Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

Stuck inside of Jersey with the "Boston blues" again.... I was lamenting yesterday that here we are in July and there is no baseball being played. And it hit me... I was missing Boston, and Fenway Park! I am not a Red Sox fan, but I have enjoyed being in the midst of a mostly Red Sox family and the benefits of our many treks up to Beantown and in particular to Fenway Park.

This post is a shout out to my husband Tom, who is a South Boston native ( Quincy, to be exact) and introduced me to this amazing city back in 1984. I instantly fell in love with him and Boston. It is also a shout out to my four sons, who are avid baseball fans....three of them love the Sox, one loves the Yankees. It makes for an often heated, but always loving banter from April to October.

Boston holds a special place in our family's hearts. Over the years, we have experienced this city in every way a family can. We have delved into the wonderful history of the city. We have walked the Freedom Trail (yes we have). We have climbed aboard Old Ironsides ( The USS Constitution) and imagined the cannonballs flying and the patriots fighting almost 250 years ago. We have clamored up Bunker Hill and read the names of those who gave their lives in the struggle of the American Revolution.

We have also done all of the classic touristy things in Boston that families should put on their Bucket List. We have floated on the Swan Boats in the Public Garden. We have done photo shoots around the "Make Way for Ducklings" statues. We have taken the Duck Boat tours, spent countless hours in the New England Aquarium, and immersed ourselves in the Boston Science Museum. We have watched street entertainers in Quincy Market, and wandered along Newberry Street enjoying the high end shopping and dining. We celebrated First Night, Boston with some good friends in tow, and then watched the Winter Classic from our favorite local watering hole, Eastern Standard. We have wandered up and down Hanover Street in the North End. Our favorite meal is Gnocchi with Bolognese at the Cantina. We have come to know and love Omar, who waits on us EVERY time. Afterwards we leave room for some pastry from Mike's....a few yards down the street. I feel like we have done it all over the years, but I would go back and repeat it all again!!!

And then, when our oldest son Tommy decided to attend BU, we were ecstatic! We instantly got some tickets to watch the powerhouse BU Hockey team tear it up. The "men" of the family enjoyed the excitement of a few Beanpot tournaments. We also had the opportunity to watch our son play rugby for BU on Nickerson Field which was truly a moment we treasured. ( even though the sport makes me cringe!)

Over the years, we have celebrated many of Tom's family's milestones in and around Boston. And last year, we celebrated Tom's 60th in town with a surprise trip to Fenway Park surrounded by his siblings and our sons. Of course we ate dinner at the Cantina, sang Happy Birthday with Omar at our side, and enjoyed the night at Fenway.

What I wouldn't give to get out of Jersey and grab a beer at the Cask and Flagon. Maybe two.... And then we would wander over to Jersey Street and take in the aroma of sausage and peppers. We would enter the gates of that venerable institution, Fenway Park, and it would be heaven. We are not all Sox fans in our family, but when we are in that stadium, we are complete. There is just something magical about Fenway Park.

Since I am a travel agent, I will give a nod to my favorite hotels in Boston, as I am hoping this post inspires you to get there when life returns to normal. I love the Four Seasons, as you are right there at the end of the Public Garden, and you can't beat the Four Seasons for service and style. I also love the Hotel Commonwealth in the Back Bay ( home of Eastern Standard), the Fairmont Copley Plaza ( which has iconic space and exceptional service). Perhaps my favorite spot, and a great place for families....is The Boston Harbor Hotel. It is adorned in historic documents. They actually have a library off of the main lobby that houses framed documents and maps from the Revolutionary War era. The hotel looks out over Rowes Wharf onto the Boston Harbor. It is contemporary nautically designed, offers rooms with amazing views, and hosts a waterfront entertainment area that plays outdoors movies in the summers.

So, here on July 2....stuck in Jersey with the "Boston Blues"....I am looking forward to a time hopefully in the not too distant future, when I can plan our next trip up to Beantown. It may or may not include a trip to Fenway, depending on the rules that will accompany the MLB's opening later this summer. But even if we can post up at the Eastern Standard, adorned in Sox apparel, and watch a game amidst the crowd....I think we would feel "at home".

GO Sox.....

MaryLyn McLaughlin