Beantown

Darin and I have just returned from a long weekend trip to Boston. Neither of us had ever been and had a long list of sites to see and seafood eat.

Top of my list was to find the island in the Public Gardens where the Mallard family lives. That's right! We found the island and then next door, in the Boston Common, we spotted Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings - Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.

You can read about the Mallard family's adventures in Boston in the classic (and one of my all-time favorite) children's book, Make Way for Ducklings, published in 1941 by Robert McCloskey.

That's Ouak below.

Built in Boston in 1797, the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship afloat in the world and was one of the six original frigates of the US Navy. During a battle in the War of 1812, someone reportedly saw a British shot bounce off the ship's side, and shouted, "Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!"-and so is born the nickname "Old Ironsides."

Granary Burying Ground - one of the three graveyards on the Freedom Trail, 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that passes 16 nationally significant historic sites. Among those bury here are John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Crispus Attucks, Robert Paine, and Paul Revere.

The Bunker Hill Monument stands tall at 221 feet on the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution. The result of the battle was a Pyrrhic victory for the British, suffering their greatest losses of the entire war. And yes, Darin and I climbed all 294 steps to the top for a great view of the city (see first photo).

Dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant in the North End.