Museum of Science, Boston and more

They call Boston a “walking city,” so once again we put it to the test. Parking in our new undisclosed secret parking location near not one, but two, famous historical landmarks (and one new one), we speed-walked over the bridge, past the railroad yards into Cambridge. We had passes to the Museum of Science and popped in to see the new exhibits, admire the real Harry Potter movie prop, a giant knight chess piece, that now adorns the foyer to advertise the upcoming HP movie exhibit which will open on October 25th, and run through February 21, 2010. After a scenic lunch overlooking the Charles River, with the famed “dirty water” shimmering like pure silver blue in the last of summer sun, we watched the IMAX movie The Greatest Places, which flew us away to some of the planet’s most astounding locations for a quick get-away with new destinations added to our must-see list.

Determined not to take public transportation unless absolutely necessary, we headed down Storrow Drive along the Esplanade and the Charles River parks, past the famous Hatch Shell, towards our next destination, Newbury Street. As we walked past the Boston Common the streets began to fill with people, and it looked more like a New York City crowd than Boston. We stopped in some of the shops as we weaved our way to Stephanie’s Restaurant, with her lovely outdoor café. After a wonderful dinner as the sun began to set, we headed back toward the common, but had to pause to watch a Harvard initiation of some hapless (but probably brilliant leaders of our future) freshmen guys who were being asked to stop beautiful girls on Newbury Street. With long-stemmed roses in hand, the rosy-cheeked and apprehensive young men looked more like they were auditioning for a reality bachelor show than learning to navigate college life. Egged on by a throng of deep-voiced Harvard men chanting “take-it, take-it, take it,” the girls looked skeptical, and the freshmen sheepish, but trying their best.

Once into the Common, we stopped to take pictures of the Swan Boats, waiting to have their last hurrah of the season before they are taken out of the duck pond for their winter hibernation. Groups of tourists posed under the statue of George Washington to snap their Boston memories, as we made our way to the Park Street -T to catch a ride back to the closest station since, by now, it was completely dark. We had one last walk back to the car, but we barely noticed as the charm of the gas lights and old architecture, along with the lingering warmth of the last touch of summer made it a treat rather than a chore.

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Museum Of Science, Boston and Further