Tag: Boston

East Coast Adventure

On December 4, 2018

Cadillac Mountain Panorama

Looking back on this trip, and I have to think that this was one of the best trips in my recent memory. We visited three places that I have wanted to visit for years. We visited three places that I want to return to. There is so much history in Boston. There is no way to see it all in a day. Acadia National Park is giant and I feel like we only scratched the surface. Watkins Glen is one of the most breathtaking places I have ever seen. I would love to see it in the fall. All three of the stops on this trip will have to be revisited later.

Soldiers & Sailors Monument

Boston Highlights: Honestly, the best thing about our time in Boston was dinner at a trendy, Mexican restaurant called Lolita Cantina that was unlike anything we have at home. The meal started with a complimentary granita with a splash of tequila and ended with cotton candy and temporary tattoos. I often wondered if I was cool enough to eat there. I was worried they were going to throw me out. For me the biggest thing about Boston was just being in this historic city. Boston played a huge part in the early part of our country and there are many sites to see. Walking the freedom trail and knowing all that happened there was unreal.

Acadia Highlights: My favorite part of Acadia was probably the sweeping vistas along the Park Loop Road. I’ve thought about that a lot since I’ve been back home. When work gets tough, I can go back to Cadillac Mountain and hear the rush of the water and smell the salt air. Its not a matter of if I will get back there but a when. And it needs to be for longer. And maybe not in August. Lunch at The Jordan Pond House was good too. Eating a lobster roll and looking out over Jordan Pond is not something you can do anywhere else.

Watkins Glen Gorge Trail

Watkins Glen Highlights: Obviously, Corning Museum of Glass was great and I want to go back and create some more glass. But, the gorge trail at Watkins Glen State Park was unlike anything I had seen before. As beautiful as Acadia was, Watkins Glen was more photogenic. The beauty was more compact. Every turn was more beautiful than the one before. I had expected beauty and was blown away.

As I kind of mentioned about Boston, one of the best things about this trip was the food. We utilized TripAdvisor’s Cheap Eats a lot and got to try off the beaten path places that were surprisingly good! We had Asian Fusion is Corning, Gyros in New Hampshire, and poutine in Boston. Probably one of the best was a little Italian Place in Lexington (Massachusetts) called Marios that had unlimited bread and ridiculous portions of very good pasta. We were able to get out of there for less than $25 for two people. It was insane. We wouldn’t have found it without TripAdvisor.

Thank you for stopping by and for following along with this trip! To read more about our East Coast Adventure, click the link to get to our itinerary. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

Boston Freedom Trail

By Ashleigh

On September 17, 2018

In National Parks & Places, Travel, Uncategorized

Faneuil Hall – Boston

When planning our day in Boston, the one thing I knew I wanted to see was the Freedom Trail. Boston’s Freedom Trail is a two and a half mile route throughout the city marked with a red line that leads to 16 sites from the American Revolution. The trail begins at Faneuil Hall where we caught a free walking tour led by the National Park Service. Throughout the years, Faneuil Hall has had many purposes. The lower level is a marketplace. The second floor served as Boston’s Town Meeting Hall (above) and the third floor held the town’s armory (NPS).

U.S.S. Constitution AKA Old Ironsides

Boston Common (bottom right), Old North Church, Old South Meeting House, Paul Revere’s House, the Site of the Boston Massacre, and the U.S.S. Constitute (left) are just a few of the sites along the Freedom Trail. The trail ends at the Bunker Hill Monument which commemorates one of the first battles of the American Revolution. Unfortunately it was closed during our visit due to extreme heat.

Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Boston Common

We were able to tour the U.S.S. Constitution. The U.S.S. Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat and was named by George Washington. Interestingly, “Old Ironsides” is made entirely of wood. She was given the name during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs seemed to bounce right off of her. The ship’s copper fastenings were made by Paul Revere (Freedom Trail).

If you are planning on visiting Boston, I highly recommend the National Park Service Tours. For one it doesn’t cost anything and the tour guides are highly knowledgeable. Our guide wrote her Doctoral Dissertation on Paul Revere. I’m sure those other tours don’t have guides with that kind of expertise!

There is so much to see and do and Boston and one day is really not enough time to explore it all. Boston is definitely on my list of places to return with more time!

Thanks for stopping by! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Wordless Wednesday: Old South Meeting House

By Ashleigh

On September 12, 2018

In Travel

Museum of Fine Arts Boston

By Ashleigh

On September 10, 2018

In Travel

Wall of Monet paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Before our trip, we weren’t planning on stopping at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, but then we heard that they had the largest collection of Monets outside of Europe and we had to check it out. Gallery 252 is dedicated exclusively to works of Monet. Grand Canal, Venice hangs on the wall in there as well as Meadow with Poplars. They also have a large collection of American Impressionists and the most complete collection of John Singer Sargent anywhere. If you enjoy impressionist paintings, this museum is a must see!

