Days 17-22: Boston, Museums, and Family

Days 17-23: Wonderful Family Time, Museums and Parks (Jul 29 – Aug 04)

Florida, NY to Abington, MA – 239 miles, 4.5 hours
With our tow vehicle in the shop, we had to decide on our next steps. The morning of Day 17 saw us back on the road, this time in a rental car, determined to stick to our plans and reach Boston. “Sometimes, it’s the detours that make the journey unforgettable”—at least that’s what I kept reminding myself! We rented a Jeep Wagoneer from a nearby Enterprise rental location. Loaded up essentials including the two kid bikes and drove to Abington (20 miles southeast of Boston) at 4:30pm and arrived at 9:15pm. With family, we can always trust there will be a nice homed cooked meal ready for us!

For this leg of our adventure, we stayed with our aunt and uncle, along with our two cousins and their fluffy white cat, in the suburbs of Boston. It had been nine years since our last visit, so it was a perfect time to relax, enjoy home-cooked meals, and reconnect with family. There was plenty of creative art time for the kids, too, and of course, lots of exploring around the Boston area.

Day 18 – Tue, July 30, 2024: Relaxing, Cooking, and Making Art
After a few weeks on the road and our recent tow vehicle hiccup, it was rather nice to stretch our legs a bit. We spent the day relaxing at home. The kids enjoyed with hanging out with their First cousins once removed, creative play, and doing art.

Thao even made meat chips to refill our protein snacks for next leg of our trip to Acadia National Park in Maine.

Day 19 – Wed, July 31, 2024: Boston Children Musem

Boston – Children Museum, Children Wharf, Lobster at James Hook, Martin’s Place (memory of 8 year old kid died from Boston Marathon Bombing);

Kids help make rice balls in morning brought along for lunch, Landon played chess with Co Hieu

We visited the Boston Children’s Museum, which the kid hit up most things they wanted to in 2-hours. We stopped by The Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum but did not participate in the tour. For a quick lunch bite, we stopped by James Hook & Co for lobster rolls. I know it’s been 9 years since we visited the New England area but what a sticker shock at $40 for one lobster roll! We also discovered Martin’s Park, a wonderful playscape built in memory of an 8-year-old boy who tragically lost his life in the Boston Marathon bombing.

Day 20 – Thur, Aug 1, 2024

Boston – naval yard, U.S.S. Consitution – explore 3 levels…ship still in commission, tug boat, cannon active (2)

Rented BlueEBikes…too heavy for Logan so kids took their bikes

Boston Museum of Science (2 hours); when we got out only one blue bike left (not e-bike) so dad pedaled mom

Dinner home with Do Fam – Baked Salmon and Salmon Skin.

Day 21 – Fri, Aug 2, 2024

Boston – Museum of Science! Very interactive museum. Lots of learning; revisit but got there around 11am and stayed thru closing.

Went to urban target shop for gift card and allergy free made good snacks for Landon

Bday – Dinner – Hot Pot place Royal Sushi and Korean hotpot

Day 22 – Sat, Aug 3, 2024

Pho Ga Brunch at home in Boston Boston Tour with whole family, boston common/park, farmers market, kids took bikes… Walked down the expensive street, [dessert place]

boston library, only 30min didn’t realize close at 5pm, Logan rented a book there from author of SpySchool

, walk around prudential mall cool down before catching green line.

Kids on bike, subway, walk—-restaurant dinner Sushi place; restaurant just kind to store our bikes in the back storage

True to form, we couldn’t resist exploring Boston by bike. On the next day, the kids rode their bikes while we rented e-bikes (the adult bikes couldn’t squeeze into our rental Jeep), making it easy to cover more ground. One of our favorite stops was the Boston Naval Yard, where we explored all three levels of the historic U.S.S. Constitution. The Boston Museum of Science was a highlight of the week for the kids, especially the interactive engineering exhibits and the electrifying electricity show—they loved it so much, we went twice!

Day 22 marked our last day in Boston, and we made it count. We started with a homemade Pho Ga brunch, a comforting way to fuel up for the day. Touring Boston with our family who lives in the area, we strolled through Boston Common–America’s oldest park, wandered around a bustling farmers market, and indulged in desserts at Lady M Cake Boutique on Newbury Street.

One short but memorable stop was the Boston Public Library, where we marveled at its massive halls and beautiful architecture. Logan even checked out a Spy School book during our visit! Afterward, we cooled off at the Prudential Mall area before hopping on the Green Line subway to cap the day with sushi at a local dinner spot.

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