Ball 2, Strike 3 – We`re Out!

1 11 2009

After having a mammoth sleep and making the most of the free breakfast at the hotel, we planned on rounding 3rd base and going home…to the home of Baseball that is.  Today we were visiting Fenway Park – Americas Most Beloved Baseball Park!

We donned our Red Sox and began our tour, it was much smaller than expected, but still so impressive, especially because it was so rich in history.  We soon found oursleves sitting in the Press Box,  overlooking the home plate – and boasted one of the best views of the park.  But for the BEST seats in the house, and in Baseball, you have to head to the`Green Monster`, our next destination.

For non-baseball fans – the Green Monster is a mammoth wall on the left side of the park - designed at first to keep people from getting a free view of the game, but became the ultimate obstacle for the ball to get that home run!

We finished by visiting the old bleachers near the field.  These seats are to this day the only wooden seats left in an American Baseball field – and will always be preserved, as the park becomes a National Heritage Site to mark its 100th year in 2012.

Despite only ever going to one Baseball game in Toronto, we still throughly enjoyed the tour and the stories that the field holds.  But all this talking got us thirsty (or thats the excuse that we used), as we jumped on the subway heading to the Samuel Adams Brewery!

Samuel Adams is Bostons beer, and they have one of their Brewery’s in town.  They give free tours and free beer at the end! We learnt a lot, had some laughs and drank the cheapest beer in Boston!

Jordan wont admit it, but I think he got a bit tipsy.  Why? He suggested we head to Back Bay and do some shopping!  Back Bay was amazing, especially Newbury Street, with its designer shops and cafes – a great excuse to window shop and take advantage of Jordan!  It was a perfect way to spend our last day in this great city!

With our time in Boston we learnt that Bostonians don’t like people from New York – we`ll just have to keep tight lipped about where we`re heading tomorrow…





We Heart NYC!!

1 11 2009

Today was both a sad and happy day – on one level we were leaving Boston, but on the other hand we were heading to NYC!

We arrived in the heart of Manhatten about about 11am, and managed to avoid the bad traffic due to the `New York Marathon`taking place.  40,000 runners and 2 million spectators are due to take part in the event – so it should make it a fast paced first day in the Big Apple!

After checking into our apartment (might I say, only 2 blocks from the Empire State Building!) we dumped our bags and strapped on our walking shoes. Walking up 5th Avenue was a highlight as we headed past attractions like Rockefeller Centre (complete with Ice Skating Rink!), the NBA store, Trump Towers and the home of Tiffany’s Jewelery!

The crowds got thicker the further north of 5 th Avenue we went – as the New York Marathon Runners, ran along the southern edge of Central Park.  Crowds lined the streets cheering, as a flow of never ending runners made there way through the streets.  We joined the crowds, taking in this this iconic event for an hour – and during this time were able to cheer on the four fellow New Zealand runners that we spotted running the last 1/2 mile!

Walking back from Central Park, we headed to the tourism center, Times Square!  This was a neon delight and a much bigger area than we expected.  Where else can you see a wall of neverending M&M`s, giant billboards and toy stores with Ferris Wheels and 20 foot robot Dinosaurs?  The answer is of course ALL in  Times Square!

We left this evening satisfied with what we saw in half a day exploring – and eager to find more tomorrow.  We also left clutching some tickets to our first Broadway Musical for Tuesday night!








Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.