Skip to main content

For My Family’s Initial Pilgrimage to Boston, Massachusetts- Origins of Thanksgiving




















I love vacations. I use them as presents, when there is something to celebrate, or as a break from my regular life, and especially around the holidays.     

In 2014, I could think of no better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with a family trip to Boston, Massachusetts. 

There were six of us on this trip and we left bright and early that Thursday morning. Of course I had our itinerary fully prepared and reservations made. 

First up was Plimoth Plantation. 

Plimoth Plantation is a recreation of a seventeenth century village including farms, houses, gardens, with accurate historic details as well as a replica of the Wampanoag homestead.

This was the largest place we would visit this day. The site is on beautiful, natural grounds. If the weather holds up you could wander around for hours. 

First up you will enter through the Wampanoag site. Here there are no actors. Each person you see is actually apart of this historic tribe. Their clothing and activities are period appropriate as you learn how they lived, grew their crops, made their meals, and kept their traditions alive. 

From here you walk down a ways until you appear at the entry way of a small seventeenth century village. You will see men and women in clothes of the day as well as several farm animals. You can walk in and out of the huts and buildings to see the different functions and layouts. Questions about their lifestyle and beliefs are welcome as each person as some information to impart. 

At this point all that remains is the long walk back to the main entrance, a stop at the gift shop, and then to trying to remember where you parked. I strongly recommend getting here when it opens as it gets more crowded as the afternoon goes on. 

If you want to add some extra fun to your visit you can eat your Thanksgiving meal here! Just be sure to make your reservations a couple of months in advance. 























From Plimoth Plantation we took a short drive to the spot on the river where the Mayflower II is docked. 
    
The Mayflower II is a ship that is a full scale recreation of the original that brought pilgrims to America. It looks tiny considering that it once held over one hundred people at one time.  

The boat was very rocky for one that was docked and much smaller on the inside than it looked from the outside. To imagine that this is exactly the size of the real ship is incredible. How anyone fit, let alone traveled, and lived boggles the mind. It is a miracle.      

The ship is not currently open to the public as it is undergoing a massive restoration in anticipation of the four-hundredth anniversary celebration of the pilgrim’s landing in 2019. 

But when it does reopen be sure to get the pass that includes Plimoth Plantation for a reduced entry fee, if you plan to visit both spots. 








I saved the best for last. This relic was just down the road and around the corner from the Mayflower II. It was also the object I most wanted to see in all of Boston, except for Donnie Wahlberg himself, which sadly never happened.   

Plymouth Rock is as close to the actual birthplace of America as one could get. Originally this location, where the very first pilgrims landed, was fifteen feet by three feet. However, through the years, relocation, weather, and thieves who chipped off bits as souvenirs, the ten ton boulder that stood here untouched for over one hundred and twenty years, is half the size it used to be. 

Plymouth Rock is surrounded by an iron gate and your look down to get a glimpse. The vantage point is a little difficult and you have to stick your camera around the bars if you don’t want them in your photo, which I definitely did not. Just be extra careful not to drop your phone/camera. 

The portion you see is really only one-third of the actual rock, apparently the part that lies beneath the sand is even larger. 

It is estimated that one million people pass by to see this famous rock each year. Considering that I was visiting on the Super Bowl for this relic it wasn’t too crowded. Without any effort I was able to get to stand right in front and take a nice long look, and then begin my photoshoot. 

The last time I was this close to a piece of Plymouth Rock I was in my hometown visiting Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York (http://bit.ly/2BsdkUR). Of course the similarities in the name should be a dead give away. Plymouth Church got its name and a piece of the precious rock because this church was originally known as the Church of the Pilgrims. Both figuratively, and literally. This church was designated a National Historic landmark back in 1961.

After all of this important and enthralling sightseeing we were headed to the hotel where the only other itinerary item that remained was Thanksgiving dinner. 

For More Information:





Comments

  1. This was a great trip and the photos are awesome.. Thanks for planning it. xoxo

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

For My Madness During Migraine Awareness Month

Last weekend as I sat staring at the blank page in front of me, I was still surprised and elated that I had an entire day to myself and unlike past experiences it was filled with what I wanted when I wanted it. There were a few rough moments but when I consider the previous twelve hours (and the days to come) have been better than the last week. Especially this last week even though I had braced myself ahead of time, I just didn’t know I should have braced for a more serious episode. I am a chronic migraine sufferer for so many years I don’t quite remember when they started exactly which is ironic because I can remember every special event they have ruined. I remember plays or dinners I was at where I don’t remember what happened but I could tell you what I felt minute by minute. It amazing how the mind works, especially when it’s operated by a migraine brain. In the last few years, specifically the last few years since I have been going to the Montefiore Headac

For Find Out Friday - Why Do Emery Boards Make My Skin Crawl?

You know that sound a fingernail makes when it scratches against a chalkboard?  You know that feeling the sound of that action gives you? I, like most people, hate that sound.  I instantly feel like scrunching my shoulders up to my neck and closing my eyes.  I feel the exact same way when I am using an emery board to file my nails. This annoying sensation has a name: “grima” which is Spanish for disgust or uneasiness. This term basically describes any feeling of being displeased, annoyed, or dissatisfied someone or something.  It is a feeling that psychologists are starting to pay more attention to as it relates to our other emotions.  Emery boards are traditionally made with cardboard that has small grains of sand adhered to them. It is the sandpaper that I believe makes me filled with grima.  According to studies that are being done around the world, it is not just the feeling that we associate with certain things like nails on a chalkboard or by using emery boards

For a New Chain of Mexican Fast Food: “Dos Toros Taqueria”

When it comes to fast food there are the names we are familiar with: McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Chipotle.  In you live in New York City, there is a new kid in town: Dos Toros.  Dos Toros is relatively new to this area but with any hope there might be one in your town soon.  Started by two brothers, Leo and Oliver Kremer, from Berkeley, California, the Mexican food you find here is inspired by food they loved growing up.  In California, the brothers grew up worshipping Gordo Taqueria, a favorite of Bay Area residents since 1977 (now promptly added to my San Francisco to eat list). Much of the recipes and even decor found at Dos Toros has been modeled on Gordo. Before moving to NYC in 2008, the brothers were living very different lives. Leo was the bassist for the band “Third Eye Blind”. Oliver fresh out of college, considered working in the technology or finance industry. Both disillusioned with their lives, they decided to pursue something they have l