That looks like so much fun! I was fortunate while in the UK my final sit was in Plymouth, so i hopped on the ferry one day to Cawsand Bay. Originally I had thought of taking the train to St. Ives for the day, but since i had a long train ride when I left I decided not to do a day trip there. Cawsand bay was beautiful and close proximity to Plymouth making it an easy day trip. I loved Cornwall and plan to return and explore more. It was my favorite region in the UK.
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That’s a lovely ferry trip @Catgoddess_99 . We did a sit in Saltash this time last year. We visited Cawsand one day, then returned another day to take the ferry to Plymouth and back. We definitely went the long way round, but my sons had pointed out that they had never been on a boat trip on the sea.
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Let’s talk about Boston, Massachusetts…
The City of Boston, one of the oldest cities founded in the USA and considered by many to be the cradle of the American Revolution, is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The city was founded in 1630 by Puritan settlers on the Shawmut Peninsula, and was named after the city of Boston in Lincolnshire, England. Several important events linked to the American Revolution and subsequent war occurred in Boston including the Boston Massacre (1770), the Boston Tea Party (1773), Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride (1775), the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775) and the Siege of Boston (1775 - 1776). Boston is the location of the first public park in the United States (Boston Common, 1634), the first public school (Boston Latin School, 1635), and the first subway system (Tremont Street Subway, 1897).
Today it is a vibrant, beautiful city that offers the visitor and resident a multitude of cultural, sporting and culinary venues. It is a city that I have visited often and cannot wait to return to again.
One area that I particularly like is Newbury Street, a mile long street with historic 19th-century brownstones that contain numerous shops and restaurants. It is located in the Back Bay area of the city which is well worth a stroll around.
There are many historic buildings in the City of Boston but one that I particularly like is the Old State House. Built in 1713, it was the seat of the Massachusetts General Court until 1798. It is one of the landmarks on Boston’s Freedom Trail and is the oldest surviving public building in Boston. Boston’s Freedom Trail is a 2 and a half mile walk through Boston that passes 16 locations that were significant to the history of the United States.
The Old State House.
Another area that I enjoy visiting is Boston Harbour. It is here that you can take a trip to go whale watching which we did and were very fortunate to get close and view some incredible Humpback Whales. 
John and I at Boston Harbour.
Some stunning Humpback Whales we spotted during our whale watching trip.
On our return we visited the Chart House, located in the oldest surviving structure on the Long Wharf. It was formerly the John Hancock Counting House but is now a superb seafood restaurant. It is here that you can sample the delicious Clam Chowder which has 3 basic ingredients; clams, potatoes and cream or milk. If for any reason the Chart House is full you might like to try Legal Sea Foods, another excellent seafood restaurant sandwiched between Atlantic Avenue and Long Wharf.
If you haven’t had enough of seafood by dinner time then you could try Ostra, a contemporary Mediterranean restaurant, inspired by local and European varieties of seafood. The name Ostra actually translates to oyster in Spanish and is located in the Park Square/Back Bay area adjacent to the Boston Common.
Some photos from one of our meals at Ostra Restaurant.
Boston is not only famous for its Clam Chowder but also a delicious dessert called Boston Cream Pie. However, the dessert is not a pie, it is actually a cake of 2 layers of golden sponge separated by a thick layer of rich eggy pastry cream and the whole structure draped in chocolate, thoroughly delicious!! 
The original is still baked daily at Parker’s Restaurant located in the Omni Parker House, a downtown Boston hotel.
The city of Boston was also the location for the American sitcom, Cheers, which aired between 1982 and 1993 for 11 seasons and 275 episodes. You can still visit the Bull & Finch Pub (aka Cheers), which was the inspiration for the Cheers television series and is located on the North side of the Boston Public Garden.
These are photos I took from a previous visit to the ‘Cheers’ bar.
This is just a few of the things I have experienced whilst visiting this beautiful city. 
I am sure that there are other members on here who have great memories of visits to Boston, or perhaps you live there or are currently on a sit there?
@Joanne @ExploreDreamDiscover @Malak @lojo628 @MKMcTigue @Henderson22 @DianeDarling @Kairee @Catgoddess_99 @Nan4canada @Brigitte @Mary-Kay @Royalmidwife @toml @s4xton @Maggie8K @sledgejoyce @TashaN @ziggy @Marion @AnnAboutTown
Please share anything and everything Boston related. 
