Urban Vacation

Well, it wasn't as economical as a "stay-cation," but it was a lot cheaper than flights for four to a warmer locale. For our winter vacation this year, we took the Brothers YZ on a tour of Boston and Providence with the special treat of staying overnight in each location. Fortunately, illness nor weather inteferred with our plans, and we had a wonderful time.

The first stop on our tour enroute to Boston was Drumlin Farm. Drumlin Farm is a working farm that is operated by the Audobon Society in Lincoln, Massachusetts. It was cold and windy, but it was still great to spend some time outdoors. The boys enjoyed walking around in the mud and puddles looking at the sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, horses, and other wildlife on display. It was too cold for a hayride so Evan and Liam made due with the wooden horses in the barn.











After a trip to our favorite Massachusetts diner, the Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown, we checked into our hotel. Despite my fears of a hotel collapse, we stayed at the Newton Sheraton that spans the Massachusetts Turnpike. This choice was definitely very popular with the Brothers YZ who spent almost an our glued to the window watching the cars and buses (and the train) below and looking at the Boston skyline and airplanes in the distance. There wasn't too much time to rest in the hotel, because we were planning to take advantage of Target $1 Friday Evenings at the Boston Children's Museum. The Boston Children's Museum is huge, and Greg and I actually lost each other for about an hour. I thought that I had left my phone in the hotel. One of the highlights of the museum is a three-story climbing structure, the sight of which put my claustrophobia into high gear.



















On Saturday, Evan and Daddy enjoyed a nice swim in the hotel pool before we headed out to Cambridge. Our first stop was the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Evan was impressed by the skeletons of prehistoric creatures, and Liam showed off his knowledge of mammals in the vast display of taxidermy. Our second stop was the Mount Auburn Cemetery for a while. Evan has been asking to see a cemetery for a while so we couldn't miss the opportunity to show him this showcase. And, he has heard a lot about this cemetery, as my true story of being lost in there in the dark is a frequent request of his.

By noontime, we were on our way to our second city destination, Providence. We spent the afternoon and early evening at some our favorite East Side haunts-- the Seven Stars Bakery, toy store, and Lippett Park. We even dared to try to trip to India for a romantic (as it can get with two boys under age 5) dinner at 5:00 PM. The Brothers YZ were very well behaved and seemed to enjoy the Indian music, Bollywood films, and dark and mysterious atmosphere. I had to use my nightshot to get a picture of our fine dining experience. After dinner, we headed to downtown Providence so that Evan could try skating for the first time. With Greg's assistance, he made it around the rink twice. His comment on skating was, "It is very slippery out there." He is looking forward to trying it again.


We couldn't leave Providence without seeing our good friend, Barbara, and having breakfast at the Modern
Diner in Pawtucket.