My Trip: Day 4

Day 4 involved a lot of driving, so although I feel like I did a ton of stuff, there are really not that many pictures to show. 

 

The day started in the hotel in New Hampshire with the after wedding brunch. I called claim to sitting next to the bride since it will most likely be 1-3 years before we see each other again.  Everyone else there will see her when they return from their honeymoon.  

After the incredible brunch (amongst a million other menu items I had a mimosa and a slice of chocolate cake) I packed up, checked out of the hotel, gassed up my pip-squeek car and hit the road.

 

I had originally planned on spending the rest of the morning and afternoon in Portsmouth, NH with Jess, Vin and their 2 year old son, Vinny (whom I had never met).  But then Jess needed to go to Maine for her grandmother's 92nd birthday party.  So we changed our plans for me to meet them at the party.

 

Once again, I drove through the same toll booth and headed up to Maine.

 

I spent a few hours with Jess and her family at the party.  And this is all I have to show for it.  Yep.  Just one picture.

Then I had to leave the party to head back to Massachusetts so I could meet up with Megan. 

 

I stopped at Walmart on my way out of Maine, hoping that they had a little Maine section, so I could pick up a few souveniers for my family (and myself!).  I was in luck.  The Maine section was right by the front door.  I was in and out in 5 minutes.

 

Michael got a lobster claw shirt. 

 

I got a leaf shirt and a lobster shirt.

 

Elliott got a plastic lobster.

 

And Spencer got a stuffed crab.

 

I broke my own "no stuffed animals" rule.

I feel like there was more stuff that I am forgetting, so there might be a "by the way" update later.

 

Megan and I met at the rental car place 2 hours later.  I returned my barbie car and then we drove in her car to Boston.

 

We knew it was going to be a good night when we found a hybrid car parking spot right next to the parking garage elevator.

We were supposed to arrive for the Ghosts & Gravestones tour at 6:45 for our 7:00 reservation and we were a little worried when we strolled up at 6:58, but they still let us on the trolley. 

Our guide William had a major B.O problem (winter coat, summer in Boston, not enough dry cleaning) but he was funny and entertaining.

The tour was a combination of riding on the trolley and walking.  Throughout the whole 90 minutes we (according to the website): "Walk amongst the dead in burying grounds nearly four hundred years old, hear stories of those whose mortal remains lie beneath your feet, and listen to tales of many of the sordid practices that went along with them. Venture to the site of the biggest grave-robbing scandal in New England’s history. And ask yourselves - are you afraid of being buried alive? Walk atop Boston’s largest unmarked burying ground and hear tales of the tortures, punishments and executions that took place there. You may even find yourselves involved in some…"

 

The first stop was Copp's Hill Burying Grounds.  It was founded in 1659 and has more than 1,200 marked graves.  Boston has a long history of re-using the same plot over and over and over though, with freshly dead people smashed right on top of previously dead people (according to stinky William) so there are thousands more people without tombstones buried here.

Apparently the grey one is the skinniest house in Boston.  I really wanted to go inside of it.

 

You can see the steeple of the North Church behind the tree.

A family of three is buried here.  The father was the keeper of a lighthouse on an island in the harbor.  They all drowned in a boating accident and the father haunts the lighthouse to this day.

The second stop was the Boston Common.  It is one of the largest unmarked burrying grounds in the country.  Apparently in the 1700's our forefathers executed upwards of 40 people a day in what is now a nice grassy park and burried the people in unmarked graves.  There is a famous elm tree in the park that many, many people were hung from.  There is also a very pretty view of the Massachussetts State House from the park.

The final stop was the Granary Burying Ground.  It was founded in 1660 and is the city's 3rd oldest cemetery. It is the final resting place for many notable Revolutionary War-era patriots, including three signers of the Declaration of Independence, Paul Revere and the five victims of the Boston Massacre. The cemetery has 2,345 graves, but historians estimate as many as 5,000 people are buried in it.

Paul Revere's grave is haunted, although those in the know do not believe it is haunted by him.  It is haunted by a friend of his.  I do believe that I captured an image of a ghost in the lower left corner.  And I want NO comments about how that is a headlight from a car driving by or the flash of light from my phone camera. 

 

IT IS A GHOST.  END OF STORY.

 

See, he left by the time I used my actual camera.

After the tour ended we headed over to the North End for the St. Agrippina di Mineo Feast street festival. 

 

It just so happened that Taylor Dayne was playing a live concert on the street so we got our late 1980's jam on.

After we heard all her best songs we headed over to the food vendors to get our late night dinner.

 

I had two arancini, which are stuffed and deep fried rice balls.  The first was stuffed with spinach and the second with meat and peas.  They were both smothered in meat sauce.  And OMG were they good. 

Then I got a Mike's cannoli.  We had walked by Mike's Pastries on our way to Taylor Dayne and there was, honestly, a 30 minute line to get in the door.  We went to their booth just 2 blocks away and waited 5 seconds.  Then we walked past the line again and laughed at all the people. 

Finally, exhausted by my three state eating tour we headed back to Megan's house.  That was where I discovered that I had left my toothbrush, toothpaste and $300 retainers in Maine and had a mini panic attack at 12:30 am. 

Day 5: Yankee Candle heaven, coming soon.