Takeaways:

• When a friend offers to show you around their hometown, always, always say yes.  There is nothing better than having a local tour guide.

• Do not rent a car unless you are planning to drive long distances out of the city (away from the water).  I could have gotten around completely by walking, train, ferry and cabs/uber/lyft.

• Make sure you get outside of Boston to see more of what Massachusetts has to offer.  I was able to hit up a couple different towns and I still wish I’d had time to see more!

• Eat oysters.  MMMMMMMM . . .

A couple different things brought me to the East Coast for the Fourth of July.  One- I haven’t spent much time on the East Coast throughout my life, but happen to have a friend who is from Boston.  Two-I love the Fourth of July and another  travel goal I have is to have spent the Fourth of July in all 50 states (this goal is going to take a lot longer than my current travel goal 🙂 ).  So when a friend from Boston (Brandon) offered to show me around during the Fourth of July, there was no other option than to say “yes, please”!  He was travelling on one of my stand-by tickets, so to be honest I wasn’t sure he would make it on the flights and I might be stuck on my own but evidently he is the luckiest man alive and made it as the final person to get on both flights, one being a delayed flight, lucky duck.

Plymouth Rock is a REAL THING

Brandon’s mom picked us up from BOS and we drove down to the area he grew up, near Plymouth and I was very excited to learn there is an ACTUAL Plymouth Rock.  Now, it has been moved and was broken in half during the process but was patched up and you can go take pictures with it and toss coins at it in exchange for the wish of your choice.  I did both.  There is also a volunteer who stands near the rock and yells out information about Plymouth Rock and the early settlers.  We walked around town before stopping for lunch and they shared the history of the town with me.  It’s always nice to have friends who can become your personal tour guide.  Later that evening we went out to a 3^rd of July bonfire.  It was on a beach I can’t remember the name of and when I asked my friend for the name, I was told it’s a secret beach, so I’m sorry.  The bonfire was HUGE.   We walked down a long stairway to get to the beach (a really great workout when we had to go back up).  It makes for a beautiful sight when you wander the beach, able to see fireworks up and down the coast, the bonfire off in the distance, guiding us back to the steps.

Fourth of July in Boston

The following morning we woke up with plans to head back to Boston via train to celebrate the Fourth.  While a little hungover, we still managed to make it to the train AND get some Dunkin Donuts coffee.  By the time we made it back to Boston we went to Southie where we were staying and snuck in a nap.  Much needed naps.  Actually I could use a nap right now.  I’ll be back . . .

Eventually we crawled out of slumber and made our way to dinner and drinks in Southie before heading Boston to the Charles River Reservation to watch fireworks, Now most people had shown up early and set up camp or waited in LONG lines to get in to the watching area.   We did not do this.  In fact, when we got downtown we were even distracted by randomly running into the original Cheers bar!  We made some friends there and had to sprint to the watching area, hoping to get in.  With the long lines and crazy numbers of people, the police had actually shut down entrance into the park.  We wandered around for a while, eventually finding a break in the fence and sneaking in, along with many others (Unless of course I could get in trouble for doing this.  In that case, we gave up, went home, saw no fireworks and got a good night’s sleep).  Unfortunately since we were some of the last people to arrive, we were stuck watching the fireworks from behind trees.  However, I could tell the fireworks were very nice, so if you want to commit and show up early, then you would probably enjoy them very much.  I found the massive amounts of people and limited spaces to go (probably because of jerks like me who snuck through a fence) to be a bit overwhelming. I am used to significantly smaller Fourth of July celebrations and was a little put off by the crowds.  We later went out to dinner and to a couple different bars in the area, meeting some fun locals.  No bars that were as exciting as Cheers, obviously.

Walking tour in the Walking City

The fifth of July was one of my favorite days in Boston.  It was completely random and included bits of just strolling around town, which is sometimes the best part of any trip.  We started off by getting an Irish breakfast at L Street Diner (just down the street from L Street Bar made famous by “Good Will Hunting”).  It was then off to the beach for a little bit to hop in the water even though Brandon insisted it used to be some of the dirtiest water around and he would never swim in it.  To his credit, he completely committed to fully jumping in while I complained the entire way about how cold it was.  Then we were off to rest a bit before walking around North Boston.  I was able to see Paul Revere’s house, I had a delicious cannoli and cappuccino at Cafe Pompeii, somberly walked through The New England Holocaust Memorial and then happily through Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  We ended up at the wharf, turned around and kept walking.  We toured all the way to the Old State House, continuing on to the Massachusetts State House and ended up at a bar JFK frequented, 21st Amendment where I tried a Bostonian beer of which I can not possibly pronounce the name (Narragansett).  Brandon also purchased a Boston Beanie Baby and this bear became our travelling companion.  He had quite the day and my snapchat followers know exactly what I’m talking about (gojohanna8 if you would like to follow along on further adventures, sorry, the bear will not be there).  We also ran into a giant block party watching the USA Women’s Soccer team win the world cup.  There was a huge screen set up for the public.  People were dressed up, chanting, It was quite the party.

