Boston View from Duck Boats

One of the popular Boston tourist attraction is the Boston Duck Tours. You get in a bus line vehicle and get a tour of the city. Towards the end, the vehicle goes in the water for some spectacular views of Boston.

View of the Boston from a Duck Boat ride.

View of the Boston from a Duck Boat ride.

This is a great opportunity to get pictures of Boston.

It will be impossible to do group photos as the driver and guide ask people to stay seated when the vehicle is on the water.

The vehicle heads towards the Massachusetts Ave bridge and returns back towards the Museum of Science. You should have plenty of time to take pictures of the Boston skyline.

The Duck tours do sell out during the summer peak season. Reservations are highly recommended.

Where to get the Duck Boats

You can catch the Duck Boasts at the Prudential Mall. Tickets are available across from Barnes and Noble inside the mall.

The Point Boston Sign

One of the oldest streets in Boston is Marshall Street, near Fanuel Hall and Haymarket. At one time it featured many small businesses trying to make it in Massachusetts. Today there are popular restaurants and night clubs.

One of the popular night clubs is The Point. They feature popular New England dishes such as New England Clam Chowder, Classic Cheese Point Pub Pizza, Bullfinch Basic Burger, Fish and Chips and so much more.

Great Photo Spot!

Next to their entrance is a painted Boston sign that's perfect for selfies or group photos. The sign is big, so unless you have a super long selfie stick, you should ask someone to take your picture.

While this isn't a Boston Historic Landmark, it's one of the few places where you can show that you're in Boston with the words Boston in it.

Don't worry about the lighting at night. The street lights will help make sure you get a great picture!

Finding the Sign

The official address to the Point is: 147 Hanover St, Boston, MA 02108

Take the Green or Orange line to Haymarket. Walk out of the station towards Quincy Market, you'll see signs pointing to Quincy Market. You'll see the Union Oyster House, look for a small side street next to the restaurant. Walk down that street, and the brick sign will be on your left.

Boston Brownstone

Boston is well known for the historic brownstones. They are beautiful to look at when you see them together.

Some people will walk around Beacon Street and Commonwealth Ave area looking for the best houses. However, there's a better location that offers better picturesque opportunities.

Streets of South Boston

One of the best set of streets that has a lot of brownstones with stairs is Pembroke, West Brookline and Newton St, which are located next to each other in South Boston.

Usually, local residences will put flowers and seasonal decoration which can help make the pictures that much better..

These streets are located between Tremont and Columbus Ave.

The streets are not really accessible via public transportation. The best way to get there from the Prudential Mall is to walk down W. Newton Street to Harriet Tubman Square. Then walk around the streets to find the perfect view.

Just remember these homes are privately owned. Please respect the property and privacy.

The Barking Crab

Every Thursday in November, I'll be featuring unique photo spots around the City of Boston. These are great for background photos and perfect for those Instagram Stories.

Wall of Wooden Buoys

Near the Children's Museum is the Barking Crab. They have been in business for 26-years serving some of Boston's best seafood. They have a clam shack type of restaurant serving many popular dishes including lobster and clam chowder.

If you go to the backside of the restaurant, towards Fan Pier, you'll encounter a wall of Wooden Buoys! What a great picture spot!

One of the best times to be here is in the morning before the restaurant is open. The morning sun will provide the perfect lighting for your photos!

Bring a portable tripod if your taking group shots. You won't find anything to hold your camera.

Finding the Barking Crab

They are located at 88 Sleeper Street Boston, MA 02210. Right off of Seaport Blvd.

The best way via public transportation is to take the Silver Line to the Court House. Once you get up at Street level, walk along Seaport Boulevard towards the high rise buildings.

Bartholomew Gedney

At the King's Chapel graveyard is the place of where many early colonials are buried. You may find former Governors, Revolutionary War heroes, and more.

One grave that stands out as you walk into the graveyard is Bartholomew Gedney.

Interesting Facts about Bartholomew Gedney

Bartholomew Gedney was born on March 22, 1698, and died on July 16, 1762.

He was a merchant of Boston.

His gravestone has an armorial tablet with three eagles. This is the family Coat of Arms of the Gedney family. There is no significant value to the armor engraving on the gravestone.

Gravestone location: Sec D, Row 16, Grave 387

If you look at the top of the gravestone to the left of Bartholomew you can see a letter "M".

