Ms. Shuttergirl's dreaming of a White Christmas...Days 28-32 done, Boston & Washingto

[Minniemum]

Ms Shuttergirl, well done for keeping the show on the road! Hope you're feeling better soon.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[jacs1234]

Wow What a trip, and it's not even finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Really interesting how terminology differs in different countries.
When I think of a bar, I usually picture a more modern version of a pub. Either way, like in Australia, the majority of drinking establishments in NZ, have a eating area where families are welcome. So it would come as a surprise to me also if I couldn't find a pub/bar/tavern where my family couldn't sit down for a meal. A nightclub, meanwhile, is a place I'd never take a child. But these are really only in main cities.

I think It's really helpful when differences such as this a mentioned in a Trip Report, as I'll now know what to expect if I'm ever in Canada. It's a country high on my bucket list for it's countryside and beautiful scenery. I'd love love love to visit Lake Louise one day.

I agree, we weren't looking for a nightclub, just somewhere for lunch.

You will love Canada, we would love to see the west coast now too.

How unfortunate that you couldn't hold that cold at bay until you got home Hope you're feeling better now after a restful day. I have to agree I wouldn't be that keen on going outside with a cold if it was a max temp of -16!

Yes it was a bummer about the cold but oh well, these things happen.

What a shame about the cold and all that mucus. I don't even want to think about that particular combination in - 23 F conditions!!


So glad that you loved Niagara as well. For a place where the falls are the major attraction, it has done well to spin off so many different tours and ways to view the falls differently. And yes, Clifton Hill is tacky but a lot of fun!


Hope you got better...and soon!

I vividly remember you describing Clifton Hill PIO, and I thought of you as we walked the streets there hehe. And I agree that Niagara has done very well to make so much out of one beautiful thing.

I have to agree about the Grand Canyon. We stayed in one of the rooms that overlook the canyon, which was amazing, but I could have cut the trip down by 2 nights (we stayed 2 nights) My youngest son (age 9) still comments about how boring it was!!
I haven't been to Niagra Falls, but it sounds beautiful. Maybe one day.

To be fair, I think if we had've done a helicopter ride through the canyon we would've thought it was amaze-balls.

I am so glad you stayed at Embassy suites I was wondering what you ended up booking it is an amazing view and we loved Niagara Falls I really want to go back and see it in Winter

for not feeling well I hope you got over that quickly.

Embassy suites truly was an amazing location and view and the room was incredibly spacious.

You would love it at winter time.

Thanks for the get well wishes.

Just saw your post about Niagara Falls. Glad you were well enough to continue with your sight-seeing since you only had the day there.

I both agree and disagree about the Grand Canyon. We did a mule ride to the bottom of the canyon and LOVED it! We heard some great stories, and were amazed by the changes in scenery and weather the further down we got. In fact, what I thought was the bottom of the canyon (viewing from the top) was actually only halfway!

Having said that, when we first arrived and I first saw the canyon, I was underwhelmed. Yes, it was spectacular and pretty with a layer of snow at the top, but it wasn't interesting to look at for more than a few minutes as you said. Whenever I hear of people going to the Grand Canyon I always emplore them to *do* something, not just to view it from the top and expect to be blown away.

Having said that, waterfalls are by nature more interesting to look at because of the movement factor. But how much more interesting was it on the tour that you did compared to just viewing it from your hotel?

I had a friend who did the donkey ride years ago and she adored it too. I think we just didn't do the right activity at Grand Canyon.

Oh Ms Shuttergirl, I'm sorry to hear that you were so unwell. Its never pleasant when you're away from the comforts of home. But what a champion for soldiering on!

Quebec City and Niagara Falls sounds beautiful, and I know I've said this before but I'm really looking forward to your photos. In one of your earlier posts, you've really sold yourself short! I remember looking at your photobooks and being blown away!

I'm hoping that you improve quickly.

Thanks Miss Shushh

You wrote, "Above our restaurant was a bar and the guest DJ that night was going to be Boy George. DH and I were a little spewing we had the kids with us, would’ve been fun to check that out hehe." I remember seeing Culture Club as a young teenager at Festival Hall in Melbourne and throwing him a 'marry me' letter... I have no sense

BTW - it's taken me this long to recover from the hubcap pizzas that's why the Culture Club quote is a bit old

I dreamed about marrying George Michael for my whole 13th year. And I didn't realise the construction worker from the Village People wouldn't find me hot .

So sorry to hear about your cold! Hope you're starting to feel better now. I've been trying to picture Niagara Falls in the snow , we saw it in the Fallbut I can just imagine how beautiful it would be in the snow . So looking forward to seeing your photos...

I also felt more overawed by the falls than theGrand Canyon ( which is spectacular, no denying) but there is just something about that incredible volume of water. Personally, Bryce Canyon wowed me more than the Grand Canyon.

