Boston, Pt. 2

Having obtained my Israeli visa in only an hour, I had the better portion of two days left in Boston to use to my fancy. Despite living just north of the city only a few years ago, I decided to act like a full on tourist. I had two days with nothing specific to do, so, I adventured!

Walking excitedly with my new visa in hand, I wandered through the Boston Commons spending most of my time people watching and contemplating what else I should do with my suddenly free day.

The pond at the Boston Public Garden.

A squirrel drinking out of a puddle.

Visiting the "Make Way for Ducklings" statue.

At some point during my walk in the gardens I decided to see if I could catch a spot on a whale watch leaving from Boston harbor that afternoon. Much to the amusement of my friends back home, I boarded the ferry only a short time later to have some quality time, just me and the whales. 

Boston in the distance behind the ferry.

It was actually a really cool trip. I ended up sitting and socializing with two Italian guys around my age who had just arrived in America and were planning on backpacking around the country for the next month. After about an hour of traveling on the boat acquainting ourselves, we got to see some whales! It was a really cool trip. I had been on a whale watch once before when I lived in Massachusetts, but this was exceptional. I got to see a ton of breaches (when the whales jump into the air) and there were a bunch of humpback whales right up next to the boat, some even with calves!

A whale named Storm breaching.

Same whale, new tricks.

The rest of my trip consisted of socializing with a variety of friends and trying to get all the good east coast food I could. Fried clams as well as a meal in the North End (Boston's "Little Italy") was a must. I also managed to get as far north as Salem, where I wandered around the little historic town. Newbury Street was another location where I spent an afternoon wandering around. There I found out that there is a Boston location for the bakery from the TV show "DC Cupcakes", a favorite time-waster of mine. So I got to try a DC Cupcake for myself.

Hanging with Nathaniel Hawthorne in Salem.

Inside the Old North Church.

A caramel apple Georgetown Cupcake.

Overall, my "business trip" to Boston ended up quite a bit more pleasurable than anticipated!