Sam and I went on the Boston Duck Tour the other day which was a downright blast! Our entertaining “duck driver” was Major Groovy. Indeed he was quite groovy as advertised and hilarious to boot! However, much to Sam’s chagrin, we were placed in a lavender boat with purple polka dots all over. For his sake we pretended it was “really kinda bluish.” Then we took pictures using this green boat for background instead. Tricky, man!
First was Sam’s inaugural ride on the T. I’ve never seen anyone so happy to be underground surrounded by screeching brakes. Maybe it was seeing Dunkin Donuts kiosks at every stop.
We caught the tour at the Museum of Science. It was hard to miss it with this t-rex outside making himself known. The hotdog stand looked like it could be his next target. Aieeeeee!
We had quite a grand tour on land and water of neighborhoods all over the city, driving in style. People were beeping, waving, and yelling “quack, quack” at us the entire time. So these ducks boats are quite cool but not exactly a stealth machine.
Even as a Boston native, I learned quite a bit of factoids and trivia about the history of Beantown. I had no idea that much of Boston is man-made land via filled-in waterways back in the day. Plus I didn’t know that it is 7 1/2 square miles with 84 Dunkin Donuts within the city limits! The USS Constitution, aka “Old Ironsides,” is actually made out of wood. Used in the war of 1812, it has never been defeated in battle. Plus it still works (for ceremonial purposes only) and is part of the US Navy.
Did you know that the Charles River is now one of the cleanest urban rivers in the country? Not long ago it was rated one of the worst polluted. In fact, it was so famous for its dirty water that there’s a song written about called, appropriately enough, “Dirty Water.” In case you are not familiar, it goes, “Love that dirty water… Boston, you’re my home.” Unfortunately “love that clean water” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, but it’s still worth it to be able to take a swim in the summer!
The best part of all was seeing Boston without having to navigate the streets myself! Phew!
Check it out for yourself at www.BostonDuckTour.com
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