Can't wait to hear your impressions of Boston

Andona

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

I've heard Bryce Canyon is amazing, good to have that verified.

I'm sure the falls were beautifull in the fall. It's one of my favourite seasons, all the leaves, stunning.

aussie dollar is at $1.058...so keep spending

Don't you worry, shopping has occurred for sure.

Ms Shuttergirl, well done for keeping the show on the road! Hope you're feeling better soon.

Thanks Minniemum

Hope you feel better soon.

Thank you

Wow What a trip, and it's not even finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know right

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Well tonight is our last night in the US. Tomorrow afternoon we begin the long trek home.

Health update - yesterday was the first day I wasn't a complete snot monster so the cold dragged on annoyingly long but hey, nothing a few pills couldn't keep under control. I have also suffered from an achilles problem since the last few days of Boston until now. Frustrating because I've never had any issue like this. Again, I've just limped along behind the family and still seen everything I wanted to. DD has had another cold the last few days too so i guess it's good we are heading home.


We have had a wonderful time, seen so many things and I've ticked so many things of my list of things I've always wanted to see so that has been such a blessing.

I will keep writing my TR as and when I can, hopefully you will keep following along.

Thanks for all of the love and well wishes and I'll see you on the other side. Mwah. xoxoxo

 

[areweindisneyyet]

Safe travels home to you all. You will all need a few days to recover I think. Thanks for letting me share your holiday with you. It has been magical. You have seen some amazing things and created wonderful family memories that you will all reflect on.

 

[tapdancer]

Have a safe trip home Lisa & Co Can't wait to see your photos

 

[battymum]

Oh, shuttergirl, please finish your TR when you can, hopefully not too far off. I have been loving it!
I know you say you are a glass half full type of gal, but the way you describe the places you have been is just so inspiring - I hope I can travel with your eyes, and gloss over things that aren't perfect and be amazed at what is!

 

[WAMUMOF4]

Have a safe trip home hope you all feel better soon

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Have a safe trip back-its been an amazing trip-have loved riding along with you. Sorry the cold got on top of you at the end-it happens! Look forward to the pics to join it in due course!!

 

[aussietravellers]

Have a very safe trip home! So glad is was such an amazing trip! Glad you are feeling a little better. Once you get home to this heat (and the heat has been extreme!) you will all hopefully rid yourselves of bugs. It's so hard when away and sick, all you want and need is to rest but you can't, places to go, things to see & experience.

Can not wait to read the rest of your TR when you have time and of course your amazing photos! You still have my all time favourite photo I've seen (which I tried to copy as it was so cool, with not much success ). That was the one of your DD at Planet Hollywood in NYC being hit by Rocky! SUCH an awesome photo.

Anyway, happy flying!

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Safe travels home to you all. You will all need a few days to recover I think. Thanks for letting me share your holiday with you. It has been magical. You have seen some amazing things and created wonderful family memories that you will all reflect on.

Yes I definitely think a few days to recover would be great although I'm walking back in the door to a ton of work and babies arriving left right and centre, grrrrr.

We really have seen some amazing things, very lucky.

Have a safe trip home Lisa & Co Can't wait to see your photos

Thanks Tapdancer.

Oh, shuttergirl, please finish your TR when you can, hopefully not too far off. I have been loving it!
I know you say you are a glass half full type of gal, but the way you describe the places you have been is just so inspiring - I hope I can travel with your eyes, and gloss over things that aren't perfect and be amazed at what is!

Oh yes, I'll definitely finish the TR, I enjoy writing it all down for you guys then I print it all out and put it with the photos.

Yes, glossing over not perfect stuff is my specialty haha. I'm glad you've enjoyed reading along so far.

Have a safe trip home hope you all feel better soon

Thanks WAMUMOF4.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Day Twenty Seven – Boston here we come

Up nice and early to get ready to drive to Buffalo airport. I’m not sure whether we can claim going to Buffalo since we only drove through the city directly to the airport but hey, we did technically go to Buffalo hehe.

I have never crossed from one country to another via a road, always through air travel so it was a different experience crossing the border. Our driver said we weren’t allowed to be silly or too friendly. We would be asked some questions and if asked whether we had bought anything to just say the word “souvenirs” or we could be held up and have our bags searched. I must admit he had me a little rattled before we got to the border. I was thinking “hey man, we aren’t going into Mexico, it’s just boring old Buffalo for goodness sake” hahaha. I’m being all “tough” now but I was shaking in my boots at the time haha. Of course it was fast, friendly and no problems.

Flight took off on time, we had a connection in Philadelphia, again, can I claim that I was in Philly if I only went to the airport hehe. Soon we were arriving in Boston. I’m really excited to explore this city with so much history.
There was a fair bit of snow on the side of the roads and in piles along the footpaths. They had a big snow storm about a week ago and although the roads are all clear now, there are still big piles of snow everywhere. It’s kind of strange that everything looks normal and unsnowlike (is that a word) but just big mounds of snow along the streets that have obviously been swept up into piles.