By this time we were in desperate need of food so Brandon looked up the best Italian seafood we could find and ended up at Al Dente restaurant.  It. Was. Insane.  I will not post pictures because they would not do the food nearly enough justice, but it was delicious.  Plus, the meal comes with a delicious after dinner drink, so how can you go wrong?!  I would absolutely, one thousand times recommend it.

We then continued our wandering back to the harbor and I was able to see where I would be picking up my ferry the next morning for my trip to Salem.  We ran into a bar I really wanted to sit at because it was right by the water.  We ordered a fish bowl and were very disappointed that they limit the size you can order based on how many people you have (and then even more disappointed to find out Boston Bear did not count and we could only order one for two people).   We made a couple more friends there and all went to an Irish bar to listen to some live music by an Irish band.  After meeting the lead singer’s wife and eventually the lead singer, it felt like an incredibly genuine Boston experience.  The people were wonderful, there was lots of crazy dancing (mostly by me) and we made a number of new friends.  By the time the bars were closing, we were in desperate need of sleep and when I woke up the next morning to shower and head to the ferry, I was really wishing I ‘d gotten at least four more hours of sleep.

Salem

One of the places I had really wanted to visit was Salem.  I’m not sure why, but I think growing up we learn so much about the Salem Witch Trials, I just felt like I had visit and learn more myself.  If you are going to go from Boston, I highly recommend taking the ferry.  The entire ride, a tour guide shared different information about places we passed.  It was incredibly interesting.  Most of it was completely new information to me.  For instance,  there was an island (Spectacle Island) we passed that was once completely covered with the trash of Boston.  A bulldozer was actually sucked in and disappeared under the trash, never to be seen again (or so they say)!  In the 90s, the island was covered with dirt, topsoil and many trees were planted.  It is now  a beautiful place used for outdoor recreation.  Great end to the story, right?

I had purchased a ferry ticket that included a tram ride around Salem to get a general history of the area.  I would suggest you do as well.  It eventually drop you off right by the visitors center, but also brings you to different areas you might otherwise skip over and teaches you more about the history of Salem the town as opposed to just the witch trials.  Salem was one of the largest port cities and much of the history of Salem is overlooked due to the horrific history of the witch trials being focused upon.  They touch on this portion of the history as well, but it was interesting and informative to learn about other aspects of Salem’s past.  After the tour I stopped at some typical places, like the The Salem Witch House,  the bewitched statue and The Lobster Shanty for a lobstah rolls and a hot & dirty pickle martini before heading on my Salem Witch Walk.  It is good to note this tour is not a historical tour, but rather an informational tour about modern day witches given by, you guessed it, a witch!  It was a beautiful (although hot) day and we took a wonderful walk around Salem learning about modern day witchcraft and we even did the ritual of a crystal blessing which we then get to take home.  I have an interest in crystals, as you may have noticed from my Iowa post, so this was perfect for me.  At the end of the tour I purchased the book, A Witch in Every Woman.  I haven’t started reading it yet, but I will let you know when I do and how I liked it.

I then set off to have a meal before I caught the last ferry back to Boston.  The tour guides from the trolly had suggested a specific restaurant due to it’s incredible view, Sea Level Oyster Bar.  It was amazing and so was their food.  My waitress suggested a certain kind of oyster and they were DELICIOUS.  I also had stuffed fresh fish (I don’t remember what kind) with mashed potatoes and vegetables.  I left so full I wasn’t sure I would be able to walk fast enough to make my ferry.  There was a part of me that wanted to miss it on purpose and just stay in Salem forever but I’d already purchased my ticket, so off I went.  The ride back to Boston was perfect, with the sun setting into the city as we pulled into harbor.  I found someplace to sit down and charge my phone, again making friends with those around me, eventually grabbing drinks with them at a beautiful bar (with delicious sangria), Legal Sea Foods Harborside.  I had a couple more oysters and off I went to get some sleep before my final day in Boston.

Boston Goodbyes

On my last day in Boston, I knew I had one last stop to make, Boston Public Gardens and the Swan Boats.  Growing up my mom (who is a librarian) always read Make Way for Ducklings.  It is one of her favorite books and she has always wanted to visit the park make famous by it.  I went with all my luggage, so I might have looked like a crazy person walking around, had a coffee nearby and appreciated how beautiful the park is (and all the trees providing shade during that hot summer day).  Since I had my roller board, I didn’t hop on a boat but I watched others enjoying the ride and realized the boats are basically just large paddle boats, the driver peddling them around the pond.  If I ever need a job that keeps me in shape, I think I would like to be a swan boat peddler.

With that, it was into a cab and on to the airport.  I was exhausted, probably dehydrated and in desperate need of three extra days of sleep.  Good thing I was flying back to start a job where sleep isn’t readily available! (she typed with sarcasm)  But this is the exact life I have chosen to live and want to live.  I might be tired a lot of the time, but I am also happy and feeling fulfilled a majority of the time.  Plus, every once in a while I sleep for 14 hours straight.  It might not be the healthiest way to live but at the moment it feels like the only way to feel alive.  I am looking for suggestions on how to stay healthy on the road, though.  I’m battling a cold pretty consistently these days and need to find a way to combat it without taking days off!  So any suggestions you have, send them my way!