Drive. Pray. Scream?: Day 75: Quack!

The countdown to Irene is on here in Boston...we hope it means that the crowds will be smaller so we can squeeze in more of the sites before the storm hits on Sunday. This afternoon the kids had their first experience riding a subway. We hope to jump onto it a few more times and that it stays open for easy trips into the downtown area.

Kelsey and Kendall would say the subway doesn't add up to the fun we had on the Boston duck tour. The duck vehicles are amphibious landing trucks dating back to WWII. Our hilarious driver/tour guide drove our group by many of the historic sites and then headed straight down a ramp and into the Charles River. After he entertained with the usual slew of jokes and anecdotes that you expect on such a touristy activity, he invited the girls to come to the front of the duck and pilot us around the river basin.

A few of the things we learned about Boston:
* it contains more than 50 colleges, which means the population increases by 30% when the term begins.
* the Harvard Bridge (spanning the Charles River) is measured in Stoots--an MIT student named Oliver Stoot was ordered, as part of a fraternity hazing, to measure the length of the bridge using his body. At one end of the bridge, a painted marker states "36 and 1/ear Stoots."
* Every can of Boston baked beans contains exactly 239 beans...because one more would be (in a Boston accent) too-faaarty.
* Boston's subway system was the first in the nation.
* The nation's oldest jewelry store is in the heart of downtown...and Elizabeth Taylor bought five of her engagement rings there.

We also paid a visit to the Boston Public Library, the oldest lending library in the country. Its old wing contains incredible paintings and marble staircases that bring to mind the castles and grand houses of Europe. That atmosphere is further enhanced in the library's enclosed courtyard, which has the appearance and sounds of a Venetian palace. I don't think I'd get much studying done...the beauty within the old wing is too distracting.

We're settled into our hotel in Cambridge (Kendall is thrilled that its address is Kendall Square!) with food, water and flashlights at hand and the truck parked in a covered garage. And we have games and movies for Sunday, when Irene is expected to hit Boston. Until then, we plan to see and do as much as we can. Unfortunately, Stan and I are a little hobbled...we've come down with pretty bad cases of poison ivy and/or bug bites on our feet. At times, the itchiness is pushing me to the brink of sanity! In the grand scheme of things, especially in light of the impending force of Irene, my feet issues are no big deal. But ugh...they itch!!