Niagara, NYC, and Boston

It’s been a while since my last post, but these past few months have been busy ones. Finding out that we’re expecting in January has added nursery preparations and life insurance applications to our typical routine. They’re exciting times for sure, but we were also glad to have the opportunity to take a much needed vacation to Niagara, NYC, and Boston.

Now, Niagara, New York City, and Boston may sound like a lot for nine days (and to some extent it was), but we were able to experience so much in each city. Here are the highlights:

Day 1 - June 9

We hit the ground running when we landed in Buffalo. After dropping our stuff off at the Giacomo hotel, we headed straight for the American falls to get soaked in the “Cave of the Winds” tour. Then we headed over to the Canadian falls for some impressive views. Since we’re overachievers, we did the “Maid of the Mist” tour, too. Definitely worth getting up close to the falls, but if we were to go again, we’d try the Canadian side and avoid the madness that was the elevator line to get to the boats.

Cave of the Winds American Falls Natalie and Kyle on Rainbow Bridge View from Rainbow Bridge Kyle in Front of American Falls Canadian View of American Falls Canadian Falls

Day 2 - June 10

Sunday was mostly a travel day, but we did sneak in a small trip to the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site. This was where Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated after McKinley’s assassination.

Roosevelt inauguration site Roosevelt inauguration site Roosevelt inauguration site

After we flew into New York, we managed to use the rest of the day to visit Times Square, the largest Macy’s I’ve ever seen, the Empire State building, and Grand Central Station before ending the day with some views of New York City’s skyline at Top of the Rock.

Empire State Building Ginormous Macy's Empire State Building Lobby Top of the Rock NY Skyline

Day 3 - June 11

The next day we were up bright and early exploring Battery Park while we waited to get tickets to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. There was so much to see in both of these places. Ellis Island in particular offered lengthy and detailed audio tours of the museum exhibits.

Battery Park Statue of Liberty Inside the pedestal Natalie and a pedestal view Lady liberty's skirts On liberty island

We spent the rest of the day exploring other points of interest like Federal Hall, the Charging Bull statue, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

Wall St and Broadway Federal Hall The stone on which George Washington was inaugurated One World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial

Day 4 - June 12

Tuesday was split between a bike ride in Central Park in the morning and the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in the afternoon. We ended the night with the Broadway show Come From Away, which was the highlight of our trip. The musical tells the true story of plane passengers who were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The story of how the town welcomed the passengers like neighbors was moving, and the music and acting were superb.

Natalie meets Balto Cleopatra's Needle in Central Park The "Burnett Pond" Climbing rocks in Central Park Natalie wondering if we can take a nap in the bunks Kyle on the cold war era nuclear submarine Fighter jet Big anchors for a big aircraft carrier Anti-aircraft guns Come From Away

Day 5 - June 13

On Wednesday we left our tiny New York Hotel room to catch our early train ride from Penn Station to Boston. After making our way to our Boston hotel, we found our way to Boston Common. We arrived to the visitor’s center right before a tour group was about to depart and decided to join the tour. Even though we didn’t have this specific tour on our agenda, it turned out to be our most favorite thing we did while in Boston.

John Hancock Paul Revere Sam Adams Boston Massacre victims Old City Hall

After that, we went to the Museum of Fine Arts, which was having donation-only hours after 4 PM. Like Ellis Island, it had way too much to see in one day, but we hit the highlights.

Museum of Fine Arts Paul Revere's work George Washington Paul Revere Caesar Augustus Claude Monet Claude Monet

Day 6 - June 14

Thursday morning and early afternoon were spent on a whale watching tour. Then we headed to some of the sites on the Freedom Trail that weren’t covered on Wednesday’s tour, like the Bunker Hill monument. We spent the last part of the day exploring the USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat.

Whale tail Site of Boston Massacre Statue of Paul Revere Signal lanterns of Paul Revere Old North Church Natalie captaining the USS Constitution USS Constitution Cannons Bunker Hill Monument Dr. Warren statue at the Bunker Hill Monument Massachusetts gate

Day 7 - June 15

By the end of the week, we were getting pretty tired. On Friday we decided to take it easy and spent the day just walking around Harvard and MIT. We ended the day at a nice restaurant on the harbor.

Site of Boston Massacre Statue of Paul Revere Signal lanterns of Paul Revere

Day 8 - June 16

The reason why we decided to take this trip in the first place was because of a wedding on that Saturday. We figured if we were going to be flying up to Boston anyway, might as well make a vacation out of it.

The wedding wasn’t until that evening in Foxborough though, so we stopped in Lexington and Concord to visit the Minute Man National Historic Park where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired.

Paul Revere capture site House on Minute Men trail Burial site Revolutionary War monument Shot heard 'round the world bridge Natalie and Kyle on the bridge Serene waters