This hotel was the one I was most excited about. Omni Parker House is the oldest continuously run hotel in America, opening in 1855. John Kennedy proposed to Jackie O in the restaurant there at table 40, he also announced to the press in the foyer that he was running for congress and had his bucks night there. Charles Dickens lived there for a few years and did the first public reading of a Christmas Carol there. Malcolm X and Ho Chi Minh worked there in their youth and last but not least, the Boston Cream Pie was invented in the kitchen here.

Oh and apparently the hotel is haunted but it remains to be seen if we are lucky enough to meet a little ghosty.

So you can see the place oozes history and I have to say the hotel did not disappoint. It was so beautiful and dare I say “stately”. All dark wood panelling, lush furnishings, exquisite carpets, fabulous staff and the lifts – they were so unique with pressed metal doors and these cool things above the doors to tell you what floor the lift was one. The kids loved the lifts so much.

We then got to our room and wow!!!! The curtains were stunning, the beds were so high I needed to run and jump to get up on it (let me tell you that made for some fun and games in the dark in the middle of the night hahaha), we had the most spacious living area and the icing on the cake – a dressing room. I have never seen such a thing in a hotel room. There was a quaint dressing table with a lovely stool and mirrors, a second double door robe and lots of space to dress. I could just imagine women staying here in the 1800s needing all of that space for their hooped skirts etc. I felt very la-de-da. I don't imagine we fitted into the place all that well with our Aussie travel style but I didn't care, I loved it.

The location of the hotel was absolutely ideal. We could essentially walk everywhere – Beacon Hill, Boston Common, North end, Fanueil Hall and many of the major historic sites. Once we arrived, we quickly unpacked and decided to pop downstairs to the very classy bar there as we had to get organised to get to TD Garden to watch the Boston Celtics versus Indiana Pacers play basketball. A quick and easy dinner and a drink were just the ticket. The food here was delicious and surprisingly reasonably priced. Such lovely decor in the bar also and the staff were incredibly warm and helpful. I felt super relaxed here and have great plans to come back hehe.

We decided to walk to the basketball, I’d found it on the map and figured we would eventually find our way there. It was fairly easy to find, only about a 15 minute walk and we were soon there. Santa had not only given DS tickets to the game but also a Boston Celtics jersey so he was all decked out like a local. Alas Santa hadn’t seen fit to cough up quite as much money on these tickets as on the Knicks tickets so the seats had a certain “nose bleed” feel about them. We didn’t have our backs on the back wall, there were likely 20 rows behind us but there were alot more than twenty between us and the court hahaha.

The game was really good, Boston won by heaps but I have to say, it lacked alot of the excitement and hoopla that we experienced at the Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the crowd wasn’t as engaged and because the scores weren’t close the tension and excitement wasn’t there. It was just a "good" game, whereas the Knicks game was “fun on wheels” and so stressful and amazing haha.

We walked home amongst the crowds, climbed (or catapulted for the height challenged aka me) into our majestic beds for a good nights sleep.
Loving Boston already!

Highs – our hotel, it’s amaze-balls

Lows – none today that I can think of

Weather – high of 3, low of -6

​

 

[aussietravellers]

OK, there is something wrong with me at the moment Brain is just not functioning Maybe that's actually normal and I forget

I kept seeing day 25 and 26 Niagara Falls on your title and I could not find the posts. I'd go back, and still see Quebec and think, I've read that. Then I'd go forward, then be at the end and still not see them.

Anyway after going back and forward through the pages 3 times! Yes, three times! I finally found the two posts.

Oh wow, I'm so sorry you had to have the morning in bed. But you know what, sometimes you really need to. If you had not done that, you may not have been up to soldiering on in Niagara. Glad you are feeling a bit better now though.

Niagara just sounds amazing! It is somewhere at the top of my must do in my life destinations and your report has just made it cemented even more! i will be coming back to this TR (or to you ) for the hotel name as I'm sure I will not remember when it comes time to go. Was it claustrophobic going down in the lift and behind the falls? How sad reading about those who have gone over the falls and not survived but amazing to read of those who did. Loved hearing about The Keg! I have fond memories of that restaurant (not the niagara one).

Thanks for sharing

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Have a safe trip back-its been an amazing trip-have loved riding along with you. Sorry the cold got on top of you at the end-it happens! Look forward to the pics to join it in due course!!

Thanks Aussie Wendy.

Have a very safe trip home! So glad is was such an amazing trip! Glad you are feeling a little better. Once you get home to this heat (and the heat has been extreme!) you will all hopefully rid yourselves of bugs. It's so hard when away and sick, all you want and need is to rest but you can't, places to go, things to see & experience.

