boston.

The best way from the airport to the city is via water shuttle. It's cheap, and the views of the harbor are a wonderful welcome to Boston.

We stayed in Salem and took the train down to Boston. It was cheap, easy, and quick. I highly suggest it. If you want to do the reverse and spend a day up in Salem, it too is easy. The train is nonstop and lets you right off in the center of Salem.

Anthony's Pier 4 is a Boston staple. It's been around for years, a part of the Boston harbor. It was a favorite haunt of the Kennedy family and the Boston elite for years. Take a minute to look at all the famous photos in the main lobby. You will see just about everyone has eaten at Anthony's Pier 4. I can't go to Boston and not have an Anthony's fix.

Anthony's sits on the end of Pier 4 and looks across to Logan Airport. The views are fun as you can watch the ferry's depart to the Cape, pleasure craft, and jets landing at Logan. It's a lot of activity and fun for the kids.

Anthony's looks like it should look - a New England seafood place. It's large and open; the tables are all set with crisp white linens. The bar is built to look like an old sailing ship. The wait staff is mature and professional - most of the waiters have been here for years. When you enter, cross over the lobster pond, full of live lobsters.

I had the fresh lobster It wasn't cheap, $45.00, but oh, so good! They do the whole bib ritual here and the lobsters are a nice size, but not too large as to be tough. It comes with lots of melted butter.

Chris had fresh scrod and the kids had burgers. We all had a cup of clam chowder - it was excellent.

The wait staff was friendly and enjoyed making the kids feel welcomed. They are attentive, without being intrusive. We were slightly underdressed as we were playing tourist, but the staff made us feel welcomed and at home. The menu is large and has most New England seafood picks as well as a good variety of steaks and meat. All meals are served with fresh, hot popovers. The desserts are decadent. I love the Indian pudding here.

We thought the place would be mobbed as it was the Democratic Convention. However, it was pretty empty. There were a few groups from the convention. Most of the New Mexico delegation was there as well as a former senator and his group. It was exciting to see all the delegates enjoying Boston, prior to the big convention.

Anthony's is a must do. It's slightly out of the center of downtown, but worth a taxi ride. It's been here for years with great service and outstanding seafood.

The New England Aquarium is front and center on the main wharf in Boston. It's a new glass and steel building and is easy to spot. It's very stylish and modern.

The cost is $8.95 for adults and $6.95 for kids. When you enter the first exhibit, the first things that greet you are the silly penguins. They are a riot as they waddle around their make-shift iceberg. You can watch them from all sides. I could spend the whole day here.

The aquarium has shows through out the day. They will announce them over the loud speaker and when you hear a show called, head for the area they tell you. The shows do fill up. We love the sea lion show. Those guys sure are smart and Patrick was lucky enough to be picked for the show. His favorite part was getting kissed by a very large sea lion.

The special exhibit this summer was on jelly fish. It was interesting and a little surreal to see the tanks full of jelly fish just floating in the water. We learned a lot about these creatures.

The aquarium is also attached to the IMAX Theater. We did not go, but you can buy a combination ticket of aquarium and IMAX Theater. There is also a good gift shop with plenty of books about the sea life you visited today.