Massachessets - Cape Cod via Boston

Portland, MA to Cape Cod: Travel Distance: 290 km
AirBnB Accommodations: $ $464.82 CAD CAD for 3 nights

Today we started fairly early and started to make our way to Cape Cod. We decided to take some time on our way to stop into Boston. We haven't been to Boston since 2004. We had some fantastic times here when Rick ran the Boston Marathon in 2003 and I ran the

Boston Marathon in 2004. We have always loved the city and all that it has to offer.

Boston is one of the oldest cities in the United States, founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon U.S. independence from Great Britain, it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a center for education and culture.

The city has expanded beyond the original peninsula through land reclamation and municipal annexation. Its rich history attracts many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing more than 20 million visitors per year. Boston's many firsts include the United States' first public or

state school (Boston Latin School, 1635), first subway system (Tremont Street Subway, 1897), and first public park (Boston Common, 1634).

The Boston area's many colleges and universities make it an international center of higher education, including law, medicine, engineering, and business, and the city is considered to be a world leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, with nearly 2,000 startups. Boston's economic base also includes finance, professional and business services, biotechnology, information technology, and government activities. Households in the city claim the highest average rate of philanthropy in the United States; businesses and institutions rank among the top in the country for environmental sustainability and investment. The city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States as it has undergone gentrification, though it remains high on world livability rankings.

Today we headed downtown to the market area of town. We tried to get parked close to Boston Public Market, but like many big cities parking is very difficult to obtain. We did turn into a parking garage but before we headed in we calculated that it would cost $25 USD for 2 hours. So we decided to head over to the Waterfront Northend neighbourhood to find parking on the street. Our first parking spot we found was only for 30 mins, but just enough time to jump into the local Italian Bakery for some late breakfast/early lunch. There is nothing like hot, fresh, out of the oven Calzones and Pizza from an authentic Italian Bakery.

After a little breakfast bite we turned the corner and found free street parking for 2 hours. The spot was a little tight and required a joint effort to get parked. I don't think there was more than 6 -10 inches on either side of the car once we were parked. Let's just hope that no one parks us in.

The North End neighborhood has the distinction of being the city's oldest residential community, where people have continuously inhabited since it was settled in the 1630s. Though small, only 0.36 square miles (0.93 km2), the neighborhood has nearly one hundred establishments and a variety of tourist attractions. It is known for its Italian American population and fine Italian restaurants. The district is

a pending Boston Landmark. We had never been to the north end previously and found it quite fascinating.

From there we walked down Hanover Street, taking us towards Faneuil Market Place (also called Quincy Market). Faneuil Hall is located near the waterfront and today's Government Center. It has been a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1743. It was the site of several speeches by Samuel Adams, James Otis, and others encouraging independence from Great Britain. Now it is part of Boston National Historical Park and a well-known stop on the Freedom Trail. It is sometimes referred to as "the Cradle of Liberty".

Most stores at Faneuil Hall Marketplace are in the North Market and South Market buildings. Faneuil Hall does offer some shopping on the ground floor, but the rest of the building is a historic site. Quincy Market contains a terrific food hall.

The North and South Market buildings include an interesting mix of up-scale favorites found in many shopping malls - look for Ann Taylor, Urban Outfitters, Uniglo, Coach, Victoria's Secret, Boxers to Go, Nine West, and Crabtree & Evelyn.

But you'll also find a few not-so-typical regional and national brands here as well, such as The Black Dog, Newbury Comics, and Yankee Candle.

To appeal to tourists (as well as locals), there are also lots of Boston- and New England-oriented stores that you don't necessarily see elsewhere, such as Best of Boston, Boston Campus Gear, World Futbol Boston, Local Charm, Boston Tote, and 1630 Boston.

As we wandered around we came across a local outdoor farmers market - Haymarket. The produce included everything from fresh veggies, fruit and seafood. The best part was the prices. We bought a bag of romaine for $1.00, a large tray of blackberries for $1.00 and 1lb of local scallops for $6.00. There was a local fish shop selling fresh shucked oysters (4 for $5.00); I couldn't resist. I ended up having 6 oysters and rick had 2. I could have sat there and ate oysters all day long. Simply delicious.

We did take a wander around Boston Public Market while we were

there. It is an indoor, year round marketplace where residents and visitors can find fresh, seasonal food from 40 New England farmers, fishers, and food entrepreneurs. You can dine-in, shop for produce, meat and poultry, eggs, dairy, fish, bread and baked goods, beverages, and speciality and prepared foods. A very nice market that is similar to the Calgary Farmers Market.

Now that our tummies are full of delicious food, our bags are stuffed with fresh produce and we have bought a couple of souvenirs, we started our trek back to the north end waterfront. What a wonderful stop. We always enjoy our time in Boston and always find something new to discover and explore.

Roxy loaded into the car and our bags tucked away, we continued on in our journey to Cape Cod. Once arriving we settled into our place.
We are located on the end of the main street and conveniently located to walk to the shops and restaraunts. Our place is a one-bedroom apartment on the ground floor of a 3 story building. It has one apartment per floor and looks more like a 3 story house than it does and apartment building. It has a well appointed kitchen and comfy living room in the front of the house. Even though it is on the mainstreet, we have free parking in the back and it is surprisingly quiet. It is going to be a great place to stay for a few days.