Can not wait to read the rest of your TR when you have time and of course your amazing photos! You still have my all time favourite photo I've seen (which I tried to copy as it was so cool, with not much success ). That was the one of your DD at Planet Hollywood in NYC being hit by Rocky! SUCH an awesome photo.

Anyway, happy flying!

How funny, I can't believe you remember that photo, . I think that was more her amazing acting rather than my amazing photography .

Your comment reminded me how so many of you on the DIS have impacted in such positive ways towards my trip planning.

A few stand outs:-

PIO - was a huge influence for this trip with the Canada and Niagara portion. Actually the Boston stuff too.
Shushh - NYC for Christmas and Washington
Aussietravellers - you and your Bestbuys advice last time, priceless and also all of your amazing WDW dining you did and the photos of AKL, sigh.
AWIDY - lots of inspiration for our Europe trip
Andona - well she is my complete tech princess and has inspired dreams of a coast to coast trip.

So many others have influenced the things I've seen and done, I couldn't even begin to name everyone but I know so much of this journey was influenced by all of beautiful Dis peeps. From visiting Nasa, to airboat rides, experiences in Boston and Washington, advice about airlines and luggage and about a million things, what on earth would I do without you all.

Mwah

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

OK, there is something wrong with me at the moment Brain is just not functioning Maybe that's actually normal and I forget

I kept seeing day 25 and 26 Niagara Falls on your title and I could not find the posts. I'd go back, and still see Quebec and think, I've read that. Then I'd go forward, then be at the end and still not see them.

Anyway after going back and forward through the pages 3 times! Yes, three times! I finally found the two posts.

Oh wow, I'm so sorry you had to have the morning in bed. But you know what, sometimes you really need to. If you had not done that, you may not have been up to soldiering on in Niagara. Glad you are feeling a bit better now though.

Niagara just sounds amazing! It is somewhere at the top of my must do in my life destinations and your report has just made it cemented even more! i will be coming back to this TR (or to you ) for the hotel name as I'm sure I will not remember when it comes time to go. Was it claustrophobic going down in the lift and behind the falls? How sad reading about those who have gone over the falls and not survived but amazing to read of those who did. Loved hearing about The Keg! I have fond memories of that restaurant (not the niagara one).

Thanks for sharing

Oh no, that sounds frustrating. Wonder what was happening with the TR.

I agree, a morning spent in bed at the end of our 5 days was a small price to pay to be up and about ready for the next adventure.

I am so glad you are adding Niagara to your list. I definitely think you would love it. It wasn't claustrophobic at all in the lift or in the tunnels. They are quite spacious.

The Keg was yummo for sure.

 

[aussietravellers]

Ok, yep, you can totally claim Buffalo and Phillidelphia as places you've been! I do I went to NY once. Flew in, got off the plane, took the train thing to another terminal, hopped on another plane and flew off. But I claimed it. I touched down in NY, used public transport (yes it was just a terminal change ). So yep, you have Buffalo and Philly travel experience!

I cracked up at you at the border. What is it about going through customs (or even seeing police) when you haven't done anything wrong but it is so nerve wracking and you want to act like "hey, I'm cool, I'm innocent", when you are!

Oh your Boston hotel sounds so cool! So much history and sounds just beautiful. Did you try a piece of Boston Cream Pie from there, surely being the inventors of it it would be out of this world

Basketball sounds fun too!

 

[aussietravellers]

Oh no, that sounds frustrating. Wonder what was happening with the TR.

Oh it wasn't the TR, it was the operator of this computer! I think I was just flicking down the page too fast and kept missing them. It was confusing my poor brain though as I was very

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Ok, yep, you can totally claim Buffalo and Phillidelphia as places you've been! I do I went to NY once. Flew in, got off the plane, took the train thing to another terminal, hopped on another plane and flew off. But I claimed it. I touched down in NY, used public transport (yes it was just a terminal change ). So yep, you have Buffalo and Philly travel experience!

I cracked up at you at the border. What is it about going through customs (or even seeing police) when you haven't done anything wrong but it is so nerve wracking and you want to act like "hey, I'm cool, I'm innocent", when you are!

Oh your Boston hotel sounds so cool! So much history and sounds just beautiful. Did you try a piece of Boston Cream Pie from there, surely being the inventors of it it would be out of this world

Basketball sounds fun too!

Customs makes me so nervous, I break out into a sweat. I'm sure I look ridiculous. I am getting better each time though hehe.

Yes we did have some Boston Cream Pie, photos were taken and drool was seen. It was absolutely delicious.

 

[aussietravellers]

Yes we did have some Boston Cream Pie, photos were taken and drool was seen. It was absolutely delicious.

Looking forward to seeing those photos!!!! (drooling already)