Of course, the MFA is a large, urban art museum and has more to offer than just impressionists. They have a large wing full of modern art and as well as ancient art. One of my favorite galleries in the museum is the musical instrument collection. They had crazy instruments I had never seen before! Of course, this bass clarinet player had to take a picture of the small, curvy bass clarinet on display! They also have galleries dedicated to jewelry and textiles. If you enjoy art, there is something for you to see at the Museum of Fine Art, Boston.

If you plan to visit the MFA, plan to get their early or you will have to wait in line outside. It was 90 degrees and sunny on our Boston day and they didn’t have an awning or anything to stand under. It got pretty hot and uncomfortable waiting to get inside. We visited through the ROAM (reciprocal admissions) program with our DIA membership and the girl behind the counter was happy to tell that the DIA is one of her favorite museums. That made me smile.

To plan a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, visit MFA.org. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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Minute Man National Historic Park

By Ashleigh

On September 4, 2018

In National Parks & Places, Road Trip, Travel

Minute Man National Historic Park, located just outside of Boston, is home to many sites of significance of the first battle in the battle for American Independence. There are many sites of important historical significance located inside the park. The Battle Road Trail is a 5 mile trail that connects many of the sites within the park and would be a fun way to explore the park. Since this was our third stop of the day, we didn’t have much time to explore the park before it closed, so we drove between sites to maximize time.

The Old North Bridge, one of the sites in the park, is where the “shot hear round the world” was fired. The Minute Man statue (left) is located near the bridge and interestingly is made from seven cannons that were used in the American Civil War (wiki). A monument at the site of Paul Revere’s Capture can be seen along the Battle Road Trail. Hartwell Tavern is another stop on the trail where costumed re-enactors talk about the home turned tavern and life in Massachusetts in the late 18th century.

Pictured above is the Wayside, which is a home that has housed many famous American authors. Louisa May Alcott lived in the home as a child and it is said that her time at the Wayside inspired many scenes from Little Women. The Alcotts sold the home to Nathaniel Hawthorne (author of the Scarlet Letter and The House of Seven Gables among others) who named it The Wayside because it was so close to the road, he worried it would be mistaken for a coach stop. After Hawthorne’s death, the home was purchased by his son-in-law and author, George Parsons Lanthrop. Four years after that, Boston publisher Daniel Lothrop purchased the home with his wife, Harriet who wrote children’s books under the pen name, Margaret Sidney. In 1963 the home was named a National Landmark and joined Minute Man National park two years later (wiki).

The park is full of history and I recommend you take a trip to visit if you are in the Boston area. For more information, visit the National Park Service. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.

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East Coast Road Trip Recap

By Ashleigh

On August 14, 2018

In National Parks & Places, Road Trip, Travel

The view from Cadillac Mountain

Another Epic Road Trip is a wraps! 8 states – 4 of which were new to me. This was my third time in New York, but the first time out of New York City and the first time getting into New York by car (the first time was by train and the second was by boat). This was a varied trip. Over 9 nights we stayed at 3 hotels, 1 AirBNB, and 2 campgrounds. It was a very busy trip and we saw a lot of interesting places! I am excited to share the stories with you here!

Here is our itinerary and a preview of what is to come in this trip report:

Night 1: Syracuse, NY
Onieda House Museum
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Minuteman National Historic Park
Night 2: Auburn, MA
Boston Museum of Fine Art
Boston Freedom Trail
Night 3: Cambridge, MA
House of Seven Gables & Salem
Portland, ME
Night 4: Seawall, ME
Acadia National Park – Park Loop Road
Cadillac Mountain
Jordan Pond House
Acadian Nature Cruise
Night 5: Seallwall, ME
Jordan Pond Hike
Bass Harbor Head Light
Night 6: Seawall, ME
Maine Lighthouses
Night 7: Keene, NH
Albany Museum of Art and History
Watkins Glen Hike
Night 8: Watkins Glen, NY
Corning Museum of Glass
Rockwell Museum
Seneca Lake Wine Trail
Night 9: Watkins Glen, NY
Erie Land Light
Home

We were able to see so many different museums on this trip because of the ROAM – reciprocal museum admission program. I’ve mentioned before that we are members of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Before this trip, we upgraded our membership to a level that includes this reciprocal admissions program. 6 of the 7 museums that we visited were included and we were able to get in for free. If you enjoy museums, look into a ROAM membership before your next trip. It may save you money and it will definitely allow you to check out museums that you may not have visited without it. Check out a list of participating museums here.

Be sure to check back next week for my take on the Onieda House Museum. If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.