One of the most fascinating experience of Lifetime : Whale Watching

Whales, the biggest mammal on this world are one of the most incredible creatures alive.
I have always seen them on Discovery or National Geographic channel and have been fascinated by their size and activities in the water. It was one of my dreams to watch them live and finally the dream came true on my visit to Boston.

Boston and nearby areas are famous for Whale watching on the east coast of USA. Infact, the area between Cape Cod and Cape Ann is the most exclusive seaside vacation spot on eastern coast for whale watching, especially the humpback ones. Therefore, if you want to experience these giant beauties playing around your boats, you should go for one of the whale watching tours.

The reason for good number of whales on US east coast is the Stellwagen Bank , an underwater plateau with steep sides. This lies around 30 miles east of Boston. The steep sides of the plateau cause the deep water currents to rise up when they hit the bank. This helps in bringing the nutrients and minerals from bottom to up and thus feeding the local ecosystem, turning out to be great feeding ground for whales.

Today, around 80% of the whale watching tours of New England takes place between Cape Cod and Cape Ann. You get to see dolphins, humpback, finback and minke whales.

Tours:

There are number of tours available during the whale-watching season that starts from April and ends in October. Main season is July and August during which three tours of three to four hours runs daily. Big boats are available with passenger capacity of 100-400. There are two famous tours as per our analysis, Cape Ann whale watching tour and Viator tour.

Experience

We took Cape Ann whale watching tour and purchased tickets online a few days in advance. We got a good deal on Groupon and it costed us $48 per person (normal $90) for the tour in the afternoon (12pm). It was advised to carry a sweater or jacket, hat and sunscreen for the tour. 

As soon as we started sailing, we witnessed few colorful and lovely boats anchored along the shore. On reaching a mile ahead into the sea, there were two beautiful lighthouses on a scenic island.

We were waiting for the big slur of water but our excitements reached next level when pretty dolphins started performing summersaults around our boat. The view was quite fascinating.

Few more miles ahead and we heard someone screaming, “See at 3’0 clock, there is a big fin going inside the water. The next 2 hours were the most amazing time of our life when we witnessed around 8-10 finback and humpback whales performing their daily activities and playing around our boats.

It was an experience of lifetime and I would definitely suggest everyone to take a whale watching tour once in his or her lifetime.

Dolphin and Whale Watching

Amazing Boats around the shore :

Nearby Sightseeing places :

Here are few of the videos of my whole experience:

Dolphin watching:

Whale-watching Boston:

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The Architectural Masterpiece and Historical Capital of USA

It is one of the oldest and largest cities of USA and capital of Massachusetts.
Magnificent buildings, Stunning architecture, World class universities, whale watching excursions, rich history and picturesque views are what this city is best known for.

I hope you might have guessed the name by now, yes, it is Boston.

I have heard somewhere that if you have lived in Boston once, you will not feel to go anywhere else. That made me more curious to visit this stunning place.

I recently visited Boston and was mesmerized with its beauty and grandeur.

The charm and charisma of the city is so magical that you will be spellbound by its awesomeness and would wish to live here forever.

Here are the top destinations and things to do and see that you can possibly fit into one visit.

1. Harvard and MIT
    Start your day with a visit to the world class universities, Harvard and MIT.
    The moment you set your feet in these top class institutes, there is a different world that awaits
    you. First thing to observe is the modern pieces of architecture and designs that are spread across
    the campus.

    There are hundreds of sculptures and art installations that you can see with the help of a self-
    guided walking tour map.

    The notice boards are filled with latest trends and innovative ideas from the technology world.
    Time Spend – 2 hours

2. Freedom Trail
    After getting a glimpse of the latest in the technology world, go for the ultimate walk through the
    history of USA and America’s fight for liberty.
    The three-mile Freedom Trail leads you through 16 of the city's principal historic monuments and
    sites. It's easy to follow, by the line of red bricks in the sidewalk and by footprints at street
    crossings.
    Time Spend – 2 hours

3. Copley Square
     Located at the heart of the city, Copley Square exhibits the best cultural and architectural delights
     of Boston, which are as follows -:

     - Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel
       This 100 years old hotel is an absolute gem of a space and all are welcome to visit and peruse its
       thoughtful and sumptuous design.

     - Boston Public Library
        If you have interest in art, architecture and maps, this is like a treasure for you.
        You can spend hours checking out the map center, which is home to thousands of maps from
        15^th century to the present day.

     - Trinity Church
        It is a marvelous and beautiful piece of architectural masterwork by Henry Hobson Richardson.
        Visitors from around the world come to examine its rough stones, heavy arches and the over
        21,000 square feet of murals inside the building.

     Time Spend – 2-3 hours depending on what all places you visit.

4. Boston Public Garden
    Located across the street from Boston common is the green heart of the city, Boston Public
    Garden.
     Evening is the best time to visit this place as the cool breeze hits the face and the sky becomes
     colorful. In the summer, the swan boats are a fun thing and the garden is beautiful.

     Time Spend – 1 hour

5. Quincy Market
     The night is finally here and you can witness the city bathing in beautiful colorful lights.
      Though you can visit the Quincy Market at any time of the day but visiting it during the night is
      a lot more fun. You will get the best shops of Boston here, especially when you are up to grab a
      bite or get a souvenir.

      Also the street entertainment is good with lot of nice acts going in tandem.

      Time Spend – 1-1:30 hours

6. Waterfront Attractions
     Surrounded by water on three sides, Boston offers you a huge variety of waterfront parks, river
      and harbor cruises, and hotels and restaurants with spectacular waterfront views.

      The best places to witness the stunning views are :
       - Charles River and the Esplanade
      - Downtown Waterfront and Harbor Cruises

      Walking along the waterfront is quite scenic and pleasant and is the best way to end the day.

      Time Spend – 1 hour

Food:
Cuisine in Boston is similar to the rest of New England cuisine, in that it has a large emphasis on seafood and dairy products. The must try dishes are -:
Clam Chowder, Boston Cream Pie, Lobster pizza and Cannoli.

Stay:
As always, our suggestion is to stay at an AirBnB place, which is available at reasonable prices and is not more than an hour distance from Boston.

Explorerlens Gyan:
1. Parking is a big problem in USA and when you are at places like Boston, where you can do roadside parking only for couple of hours, it becomes quite necessary to find a garage to park your vehicle for the whole day. Typically, the charges for 10+ hours is $15.

2. The best way to explore Boston is on foot or on a bike. You can rent a bike from lot of places at a reasonable rate.

3. Boston is an architectural masterpiece, especially the churches and old monuments.
So it is highly suggested to explore the city strolling the lanes. A good point to start is from the Prudential Center.

4. Boston is also known for its whale watching tours so do book one. I would suggest Cape Ann tours.

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