Boston: Day 5

This morning we took a tour of our hotel since it was a historical building. It was originally the Custom House for all of Boston, so it was the place where all the custom tax was collected. Ships were bypassing customs and not paying taxes, so they decided to build a tower so that they could see 60 miles in every direction, monitoring all ships coming into town with goods. It was the tallest building in Boston for many years. Eventually it became a vacant building that the federal government was not interested in keeping and the city of Boston was not very interested in either. Boston was forced to buy it so it wouldn't be sold to someone else and demolished. However, they did not want to invest any money to provide the building with the significant renovations it required. So, about 11 years ago, Boston gave Marriott a 60 year lease for the building, and Marriott subsequently spent $26 million restoring it and turning it into a timeshare resort! It was really interesting learning the history of this beautiful building that we got the privilege to stay in.

We weren’t able to see a Red Sox game while we were in Boston since they were out of town the entire time we were there. But we did take a tour of Fenway Park. It was cool to see such an old, famous stadium.

We were even able to go inside the press box and get a great view of the field

The famous Green Monster- didn't look so big in person.

We took a tour of Samuel Adams Brewery, which is one of Eric’s favorite beers so he enjoyed that.

We walked through Boston Public Garden and took a quick picture of Cheers.

Afterwards we headed over to Harvard area to meet up with a friend of Eric’s from UCLA. We enjoyed eating dinner and catching up with Michelle.

When we got home the big game was just beginning: game 6 of the NBA playoffs, Celtics vs. Lakers. We were about a 15 minute walk away from TD Banknorth Garden, but EVERYWHERE you went in town, people were in bars and restaurants watching the game and even trying to watch through the windows of the overcrowded restaurants. When the Celtics won, the town went CRAZY! Much like when the Gators won their national championships. Constant screams, honks, etc from all over town.