Checking off the List

This week and weekend we've been checking off the list of all the fun, touristy stuff that we wanted to do before leaving Boston:

Last Tuesday was the last night before another one of our travel nurse friends was leaving Boston because of the end of his contract. We went to the Top of the Hub restaurant, which is kind of equivalent to the Sun Dial in Atlanta, minus the revolving part. We had some $10 martinis, listened to some live jazz, and enjoyed the beautiful view of the nighttime lights of Boston.

Friday night we checked out the Museum of Science, which has been located practically in our backyard the whole time we've been here. Although it was geared mostly towards kids, with easy-to-read and interactive exhibits, I still enjoyed it because I'm such a science nerd at heart. The exhibits closed at nine, but then we got to see an IMAX film called Alaska: Spirit of the Wild, and that was just plain cool.

Saturday morning we went down to the Boston harbor (hahbuh) to go on a whale watching boat ride. Luckily, the weather was relatively warm, and we got a break from the rain, so it was decent for boating. The boat took us way out of the harbor to an area called Stellwagen Bank, where whales come to feed on the plankton-rich waters every summer. It was really cool because some of the whales we saw came within probably 20 feet of the boat. Then they might hang out for a minute or two, take a few breaths, and then dive back under again. We got some great pictures of not only the whales, but also the Boston harbor as we were leaving and returning to our dock.

Taken on the way out to sea

A humpback whale poking his bumpy head out.

I think he is waving at us.

A whale spout

Taken as we were coming back in

And here we are, almost back at our dock.

Then Saturday afternoon, we visited the New England Aquarium, which was conveniently located right next to the docks that the whale watching boats were leaving from. Although it was really crowded, we still had a great time checking out all the fishy exhibits. One of the coolest things they had was a gigantic aquarium (40 feet across and 23 feet deep) with a ramp that spiraled around it, and had a bunch of huge windows that you could look into as you walked along the ramp. I loved the penguin exhibits too 'cause they are just so darn cute!

Here is a big ass shark.

This is a rescued sea turtle that is estimated to be 65-70 years old.

And the cutest penguins ever!

Today we were supposed to go to the Museum of Fine Arts, but we were so exhausted we slept until 1:30 this afternoon! Oh well, we might still have a chance to go at the end of this week in between all of the packing we still have to do. And anyway, it's all cold and rainy again today so I'm not that excited about going anywhere.