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Boston is great! I had a week sit there in May, one of the south suberbs. I love New England, yet not in the summer with Ticks and humidity. Did you guy’s visit recently?
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Not recently no, although we try to visit as often as we can.
We have just recently returned from Portugal.
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Boston is a decent hop, skip and jump from across the pond, the west coast however is a bit of a haul…
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Ahh we don’t mind as we love flying! 
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Well thats good, I used to love it however thing’s have changed a lot since my day’s working for an airline. Now, i get more restless, but still make it work.
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Lovely pictures. I am in Seattle right now but I am not very good at photography.
After Anchorage, I’m really enjoying strolling and feeling the city vibe. It’s a a diversity friendly city with a very relaxed atmosphere.
Looking forward to my whale watching tour tomorrow.
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I’m new to this thread and it’s a wealth of knowledge and a great collection of lovely pictures. Thanks everyone for your contributions.
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Which company are you going whale watching with? I lived in the San Juan island’s from 07-12 and did a bit of on call naturalist work for a whale watching company. I also was a docent at the Whale musuem in Friday harbor on San Juan Island. Washington state has great whale watching.
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FRS Clipper. It’s guaranteed, if I don’t see whales I get a free tour to try again.
I’ve never seen orcas and it seems there are good chances.
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I’m home in San Francisco and currently on a 2 month sit for a kitty. Here’s a couple of views where I am right smack in the fog belt just south of twin peaks.
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Hi @Sam_F and other forum peeps, do you have any recommendations for a first time visit to Buenos Aires and Argentina in general in Feburary & March. We have 10 days to fill either side of an Antarctic cruise. So many options, so hard to decide what to do…
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Please let us know how the whale watching turns out @Newpetlover. I am doing a Seattle sit in mid-September and that is amongst my plans. Cheers
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Hi @Crookie
What a fabulous prospect, 10 days in Buenos Aires and Argentina in general! We have been a few times and absolutely loved the city and venturing off to other areas of the country. 
Buenos Aires is known as the Paris of South America because of its stunning architecture, La Casa Rosada or “The Pink House” was once a palace and is now the official workplace of the President of the Argentine Republic. It was from the balcony here that Eva Perón famously addressed the throngs of impassioned supporters packed in to Plaza de Mayo.
You might also like to visit Eva Perón’s grave, at La Recoleta Cemetery. There is a small entrance fee and it is no ordinary graveyard. Recoleta Cemetery is one of the world’s most exquisite necropolises - home to more than 6400 tombs, mausoleums and monuments laid out in formal tree lined avenues.
Another interesting area to visit is the restored Dock Area. Here there are numerous restaurants, bars, businesses and hotels in the old warehouses. One nice way to reach this area from the city is to cross the Puente de la Mujer.
Another point of historical interest is the Torre Monumental, formerly known as Torre de los Ingleses (“Tower of the English”). It is a clock tower in the Plaza Fuerza Aérea Argentina, between the Sheraton Hotel and the main railway station. The tower was a gift from the British residents of Buenos Aires to commemorate the centennial of the May Revolution. The stone for its construction, namely the White Portland stone and the bricks from Stonehouse, Gloucestershire came from England and the inauguration took place on May 24th, 1916.
A photo of the Torre Monumental by day and by night which I took on one of our visits there.
Across the main road from here you will find the Falklands Memorial, Monumento a los Caídos en Malvinas. If you walk back to the main road from the memorial and go to your left you will see in front of you the Big Apple coffee shop. The empanadas in here are fabulous! If you go up the hill in the park to the top left hand corner you will find a street called Florida. This is a pedestrian promenade which goes on for some distance and there are numerous shops, cafes and restaurants here.
Another intriguing area of Buenos Aires is La Boca, an area of brightly coloured buildings. It was the area where a large number of the immigrants from Europe and Asia, and in particular the Italian region of Liguria settled. It is here that you can find tango dancing and tango related memorabilia being sold, particularly on the pedestrian street the Caminito. There are also many excellent tango shows available in several venues, some of which include dinner. It is also home to the world famous football team the Boca Juniors. 
Speaking of food Argentina is renowned for its steaks and one of the best restaurants we have found is called The New Brighton at Sarmiento 645. This is a quintessentially old fashioned Argentinian steak house with lots of polished wood and brass railings. Another good but not quite so posh steak house is El Establo Parrila, Calle Paraguay 489. The creamed spinach here is not to be missed!
A photo I took inside the New Brighton restaurant.