To the right of the words Gedney you can see some numbers: No. 9 (There are more numbers but it's hard to make out.) Maybe it was a different grave number? I guess it would be better to see in person?

Some people may confuse this person with Bartholomew Gedney of Salem, Massachusetts. He was a magistrate to the Salem witchcraft trials and is not the person buried at the King Chapel Graveyard. The magistrate is buried in Salem, Massachusetts.

Nathaniel Lewis Gravestone

As you walk around Copp's Hill Burying Ground in Boston's North End. You'll encounter some notable gravestones. There are a lot of unknown people buried in this historic graveyard.

Nathaniel Lewis

There isn't much that I could find out about Nathaniel Lewis.

• He died on May 12, 1778.
• There's no birthdate, based on his age it would be sometime in 1736
• He was a Merchant. In the 1700s the would buy farmers surplus products and extend credit so the farmers could afford to buy supplied.
• A flag is planted at his gravesite, which indicates that he was involve with the revolutionary war.
• At the gravesite you can see a smaller gravestone that contains very little writing.

His Gravestone reads:

Here lies interred the Body of Mr. Nathaniel Lewis Merchant of Great Yarmouth in the Country of Norfolk Old England who departed this Life May 12th, 1778. Age 42.

The bottom of this gravestone has this quote:

This is a poem from a famous english poet - Alexander Pope ( May 21, 1688 - May 30, 1744).

Prudential Mall

On Monday, I took a trip to the Prudential Mall in Boston. This was my first trip to the mall since the pandemic had begun.

Five Things I Learned

I visited on Columbus Day, usually a busy time for the mall. I get that the pandemic has caused people to avoid the mall, but it seemed much quieter than expected.

The Starbucks at Copley was closed. This is surprising since the pre-pandemic it was always busy. I think that it must be closed because of the holiday.

Some stores were enforcing the number of customers in the stores.

The parking lot was very empty. Thankfully it didn’t cost an arm and a leg to park there for 3 hours. It cost $15 to park. Personally, they should lower the parking rate to encourage people to visit the mall.

A couple of stores were closed since I was their - David’s Tea and the Microsoft store.

Samuel Adams Gravestone

When you are walking around Granary Burying Grounds your encounter many famous gravestones. One gravestone that stands out is Samuel Adams - it's located along Tremont Street.

Looking at the gravestone, against others in the cemetery, it makes you wonder what is special about this marker. Why was it chosen and is there anything special about it.

Fun Facts About Samuel Adams Gravestone

Samuel Adams died on October 2, 1803.

For 95 years the gravestone was a simple in-ground marker. It wasn't visible from the street as people walked by.

He was buried in the tomb of his relatives, the Checkley family.

His grave was unmarked and only had the inscription: No. 63 Richard Checkley 1737. This was the property of Samuel Adams's wife.

In 1898, a bowlder of Roxbury stone was placed on to of the grave of Samuel Adams

The bowlder weighs about three tons. It comes from Roxbury, Massachusetts where

The grave marker was unveiled on April 19, 1898, by the Massachusetts Society Sons of the Revolution. It was the One Hundred and twenty-third anniversary of the battle of Lexington and Concord.

The Samuel Adams tomb was last open on March 26, 1808. It was open for identification purposes.

Gravestone Text

This is the text on the gravestone:

At the bottom:

Massachusetts Society Sons of the Revolution 1898

Top 5 Underrated Places in Boston to Have a Perfect Date

Boston is the capital of Massachusetts, from which the historical origins of America began. Kilometers of streets and visits to the sights of Boston are turned into emotions, impressions, and thoughts. Regardless of the purpose of the visit, any couple in love will choose for themselves what to see in Boston and its environs.

Feel the romance in the Boston public garden

Do you know that many Ukrainian brides for marriage consider it boring to go to the park when you have a date? But still, this one is probably the most picturesque and most crowded park in the city. Boston’s main city park is considered to be the oldest in the USA. And, although it is not the largest, still, it has the status of the best park in such a large country as the United States, and it deserves attention. It is located in the heart of Boston. At the main entrance to the park, visitors are greeted by a statue of George Washington on horseback. A lot of people are sitting or lying on the grass. People in love can often be seen bringing food and having picnics in the park. So, it is a quite romantic place.

