Duck Boat on the Charles River
I bought tickets for us to take the Boston Duck Boat Tour around town and down the Charles River. G and I don’t usually participate in tour-based tourism, and we could not determine why. The following walks through our day and tour. Enjoy the photos, and enjoy the ride.
We started our morning outside the New England Aquarium, and G looked wonderful as we waited in the 90ºF heat. I assure you, I was sweating clear through.
We took in the scenes as the rest of our tour mates arrived, and I was able to meet up with my old friend, C Sharp, a sax player that likes to play throwbacks for the right audience. He played a beautiful rendition of The Sound of Silence for us about a year ago.
We entered the Duck Boat, an amphibious bus designed to carry two dozen tourists through the tight streets of Boston and into the Charles River for a boat ride. The vehicle’s roof was signed by hundreds of veterans from the US and other countries, previous riders on the tour. Outlining said roof were rows of life jackets, should we go down.
This tea kettle hangs outside a modern-day Starbucks. The kettle was previously used as a sign for passersby to advertise the tea company that once stood there. The kettle contains real water, a little over 227 gallons, and steams in real time.
We drove through Boston a ways and I was enticed by several street crossings and the way people consume space in the city. For such a small place, Boston hosts about 600,000 residents. I was particularly interested in the concept of capturing scenes from within the Duck Boat vehicle. The roll of a tourist is a roll in the city, and I did my best to play it.
The Old South Church, or rather the steeple of the Old South Church, in Copley Square.
Making our way to the Charles River.
This photograph was made the moment our amphibious vehicle entered the Charles River. Unnatural, turbulent, exhilarating. First on wheels, then floating, propellers turning.
We saw sights from the water.
We passed under Longfellow Bridge and made our great turn to head back to land. I was entranced by the size and architecture.
After our return to the launch point, G and I walked to a restaurant for some lunch. The tour was incredible, but unbelievably hot. We were due for some drinks as well.
The library grabbed my attention on the tour, so G and I took the T over to Copley. She gave me a wonderful tour of the building, as I’d never been. I was overwhelmed by the interior and the scale of it all, particularly on account of it being a library and not a museum of art.
G and I have pushed tourist activities away for quite long enough. I thoroughly enjoyed all that I learned, and it looked like G had a tremendous time. We will surely try to find more tours, and I will bring a better camera. Thanks for enjoying!