Trip Journal 2017

We arrived late afternoon in Boston. Our first stops were Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. We had dinner at the Market, where some of us tried local dishes like clam chowder. We are now checked into our hotel and ready for some rest after a long day of traveling.

Traveling in style

 

Faneuil Hall

 

Quincy Market

We began our day in Boston with a fun breakfast at the Hard Rock Cafe. From there we checked out the historic USS Constitution, the oldest ship in the U.S. Navy, also known as Old Ironsides. Next up was lunch in Harvard Square, followed by a tour through Harvard University and MIT. Then it was back into historic Boston to walk the Freedom Trail, where we saw Fanueil Hall, Paul Revere's house, the Old North Church, the Boston Common, the site of the Boston Massacre, and the Old South meeting house where the Boston Tea Party began. It was an amazing and beautiful day in one of America's great cities. Tomorrow we are on to New York!

Hotel view

 

Hard Rock Cafe

 

USS Constitution

 

Loading cargo at the USS Constitution Museum

 

Harvard Yard

 

M.I.T.

 

Leaving our mark at M.I.T.

 

Defying gravity at M.I.T.

 

Paul Revere Statue

 

Old North Church

 

Site of the Boston Massacre

 

Boston street

 

Uno Pizza

This morning we left Boston and drove to New York City. We had lunch along the way, and our first stop was the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the afternoon we walked through Central Park to 5th Avenue. We walked past Trump Tower, visited St Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Plaza, and Grand Central Terminal. Dinner was at Dallas BBQ. After dinner we had some free time in Times Square before going to our hotel in New Jersey.

Central Park

 

Alice in Wonderland Statue

 

Times Square

We began our day with a terrific visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, our national immigration museum. We then enjoyed lunch and shopping in Little Italy and Chinatown. We headed back downtown for a walking tour of lower Manhattan, including the Charging Bull statue, Trinity Church, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, and the Brooklyn Bridge. We also paid our respects at the National 9/11 Memorial. The grand finale was a trip up to the top of One World Trade Center for a view of the lights of New York City from 1300 feet up in the air. It was the perfect finish to a great day!

Liberty Park and the Statue of Liberty

 

Ice cream in Chinatown

 

Wall Street Charging Bull

 

George Washington statue at Federal Hall

 

Brooklyn Bridge

 

9/11 Memorial

 

Oculus at the World Trade Center

This morning we left New York and drove to Philadelphia. Lunch was at Reading Terminal, a market that has operated for over 100 years. The market offers local favorites and Amish goods. After lunch we continued on to Washington D.C. As we drove into Washington we saw the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol. On the National Mall we visited the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. Dinner this evening was in Georgetown at Pinstripes Restaurant. After dinner we visited the White House.

Seeing copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in Philadelphia

 

Vietnam Memorial

 

Korean Memorial

 

Lincoln Memorial

 

Washington Monument

We began our day with a beautiful boat cruise down the scenic Potomac River. That left us at Mount Vernon, George Washington's historic estate, where we spent the rest of the afternoon. We toured the grounds, went inside George Washington's mansion, and checked out the museum that goes along with the entire estate.

From there it was time to have some free time in Old Town Alexandria before a delicious dinner. We finished up by checking out a few more of the evening monuments, including the Martin Luther King memorial, FDR Memorial, and Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was a beautiful fun and invigorating day in our nation's capital!

Potomac River cruise

 

Mount Vernon

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

 

FDR Memorial: The Bread Line

 

Eleanor Roosevelt statue

 

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Today is the last day of our tour. We packed our bags and left or hotel for some more sightseeing before going to the airport. Our first shop was the United States Capitol building. We toured the building and saw Statuary Hall and the Rotunda beneath the beautiful dome of the Capitol. We crossed through the tunnel from the Capitol Visitors Center to the Library of Congress. Here we saw Thomas Jefferson's book collection and a Gutenberg Bible. Next we visited the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill. It was time for the boys to head to the airport but the girls had a couple of extra hours to explore the Smithsonian Museums.

U.S. Capitol

 

Supreme Court

 

Library of Congress

 

Jefferson Memorial