A restaurant outside of Buenos Aires but is well worth a visit is the Gato Blanco, Bartolomé Mitre 345, Delta del Parana, Tigre. This restaurant is on one of the islands that make up the Paraná River Estuary to the North of Buenos Aires. You will need to take a train from the main station to Tigre and then a water taxi out to the restaurant but you will need to book a table in advance as it gets busy!
A photo I took of the Gato Blanco restaurant.
You may also like to stop in the town of San Isidro either on the way up or the way back. It is another very pretty town with beautiful architecture.
A photo I took of San Isidro Cathedral.
Outside of Buenos Aires, one of our favourite places in the entire world is Foz do Iguaçu, a stunning complex of waterfalls and wildlife which borders Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, which is roughly a 2 hour flight from the city. We personally favour the Brazilian side as they seem to have it better organised and we think better views of the waterfalls. We stay at the Belmond Hotel das Cataratas and here you can enjoy sipping cocktails whilst watching the Toucans fly past!
Some photos from our previous trips to Foz do Iguaçu taken from the Brazilian side.
If you love wine then you might like to take a trip from Buenos Aires to Mendoza, in the foothills of the Andes. It is a world renowned area of wine production with countless superb vineyards. Again this is around a 2hr flight from Buenos Aires. 
I hope this has given you both some ideas to plan around and hopefully other members will contribute their ideas on here too.
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In Buenos Aires, I would add
- café Tortoni, the oldest in the city. Famous writers like Lorca, Borges or Cortázar were customers also Carlos Gardel, famous for his tangos.
- El ateneo grand splendid.It is now a book shop but it used to be a theatre and it still has the same structure.
In Argentina, you could go to El Calafate and see glaciers Perito Moreno and Upsala. Or you could go further down to Ushuaia, which claims to be the southernmost city on the planet. Best whale watching I’ve ever done is in Peninsula Valdés but I don’t know if February would be a good time. There are a couple of places where you can watch them from the beach (el Doradillo and Las Canteras) or you can take a short cruise. In peninsula Valdés, too, there are a couple of Welsh villages ( Trelew and Gaiman), where they still speak Welsh Gaelic and serve British tea and cakes.
Argentina is one of my favorite countries. You are going to love it.
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I have a friend who’s a naturalist for Puget sound express, i believe their boats leave out of Edmonds. I know quite a few people in the business. My suggestion though is to go to San Juan island, and go out with Legacy whale watching or Western prince in Friday harbor I know people on both. Will you have a vehicle? San Juans are about two hours from Seattle via the ferry from Anacortes, the easiest route is to drive to Anacortes, park your car and walk on the ferry. Let me know and i can give you more details.
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Hi,
We did see Orcas, a family of four and three Sea Lions. My pictures are terrible. I’ve bought the flash drive with professional pictures but I haven’t got my computer so I won’t be able to see them until I get back home.
The tour was longer than expected because they were further away. In fact, they were in Canadian waters in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
I asked the Naturalist on board about your dates and she said chances would be similar for orcas and hunchback whales. Sometimes they are closer to Seattle, sometimes closer to Edmonds, from where other cruises depart. But we met them on the same spot. In fact, they are in touch with one another. All the cruises today saw the same orcas, only the boat trip was longer for us. I preferred it this way because it was more convenient for me as it’s just a short bus ride away from where I am staying.
I took a similar trip from Redcliffe, near Brisbane in Australia. If you have never seen them it maybe worth it. For me, after the experience in Argentina, where they were so near that we were actually splashed, it just nice to watch but only if you have a day to spare. The boat left at 10.30. Boarding starts at 9.30 and we were back at 5. We were meant to be back at 3.30 but we had to travel further than usual.
I hope it helps.
If you finally decide to take this cruise, ask me about the seat selection.
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Thanks for the ideas @Sam_F and @Newpetlover. We are actually in Argentina for 20 days in addition to our Antarctic cruise out of Ushuaia. We were wondering whether to stay on the Argentina or Brazil side when visiting Iguazu Falls. We are going to fly from there to Salta for a few nights and back to BA again before the cruise. After the cruise we come back to BA and then fly to Mendoza for a few days of wine! We are tossing up whether to fly 1 hour from there to Santiago in Chile or catch the 6-8 hour bus ride over the Andes to Santiago. The scenery at 4500-6500 metres high looks amazing but the road looks really scary. Has anyone ever done this trip and survived to tell us about it?
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