Hi, all! This week’s post is the first of my Weekend Getaway Series and focuses on Boston, MA. My last job gave me the ability to bounce around the country every other week, so I would extend some of my stays and fly Cameron out for the weekend.

First things first, how did we choose where to stay? Since I traveled for work, I always tried to stay exclusively with Marriott so that I could build points with stays and by using their credit card. This allowed us to have free nights on these weekend getaways. After looking through options on their site, we chose the Boston Marriott Long Wharf. Normally, we wouldn’t be able to afford this but since I had enough points, why not splurge?!

When I returned my rental car to the airport and picked up Cameron, we took the ferry from the airport to the North End. It was fun, but ended up being way more pricey than we thought. You can go this route, take a water taxi, or an Uber.

Boston is the first place we ever purchased ‘hop-on hop-off’ site seeing tickets and we’ve been hooked ever since! It allows you to see great cities in a short amount of time without walking everywhere or paying for individual uber or cab rides. We used Old Town Trolley and bought a 2-day pass for each of us. Now onto the fun:

We started with lunch at the Boston Sail Loft since it was right next to our hotel. Then hopped across the street to Faneuil Hall, which is filled with cute restaurants and shops! Then walked around and stumbled on the most magical place for fellow sweets lovers…. Mike’s Pastry.

Of our three days in Boston, we only went three times! This place is always busy and you’ll see why when you go. Their cannolis and lobster tails were SO GOOD!

Dinner was at Giacomo’s for yummy Italian food! I recommend making a reservation.

The next day we started with a whale watching tour! The tour left from the dock next to our hotel so it was really convenient. It was long but worth it to see these amazing animals in the wild. Be sure to take non-drowsy Dramamine with you if you are susceptible to motion sickness.

After the tour, we stopped for a quick lunch where Cam ended up breaking a tooth from a piece of something hard and gross in his burger. After a few months of the restaurant ignoring us, they finally paid his dental bill when our attorney friend sent a friendly letter 🙂

After lunch we jumped on the trolley tour and rode around to see the sites. As soon as we heard them say Sam Adams, we hopped right off! Brewery tours run daily and are free of charge. They only ask that you consider a $2 donation for their Brewing the American Dream philanthropic program. It was a great tour and included tastings at the end! After the tour, we got back on the trolley and headed for the hotel before going back to Faneuil Hall for dinner and drinks (and maybe back to Mike’s for dessert…)

The following day, we rode the trolley around to stops we hadn’t made it to before. The other perk about this means of transportation is that you have a guide. The driver tells you all about the history of Boston and what you can experience at each stop. We got off and spent a lot of time at Boston Common and the Public Garden. It was fall so the leaves were changing! For us Floridians, this is a BIG DEAL and something we don’t get to experience every year.

We walked a lot from here to see beautiful historic buildings and eventually made our way to Fenway Park. We were here in October 2013 so there was a lot of excitement!

Later that evening, our Gators were playing so we found an Irish pub to watch the game and have dinner. Things get a little fuzzy here because we ended up having way too much fun at this pub! We met another couple our age and lots of drinks and shots were had. I do vaguely remember a lobster tail from Mike’s after we left… 😉

In the morning we made a trip to Theo’s Cozy Corner for breakfast and then it was back home to Florida!