Boston. July, 2013

Our trip to Boston was our first long road trip with children. After all, nine hours of driving is no short journey. But, as it turned out, it wasn’t so bad. The main thing is to plan the trip in advance so that everyone finds something interesting to do. Boston is unlike other American cities and feels more like Europe. It is one of those cities that is definitely worth visiting with kids

Boston is a relatively small city, and in a few days you can visit most of its attractions. The city has plenty of things to do that are interesting for children. And of course, how could we not show the kids some of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world — Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology? And these are the two places where I’ll begin my story about Boston

Harvard University is located in Cambridge, just outside Boston. That’s where we stayed. After all, it only takes about 10 minutes to drive from Cambridge to downtown Boston, while hotel prices in the suburbs are about half the price.

Many American presidents have studied at Harvard, including Barack Obama. And so have famous people such as David Rockefeller, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates. By the way, the last one was expelled from Harvard because of poor academic performance and was later reinstated after becoming a billionaire, and eventually recognized as a Harvard graduate:) Here are one of the gates of Harvard and the path to knowledge

And not far away is the Harvard bookstore. No pomp or grandeur. It’s hard to believe that so many billionaires came out of these very places

MIT — Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A world leader in modern technology. This is where some of the most advanced ideas in high-tech come from. In front of one of the entrances stands a sculpture called The Alchemist. The silhouette of a human figure made of numbers and mathematical symbols.

Boston is a city with history. After all, the story of America began here, when in the early 17th century Massachusetts began to be settled by refugees from Europe (the Pilgrims). It was also in Boston that the struggle for American independence from the British Empire began. All the major historical sites connected with the American Revolution are located along the Freedom Trail. It is a line running through the center of the city, and by following it, you can visit all the most famous historic sites. But, as we know, there is nothing more boring for children than walking around historical sites. So we chose what I think is the most interesting way to tour the city — the Duck Tour — a ride on an amphibious bus. Each bus has its own original design, and the driver-guides are dressed in costumes and stay completely "in character"

The tour begins at the Museum of Science, which we also visited. It’s an interesting museum with lots of interactive exhibits. Yes, if you’re planning a trip to Boston, I highly recommend getting a Boston Go Card. The card includes admission to most of Boston’s and Cape Cod’s attractions for several days.

And here’s another attraction we really enjoyed — the Aquarium. The aquarium is located right on the waterfront, and if we had had a little more time, we definitely would have taken a whale-watching cruise from there and enjoyed seeing the whales

The aquarium is shaped like a cylinder, with a spiral walkway that allows visitors to make their way upward. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by penguins. They are very funny. And then, as you would expect in an aquarium — a whole kingdom of fish and other marine creatures 

Not far from the Aquarium is a market — Quincy Market. A must-visit place when traveling with children. Little shops, stalls, and of course, food! All kinds of food, quick, tasty. Just what kids love.

In the square in front of the market, you can stop for a while and watch the street performers

Boston is an expensive city. Not everyone can afford to live there. For example, a two-bedroom apartment for rent in a prestigious neighborhood can cost $4,000 a month. Here are a few views of the city. The clock tower is Boston’s very first skyscraper. Historic architecture blends with modern buildings

And in the photo on the right is State House — the Massachusetts state legislature and government building, and beyond it, one of the parks in the city center

Zakim Bridge — the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, crossing the Charles River, is one of the world’s widest cable-stayed bridges. The bridge is famous for the fact that after construction was completed, its strength was tested by 14 elephants from the Barnum & Bailey circus. And this was no joke. Besides testing the bridge’s strength, elephants apparently have instincts that help them sense danger. They simply wouldn’t walk across an unsafe bridge 

When the tired kids went to bed, we managed to meet up with some friends. We had a wonderful evening walk around the city and enjoyed some sangria at a pub across from Copley Square. Yes, this is the square where the famous Trinity Church is located. It is one of the first churches designed by American architects 

And after Cape Cod, on our way home to Toronto, we stopped at the Basketball Hall of Fame — the Basketball Hall of Fame. The museum is located in the town of Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of basketball, and is a must-visit for all basketball fans 

Several floors, with a huge collection of information about more than 300 famous basketball players, referees, coaches, and teams. We spent several hours in the museum. Some of us were interested in reading everything, while others were busy comparing their height to Kevin Durant (a player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He is 206 cm tall)