Boston: Part One – The New England Aquarium

My Boston trip doesn’t fit into one post…plus, as my best friend will attest, I may be a little camera-happy on vacations.  What can I say? I want to remember stuff!

For this trip, we rented a condo for the week instead of choosing a hotel.  I have to say, I don’t plan on doing anything else on vacations from now until eternity.  It was perfect.  We arrived in Boston pretty late, so between the darkness and the rain, I wasn’t able to get a really good look at the city or the neighborhood we would call home for the week.  However, the space we’d rented exceeded all my expectations.  The Victorian was filled with fresh flowers, and felt like coming home.  It didn’t hurt that the bed was one of the most comfortable, and I slept better than I had in months.

Our first day in Boston was crisp and sunny with barely a cloud in the sky…in other words – perfect, and although the forecast called for rain that day, none arrived (I cannot say that for the rest of the week).  On our host’s recommendation, we checked out a great shop for breakfast.  The little shop filled with organic food, and the beautiful aroma of coffee perfectly suited our needs for the morning.  A chai latte and prosciutto scone later,  I sat outside to enjoy the sunshine and watch the “neighbors” walk by.  This is a cozy little neighborhood.  Cars stopped to talk with acquaintances, people out walking their dogs smiled and said hello, and apparently everyone is a master gardener (or they just don’t have my black thumb).

After breakfast we headed out to see the New England Aquarium, and see an IMAX 3D movie on the South Pacific.  I did promise not to sing show tunes to my best friend (musicals are not really her thing…except she loves The Little Mermaid is Disney an exception?  I’ll have to ask.)  It was hard, but I managed to sing “I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair” only in my head.  I’m pretty sure she caught on though.

I would love to pick out my favorite part for you, but there were a lot…a lot.  The penguins ranked right near the top.  They are so adorable, waddling around jumping up and down the rocks in their enclosure.  So awkward on land, but amazingly graceful in the water.  The waddle-waddle hop action just cracked me up.  I could have stayed to watch them for at least an hour, however the NE Aquarium is a big place!

The seals were up next, and they gave us a good laugh as two youngsters wrestled and pushed each other into the water. They reminded me of a couple of kids…or well…possibly…me…That’s when I saw the big daddy, walrus!  This gigantic dude sat there and stared at a door like someone was late for feeding time before lumbering up the stairs to watch the crowds.  As soon as he realized he was getting some attention, he slowly slouched down no one could see his face (like we’d forget he was there).

From there we moved on to an astounding variety of sea creatures and exhibits.  One of the best things (other than seals, penguins and walrus, oh my!) is the giant aquarium that shoots through the center of the building.  The ramp winds up to the third floor, giving guests an opportunity to watch more than 3,000 species in the habitat.  Rays, sharks, tangs, sea turtles…all kinds of amazingness!

Myrtle, the sea turtle, is gigantic, and, according to staff, believes herself the star of the show here.  She’s really not wrong.  The slow-moving turtles gave a wonderful show, following guests both at the top of the habitat and down through the lower levels, looking like they were posing for photo-ops.

I have a soft spot for rays.  They were my first in-person encounter with ocean living creatures, and I even got to feed one when I was a kid.  That’s when they hooked me, and I really loved watching the rays fly through the water, flapping their fins like wings and darting in and out of the other fish.

After exploring the marine life to our hearts’ content (and the detriment of my feet), we headed to the IMAX, and after making thoroughly certain we were not going to see the 3D shark movie, settled in to watch the beautiful reefs in the South Pacific.

After the movie ended, we wandered around the wharf.  Coming from a landlocked state like Oklahoma, any chance to see the ocean is a thrill!  Eventually we settled in for a snack and a glass of wine before trying to decide our next steps.  The breeze coming in off the water was a little cool, but then again most things feel a little cool when you’ve come from temps in the 90’s.  Just the colors of the sky bleeding into the darker blue of the water dotted with sailboats…maybe I need to move to the coast?

‘Til next time,

Jessica

P.S. Next up – Boston: Part 2 – The Freedom Trail