O is for Observatory

This past weekend was Doug’s birthday and therefore the “Weekend of Doug.” He agreed to let me hijack a few hours of his weekend so we could complete the next letter in our alphabet adventure, O. I chose a ride up the Prudential Building to the observatory as our activity. On Saturday, we drove into the city and parked at the Boston Common. It was a picture perfect day – sunny in the 70’s with very little humidity and we enjoyed our leisurely walk from the Common to the Prudential. While we were waiting to board the elevator to the observatory, we were joined by an older American couple and a group of young people from Poland. The American lady figured out the group was from Poland and in a loud, obnoxious voice said, “I love Poland, such wonderful LIGHT there.” The Poles all looked at each other with puzzled looks. After an awkward pause, one of them asked the woman if she’d been to Poland and when she replied she had, he asked what city. Her response was (I’m not making this up), “the main city.” I think she finally figured out she had been to Warsaw but by that point, she had lost her audience. Why are Americans such obnoxious dim-wits?Anyway, since it was such a clear day, the views from the observatory were fantastic. We could even see Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire.

Hancock Tower (on the left), South Boston and the harbor beyond

Boston Common and downtown Boston

Looking west, Fenway Park, Kenmore Square, and the Mass Pike

The Charles River and Cambridge

This condo has a nice little deck set-up

Looking north to Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire

After getting our fill of the good views, we returned to street level and by way of tree-lined Commonwealth Avenue and Boston Common, we walked over to the Faneuil Hall area to find some lunch. We ended up at the Bell in Hand Tavern with a table right next to the Freedom Trail where we watched all the tourists and fake Ben Franklins walk into (or out of?) history. The Bell in Hand is so named because it was founded in 1795 by Boston’s town crier, Jimmy Wilson.

Doug enjoying a birthday beer at the Bell in Hand

After lunch, we walked back to our car past the State House and through the Common. It was a great day soaking up some views and history in Beantown!