Boston - Day One.

VM: We couldn't leave Maine today without a look at one really good lighthouse, so we drove along US 1 on our way to Boston in the morning. We were not disappointed when we saw the Nubble Lighthouse in York Harbor. It is the quintessential lighthouse, complete with a keeper's home & the good ole' red, white and blue guarding it. It was beautiful.

HM, EM and I have all agreed that we must come back to Maine for a longer visit. It is a beautiful state.

We made our way to Boston and were in the city by noon. Fortunately, our one-bedroom Back Bay rental apartment was ready early so the girls and I were able to get settled prior to Titi (my sister Michele) arriving at around 3pm.

By 4pm we were on our way to Boston's subway -- the "T"-- to head to the North End which is the city's Little Italy section. The weather was glorious & we had a lovely al fresco dinner at Mother Anna's, a local eatery. Afterwards, we headed further down Hanover Street to check out the St. Joseph's festival. Apparently, this is a Little Italy summer tradition, every weekend they feast a different saint. It is mostly an excuse to party, but we had fun checking out the tacky booths, eating gelato & Italian ices and soaking in the mix of colorful locals & tourists. All four of us invested in new shades from a guy who couldn't stop talking.

Couldn't resist this!!!

How would you like it if the valet parked your Phantom Rolls Royce like this!?!?!

We got a small dose of history too. We took a look inside Saint Leonard Church which was supposedly founded in 1875 and is the first Roman Catholic Church in New England. And we saw a statue dedicated to Paul Revere.

City strolling in new shades.

We came back to our pad via the T again, to recharge the batteries for tomorrow's adventure -- the Freedom Trail!

HM: I thought Boston was beautiful the second I drove in. I love how you can walk everywhere like New York. Fortunately, it seems it's not as crowded as New York.

We went to a real festival in Little Italy. I got two bracelets for 8 bucks! And mom treated me to some new sunglasses. We also saw the oldest church in New England. That was interesting.

I like our apartment. It's cute. Tomorrow we're hitting the Freedom Trail and I'll write more.

EM: I like Boston. I like my new sunglasses and Titi's new sunglasses. And Hannah's. And Mama's. I like where I had dinner. I had spaghetti and meatballs. It was good. I can't wait for the Freedom Trail although I'm not sure about all the walking. That's it for now.