Boston Area, My Way, Day Two

So today, we had our 'carbohydrate' breakfast that was offered free from the hotel. They should try to offer their customers some type of protein. One gets tired of bagels and cream cheese after a few days. But, it is complimentary. Now if you really wanted to pinch some penny's, take along a couple pieces of bread, the peanut butter and jelly that's offered and tah-dah! You have your free lunch. So you should only be paying for an evening meal, if you decide to eat that evening. We opted not to enjoy the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches today. Instead we opted to take along the subs we purchased the evening before from the Subway across the street along with a few small bottles of wine. Soon, we were on our way to Cape Cod and the Cape Cod National Seashore.

We decided to take the more scenic route to Provincetown, on Cape Cod, which ultimately was our final destination for the day. We took 3A south, with a stop in Plymouth. We only had time to visit the Mayflower II, walk along the shore, stopped for an ice cream and saw Plymouth Rock. It is a very nice park and walkway along these destinations. There is plenty of metered parking (and yes there are meter police that walk up and down the path so pay your quarters) shopping and a few places to stop off and have a bite to eat if you desire. Due to time constraints, we did not get to the Plimouth Plantation (and yes that is spelled correctly - both Plymouth and Plimouth are correct if you visit that town). From 3A to 6A, we traveled through the various towns, each unique in their own way. One of the funniest things we noticed along the way was a "Sandwich Police" car in the town of Sandwich. Sandwich Police. Sandwich Mayor. Unusual name Sandwich, a quaint and quiet New England town, and is the oldest on Cape Cod.

We found our way to the National Seashore. Our first stop was the Nauset Light Beach and lighthouse. This was a very nice beach to have our picnic. Subs and beverages, laughter and pictures. Just remember to bring a blanket or something to sit on. Sand is great, but crunchy on the subs. We stayed here for about 45 minutes. We still had a long way to go and more to see and we were already into the afternoon. We did see a wonderful, healthy red tail fox and I captured a beautiful picture of it gazing over the bank at the ocean. The lighthouse is a beauty too, only tours were not offered at the time of our visit. There are other walking paths in the immediate area (to 3 Sisters Lighthouses), easy to take if you have the time.

The next stop was the Highlands area. Here we saw the golf course that is part of this area and the Highland Lighthouse (otherwise known as the Cape Cod Lighthouse). This lighthouse was the first lighthouse built on Cape Cod and is now fully automated. A great photo opportunity.


Next, continuing to drive along 6, we visited the Dunes in the Province Lands area. Don't forget to go on the observation deck at the visitors center for a wonderful 360-degree view of the surrounding area. From there you could see the dunes, the ocean and the Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown. We walked the beach for a bit then headed towards Provincetown, our final stop before we returned to Hull.

Provincetown is quite the artsy area. Many choices for shopping and places to eat. The Pilgrim Monument is awesome to look at as well as the areas homes, streets and marina. The most unique picture we took was the Barbie and Ken Doll pond. A small pond in front of a tiny red house was decorated with numerous Barbie and Ken dolls, all decked out for Halloween (which was the time we visited). Our favorite shopping place was Cuffy's. Here we bought 3 great hooded, zippered sweatshirts and received 3 free. A great bargain for our families. There were other sales (buy one, get 2 free, etc.) but we wanted the hoodies. We had a hard time finding a place to eat because many of the places were closed (due to the time of year), were having private parties, were pricey or didn't look appealing. Finally settling on a restaurant, we ate our meal and then headed out of town. We took 6 to 3 to 228 back and were back to our hotel in less than 2 hours. We left at 9am from our hotel and returned at 10:30pm after a full day on the Cape.

Our vacation, our way and not costing us much at all.

Boston-My Way-Day One

So you want to go to Boston? Wonderful city! Wonderful area! I loved Boston and we did it our way. My travel partner is my husband but often we travel with various friends and family. Besides my husband and I, our usual travel partners are my sister and her husband, though there are many good friends who would join us because they want to enjoy the usually guaranteed fun (and savings) that I plan for any journey. So this time, Boston was our journey and my sister and her husband were our travel companions.

We arrived in Boston at 1:30pm. Had a direct flight from home. Got the airfare on line with my favorite airlines, Midwest Express - wonderful flight along with a great price. Had no trouble picking up the car through Hertz. I thought there would be considering the World Series was there the day before. Oh yes, those Boston Red Sox!! And those Boston fans - quite the sight. We were in the Boston area for 4 nights. I always plan out some sort of itinerary before I go anywhere. Although itineraries will vary from day to day, at least I have some sort of idea of what I plan to do in the area I am visiting. This trip was no different.

Upon our arrival, we decided to grab lunch at an Italian restaurant, Jeveli's on Chelsea Street. Great food and good lunch prices. We got the name of the restaurant from a place we ate at in Seattle. Yes, recommended from Seattle - clear across the country. No trouble parking there either. Parking can be quite the problem in Boston - especially if you don't know where to go or what to do. The next thing we did was find Mikes Pastry on Hanover Street - supposedly the best cannoli's in Boston (you can even order their cannoli's as a kit on line!). After driving around Boston for a bit - yes we did get lost, we soon found our way to Mikes Pastry. I did not believe it. It was so crowded for such a small place and people were coming in by the bunches. Even a school bus full of children emptied out to go in Mikes but fortunately for us, we just finished being served that there was no problem. The lines move very fast, so do not be intimated by the crowds around the counter. Fantastic pastries, pies, cookies and coffee. You have to try the place. As we carried our special purchases out of the store and walked the street, people stopped us and asked "Where is Mikes?" It was obvious they were visitors too who heard of the wonderful pastry shop. So, don't forget to stop there, even if it is for a cookie.

Time to head to our hotel. I usually choose to rent condos - always more space and you get so much more for your dollar, but we wanted to be near the ocean. Many of the hotels in the immediate Boston area are surrounded by cement with areas of greenery, so we looked further away. We chose to stay in Hull, a small point jutting out that is across from the Bay where the city of Boston resides. We stayed at the Clarion Nantasket Beach Resort Hotel and Spa only 40 minutes from downtown Boston. This is 40 minutes we choose to have water in front of us and pricing was excellent. We had oceanfront rooms with balconies (well at least that is what the hotel said they were - though my balcony could barely fit two people standing on it. My sister's balcony was larger - where we actually fit 4 folding chairs on it), very nicely decorated and clean. This was a good choice. Continental breakfast included (except on Sundays). We checked out the spa - it was just that, a spa - nothing really noticeable, I guess it is a work in progress. The exercise room was adequate. The pool and hot tub were nice too. During warm days, the roof would retract. Cool days, the roof is closed. A very nice aspect of the hotel. It does get warm in the pool area with the roof closed, so don't be afraid to open a few doors or prop them open with one of the chairs provided. And bring along a cooler with your choice beverages and snacks. Just remember, no glass. We did not have supper because we were still quite full from our Italian lunch. But we did bring our own snacks that helped fill the hunger void.

This was our first day in Boston. Exactly the way we wanted it to be.

It's Your Vacation-Do It Your Way

Have you ever decided to visit somewhere and wondered what to do and how to do it? I have. I am intending this blog to be a tool for people like you and I who love to travel but don't like restrictions on your travel. Enjoy visiting an area or cruising but somehow don't enjoy the tours offered? Or maybe you want to custom your tour, but don't know how? If you are like me, you want to venture out on your own, but not sure how to do it. This blog will help you. Hopefully it will help you see what you want to see at a price you can afford. There is so much out there in our world. So, stay tuned and we will help you do this. It's your vacation, so do it your way.