Look at the city at Skywalk observatory

For stunning panoramas of Boston, visit the observation deck called the Skywalk Observatory. It is located in the Prudential Tower. From the indoor observation deck on the 50th floor of the building, you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the city’s skyline. At nightfall, you can admire the pictures of sparkling Boston from a bird’s eye view, and in the daytime, it is better to go to the observation deck on sunny days when the city buildings are more clearly visible.

Visit Boston zoo at Franklin park

A visit to this zoo will bring joy even to adults. It covers an area of about 29 hectares and is located just a few kilometers from the center of Boston, in the historic Franklin Park. The zoo employees see their mission in inspiring people to preserve and protect the world around them. In support of the nature conservation program, the zoo regularly hosts exciting events and exhibitions dedicated to animals from different continents, as well as charity concerts. The zoo’s inhabitants include a wide variety of animals: lions, tigers, ocelots, tapirs, lemurs, mandrills, giant anteater, kangaroos, emus, tropical birds, and many other representatives of the fauna. If your girlfriend adores animals, then visiting this zoo is a must!

Get inspired in Harvard art museum

In 2014, the Harvard Art Museum building was renovated and expanded. As a result, it became possible to place a huge collection of three museums of 250,000 works of art under one roof. An Italian architect was the author of the project. The exposition of the museum covers a wide cultural and historical period â€" from antiquity to the present day. Separate collections are dedicated to the culture of people from all parts of the world â€" Europe, America, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The rich collection of works of art of European modernism attracts special attention.

Go to a concert at the Hatch Shell and eat in Faneuil Hall

Relax by the river while musicians show their creativity to the city. At this venue, you can meet many of the local pop stars. After the end of the concert, take a boat ride or just enjoy the good weather.

Anyone visiting Boston should have a meal at Quincy Market at least once. Order food in one of the many restaurants and go outside to enjoy the street musicians and other talented people who perform a real show there. Well, if you prefer to eat in a restaurant, then you will find many cozy places in Faneuil Hall.

Spanish/American War Cannons

On the Massachusetts State House front lawn, you may notice a cannon near the West Entrance.

Prior to September 11, 2001, people could walk up and look at the cannon, but the lawn is closed to the general public and only the John F. Kennedy monument is available to see on the tour.

This cannon is from the Spanish/American War. It was taken in 1896 by the American forces in battles in Cuba. This cannon was officially assigned to Massachusetts by the Navy Department on July 24, 1901.

Today the closest you can to the cannon is via Joy Place, which is one of the side streets next to the state house.

Beacon Hill Monument

Walking around the outside of the Massachusetts State House, you may see a column monument with an Eagle on the top, this is the Beacon Hill Monument. There's plenty of history behind this monument.

The Beacon Hill Monument is there to remember an actual beacon that stood on the same spot since April 1635.

Fun Facts about the Beacon Hill Monument

On March 4, 1634, the Massachusetts General Court ordered the beacon to warn Bostonians of impending danger. The court order was for the time period between April 1st and October 1st.

It was placed on this particular site as it was the highest point in the city. At the time, the hill was named Centry Hill.

The area, "Beacon Hill" was named after the Beacon.

The original Beacon, which was basically a boat mast held up by board on the base, was there from 1635 to 1789. (It was taken down between 1775 and 1776.)

In 1789, a storm blew down the Beacon. Instead of replacing the beacon, local residents favorited putting a more permanent monument.

Charles Bulfinch created a plain Doric column monument with an eagle on top. The column was 60-feet in height built with brick and covered with stucco. There was a large wooden eagle at the top. There were four tablets. Two of the tablets were inscribed with important events in the history of the Revolutionary war.

The tablets were authored by Honorable Thomas Dawes, who was a Supreme Court judge in Boston.

By 1810 Boston was in a deep recession and they sold the land where the monument was on to Samuel Spean and John Hancock. The "Old Beacon Hill Monument" was taken down by Atherton Haugh Steven on July 9, 1811. The surrounding hill was dug up.

The wooden effigy of the eagle is over the President chair in the Senate Chamber. The tablets were stored in the State House.

In 1865, the Massachusetts legislature authorized the Beacon Hill monument to be rebuilt. It was dedicated on June 17, 1899. The monument is exactly the same as the 1810 version, and the tablets were put back on the monument.

