Remember when I told you it was “safe to say” the Boston door had closed? Because they told us they’d contact him within a week if they wanted that final face-to-face interview. And we’d never hear from them again if they didn’t.
And a week went by. And another week went by.
And then, today, during MOPS, Michael Jackson started belting ‘Thriller’ from my coat pocket and I realized, as the blood rushed to my face, that I had forgotten to mute my phone. Fumbling with the buttons, I intended to send them the busy signal, but in my rush to get the darn thing to shut up, I ended up actually answering the call. Not recognizing the area code, I quickly hung up on them.
Yep. I hung up on Boston.
But they must really be interested in Josh. Because they called back. (I had muted the phone by this point). They left a message. They want to send him there for an interview.
They left a number. I gave it to Josh. He left a message. I took a nap. They called Josh. He called me. I groggily answered to receive the information that we’re headed to Boston on December 12th.
By our estimates, we’ll have at least one free day to sight-see. Any recommendations?
“We”? So you’ll all be going for the interview? That’s awesome.
I recommend you spend your free day sight-seeing apartment complexes and areas of the city you might live, so you don’t have to make that decision sight-unseen and end up in a bad or inconvenient area.
I agree with Joanna. Apartments aren’t as exciting as historical sights, but a very wise use of your time.
That’s what I suggested, too, actually, but Josh said he’d rather sight-see… 🙂
Oooh ooh do the Freedom Trail! It’s so amazing. And make sure you go to Public Garden and see the ducklings from McClosky’s book “Make Way for Ducklings”. I think that was my favorite part from Boston. The Freedom Trail is a pretty neat self-guided walking tour (and free!) that takes you through all the main attractions of Boston. It took us like 4 hours, and I was pretty tired, so I don’t know how long Olivia and Benjamin will be able to do it, but you should look into it and see if you can do a portion and at least get highlights. It’s the best way to see Boston, though, at least in my opinion. 🙂
Ashley and I know lots of people out in Boston and New England in general so we can get some suggestions about where good housing would be from the natives.
You should move next door to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. See? Problem solved. Go out and sightsee! 😉
This just in: Boston says they’ll pay for us all to fly out and house hunt if he takes the job. So we’re free to just sight-see during the interview weekend.
I LOVE BOSTON!! My aunt and uncle live there and I wish I got to visit them more. They actually live in Roslindale, which is a really friendly suburb, if you need suggestions.
1. Go to Cambridge and see Harvard. I almost dropped all college plans when I saw the Quad. It’s beautiful. So is the area around the campus.
2. Freedom trail! I agree with Ashley, it’s beautiful, and if the leaves are still pretty, it’s even better!
3. Plus the endless scores of museums in the area.
4. If you had an extra day, I would go to Cape Cod. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been, and it’s so peaceful and calming and “New England.”
Ah, Ok, that’s pretty standard. I thought that maybe if they were flying you out this time, this was the only trip the whole family got to go out & house-search. Exciting!
Not that I want you to move to Boston, because I don’t.
That is exciting. I will pray for you. I know this feeling of excitment and anticipation and aprehension about job hunting and not knowing what God is saying by opening several doors at once. I really hope God gives you peace in the direction He has planned for you.
My only piece of advice is to let God and your husband make the final decision. I made the mistake of weighing in too heavily in the direction *I* thought was right and my husband suffered at a miserable job while I kicked myself for eight months (thankfully, it was not years!). We still discuss things at length, but I try to be neutral and pray like crazy.
Do you have an opportunity to visit or correspond with any churches in the area where you might live? I would think that knowing that there is (or isn’t) a healthy body of Christians near by would help you in your decision making.
God bless.
I think Andrea in Alaska makes some wise points. I’ve made similar mistakes…but alas, have a fun trip! So excited for you.
I assume this is with kids? The aquarium, Faneuil hall (great food market) and Columbus park (pretty views, great playground) are all within easy walking distance of each other and make a fun day with kids. You can also catch various trolley tours from in front of the aquarium.
Outside of that, there is a nice Children’s Museum within easy walking distance of South Station and the Boston Common which also has great views of the city, a great playground and the famous ducklings in the adjoining public garden.
Hope this helps- feel free to email me if you have any questions (I just found you though 5 minutes for mom and I live outside Boston).
I second the freedom trail – it’s free and it gives you a great sense of the history of the place. I love all the old buildings. Also, gravestones of famous people.
I’ve been in a similar situation with the job search – I had an interview, was supposed to know one way or the other by the end of the week – i didn’t hear anything until I was just about ready to pack up and move somewhere else two months later when they called and asked if I was still interested. Worked out well in my case.
Good luck with everything
I really recommend doing just a modified freedom trail… that way you won’t wear the kids out and can still see the best sights. this is how it works: Ok, if you start on the freedom trail at Quincy Market and head north by the Holocaust Memorial, it will take you by the oldest tavern in the US, the boston farmer’s market (crazy busy if on saturday!), then to the italian section of town and by Paul Revere’s house (which you can tour for a modest fee), then by the Old North Church (think one if by land, two if by sea… its definitely worth stepping in and looking around!) and then the oldest graveyard in boston (has some amazing trees too… overlooks the harbor, gorgeous!), then you can cross the river and go straight up to Bunker Hill (the trail would take you to the harbour to see the ships, but its a good deal out of the way. i recommend just walking straight up to the bunker hill monument. you cant miss it lol… its 300ish steps to the top if you want to climb the monument… only 1/3 of the washington monument’s hight though 🙂 …. then when you’re done there, keep your eye on the custom house tower and you’ll easily find your way back to quincy market. make sure you eat there when you’re done! hope that helps, i’ve guided this walk many times… it’s the best way to see the freedom trail without making it take a whole day and getting exhausted 🙂
sorry, the custom house tower is the one with the huge clock. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custom_House_Tower for picture.
Hi! I just wanted to let you know I added you to my blogroll on my blog. I just recently found you and enjoy your blog a lot. I live about 40 minutes from Boston in Dracut,MA. I agree with all of the suggestions above for sightseeing. Oh, and in case you didn’t already know, it’s EXPENSIVE to live here! LOL I’m a transplant from Texas.I moved here my second year of college with my family. My family moved back to Texas and I stayed b/c I married a man from here. Anyway, God bless you in this decision and enjoy your visit to the area.
Hi – I’m not sure if you get comments on past posts – I just posted one on the Vaccinations page. I can’t find hibTITER anywhere! My baby girl is due for her HIB vaccination and when I asked for the HIB vaccine without aluminum I was brought in a package insert for ActHIB. It doesn’t contain aluminum but does contain trace amounts of Thermerisol! Arghhhh! Does anyone know where hibTITER can be found?
Old Ironsides (The USS Constitution) is by the Bunker Hill area. You can tour the ship and museum for free. It’s a REALLY cool tour on the ship. They’ll be open on Dec. 12. http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/VisitorInformation.htm
The State House (with the big gold dome) is also on the Freedom Trail. It’s across the street from Boston Common, near the playground. You can tour it for free, and it’s definitely worth going inside and taking the tour.
Stop at Mike’s Pastries, near Paul Revere’s house, for excellent cannoli and other desserts. (cash only)
I just love Boston! I recommend that you take the duck tour. It’s fun to go around the city with those vehicles. And to add to that, it’s great to have a tour guide who can explain to you a lot of historical things. It’s not going to take a lot of your time. You can apartment hunt half of the day, then do the tour in the afternoon. Try to get tickets early so you can choose which time is convenient for you. Enjoy!
Commenting usually isnt my thing, but ive spent an hour on the site, so thanks for the info