Family, and a Trip into Boston

Jennie

Dec 8

Family! That word is powerful, for it's how we grow, and how we 'become'. It is our source of support and extended love, even though it can be tumultuous at times.

I tell my preschool class that we are a family, because we are. I share my own family stories. I'll be sharing today's events with them, too. They are filled with adventure, worry, help, wonder, and sticking together. That's what we do at school as a family, and that's what I did with my family.

Our daughter and grandchildren arrived from the west coast.
It's been over a year.

Today we went into Boston. The New England Aquarium was #1 on the list. Riding the train and taking the subway was #2. It was not easy. Navigating Boston's commuter rail system is not for the faint of heart. The first stop was the train station.

All the train lines are purple.

At last we arrived at North Station in Boston. It's the central location where every subway line connects. In Boston it's called the T, not the subway. This is where we felt alone and a little worried. Hey, I've ridden the T, but when you're at the hub of all the connecting lines, it is very daunting.

We figured it out. Of course! That's what families do. The ticket to get onto the T is a Charlie Card. My goodness, I didn't know Charlie Cards were still around.

When I was a teenager and played the ukulele, everybody's favorite song was M.T.A. by the Kingston Trio. The song is about a man named Charlie and riding the M.T.A. in Boston. Today the cards are named for Charlie. And people call the M.T.A. the T.

We were on our way!

We were on the Orange Line and needed to connect to the Blue Line. Does that statement alone make you feel a little stressed or worried? As soon as we got off the Orange Line, we followed the path... yet there was no Blue Line. We ended up outside on the street. For those of you who have never been to Boston, the city is a wonderful mix of old and new. The streets are narrow and winding, the opposite of cities with streets built on a grid.

Our goal, our destination, was the New England Aquarium. We had an address, but GPS walking directions were terrible. It's been ages since I walked around the center of Boston. We felt very alone, a teeny bit worried, and just needed a good map; a fold-out map that shows where you are in relation to everything else. Why doesn't everyone realize this is a golden tool?

Someone saw us and must have realized we needed help. Yes, good people are everywhere. Really. A point in the right direction and we were on our way. Walking in Boston was delightful, once we (kind of) knew where we were going.

We arrived at the New England Aquarium. It is world famous in teaching about ocean life, and their animal rescues. Outside the museum are pools of sea lions, tanks of sharks, and more. Inside the museum is the exhibit of penguins in a natural habitat.

They swim, dive, climb rocks, spar with other penguins, and more.

Then comes the main exhibit, a gigantic round fish tank that is the central part of the aquarium. People walk up and around the tank, watching fish that live on the ocean floor, to watching fish that live close to the surface.