Wooden Eagle in the Senate Chamber.

Tablets Texts

Blue Bikes

Boston might be "America’s Walking City" but there’s nothing like a great bike ride.

Throughout Boston and Cambridge you will find bike stands where you can rent a bike for a ride. For $2.50 you can get a quick ride any place in the Boston area.

Note: There's a $101 security deposit, per bike, that will be placed on your credit card. Deposit is returned when the bike is back in the dock.

Fun Facts about the Bikes

Started on Earth Day in 2011 as Hubway. It started with 61 stations and 610 bicycles. Today there are 325 stations and 2, 500+ bikes.

In March 2018, Blue Cross Blue Shields announced a six-year marking arrangement with Hubway and the bikes were renamed Bluebikes - along with the website: bluebikes.com.

The furthest north bike station is at the Glendale Street Park in Malden.

The furthest west station bike station at Watertown Square in Watertown.

The furthest south station bike station at the Mattapan T Stop in Mattapan.

There is a bike station at Encore Hotel and Casino, Fenway Park, USS Constitution, and within walking distance to the Bunker Hill Monument.

$99 for unlimited. 45-minute rides. So if you work in the Back Bay, you can take a bike and ride to the North End to get some ice cream at lunch every day.

It’s a 2-hour bike ride from the Old North Church to the Old North Bridge in Concord. (21 miles) What a great way to see the historic route that Paul Revere took.

Boston Bars Closing

I haven’t been in Boston since March 12th. This is true for most people that commute to Boston for work. Most Bostonians have been working from home during the pandemic. It's uncertain when we would be going back to our offices.

Pandemic has Been Bad for Restaurants

COVID-19 has impacted Boston small business a lot. A walk down Boylston Street and you’ll find some business are now gone.

Here’s a tweet from BostonTweet that pretty much explains the situation in Boston.

Lir just announced that they too are closing for good

In the past few weeks 4 bars on Boylston have announced closures; Pour House, Whiskey's, McGreevy's & Lir. And the Cactus Club has been vacant for 6 years

Boston is in serious trouble. It will take years to recover from this pic.twitter.com/sgxIiENrQ1

— BostonTweet (@BostonTweet) September 3, 2020

Commuter Rail

The MBTA Commuter rail has taken a hard hit. At one point the number of daily commuters was down 80%. The numbers have come back up slightly since April, but still way down from February.

The MBTA has put together a 2-year budget plan, due to the COVID-19 crisis. This means that they anticipate that ridership will be down for a long time.

The sad thing is within that two year time, leases will come up for renewal and some companies may take advantage of that and downside their Boston offices.

Provincetown Ferry

If you are looking for a getaway from the busy city life. You can take a ferry ride to Provincetown and spend the day at one of the best beaches on Cape Cod.

Since 1974, the Boston Harbor Cruises has offered a Ferry ride to Provincetown.

For most trips, it takes 90-minutes to go from Boston to Provincetown. The first ferry out of Boston is at 9 am and the last ferry back to Boston is at 8:30 pm.

The Provincetown Ferry is located at the Long Wharf dock, near the Boston Marriott Long Wharf.

What a way to spend a day - breakfast at Faneuil Hall and enjoying an early lobster dinner in Provincetown. (Try the Baked Stuff Lobster at the Lobster Pot.)

In June and July, you can watch the sunset as you head back to Boston. By August the sun will be setting a bit early on your journey back to Boston.

There is a snack bar on board - they only accept cash. You can end the day with a margarita and recall the fun day around Provincetown.

Current Pricing

• Adults: $47- each way
• Child: $34.50 - each way

For 2-Adults and one child it cost $257 round trip.

Boston Art Sphere

Five Fun Facts

Located on 100 High Street, Boston Massachusetts.

These were created by Lars-Erik Fisk.

Completed and Installed on April 13, 2015 - Opening Day Fenway Park.

The Green Monster Sphere is located inside and features #27 at bat (Carlton Fisk). I can't tell which Yankee game this scoreboard is representing. I thought it might be the 1978 American League East tiebreaker, but the Red Sox scored their first hit in the 2nd inning.

Lars-Erik has a "Pizza Ball" on Eagle Street in North Adams. Other sphere artwork are displayed around Burlington, Vermont and at Sculpture Park in Lincoln, Massachusetts.