A great deal of historical information regarding immigration procedures for new arrivals to this country in the early 1900's was provided as part of the Skywalk tour. This depiction of one historical procedure for testing an immigrate's mental ability was quite interesting for Lena!
From the Prudential Tower we walked along Boston's fashionable NEWBURY STREET which features countless shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and other visitor attractions.
There were many of the artists' attractive 'charity' cows positioned along Newbury street in front of these historical high-end residential and commercial buildings.
To say that these cows added color and variety to the neighborhood is a mild understatement!
This particular shop featured all sizes, shapes, and colors of gnomes and similar creatures with which to decorate your home.
On another trip to Boston with Jon, we were able to grab a photo of one of Boston's finest Meter Maids in action as she relentlessly ticketed luckless owners of those cars whose meters had expired.
As a former Moscow citizen who had previously used subways all her life, Lena enjoyed being able to see and experience using the Boston underground.
Two obviously well-fed former Navy men stand and relax outside one of Boston's famous churches.
This is another view of the Prudential Tower taken from a different prospective following our walk along Newbury Street.
One of the many beautiful parks located in downtown Boston.
Jon & Susan encouraged us to go see Nantucket Island for a day, but we discovered all the "fast" ferries (hydroplane-style ferries which take only about 1.5 hours vs 3 hours for the regular, slower ferries) to go from Cape Cod to Nantucket were fully booked because of the 4th of July holiday crowds.
Fortunately, Jon checked the prices for flights on small inter-island air planes and discovered that they were only about 30% more than the 'fast' ferry...and these flights took only about 20 minutes versus 1.5 hours for a "fast" ferry trip!
Lena had never flown on these types of small aircraft that hold only about 9 passengers plus the pilot (with one of the passengers having to sit in the 'co-pilot' seat). For this flight, Steve was assigned to the 'co-pilot' seat and had a great view during the 20 minute flight.
It had been raining in Cape Cod just before we departed on the flight, so we took our umbrellas with us in case the weather would be bad on Nantucket. We were fortunate that the rain stopped and the overcast skies keep the temperature and humidity on the island at reasonably tolerable levels for our 5 hour visit.
We first walked around the center 'downtown' area of the island before taking a guided tour in a van with a guide who had been recommended to us. These gray-shingled buildings...
...with their unique architectural design and style were standard throughout the island. We were told that this type of architectural design was strictly controlled and enforced through the strict enforcement of building codes and required permits needed before new construction or renovation of existing structures.
We enjoyed walking around the harbor area and looking at the many expensive toys anchored alongside the pier. [Note: Since we had a totally overcast and gray sky overhead for the entire time we visited...

...Nantucket, any of the "blue sky" depicted in these photos has been artificially created using one of Photoshop's image manipulation filters on Steve's computer!]

Needless to say, it would be nice to see the island again on a sunny day so as to better capture the true beauty of the natural surroundings.
These scenic and serene surroundings provide a perfect backdrop for any number of potentially creative endeavors for serious photographers and/or artists.
We noticed this sign on the side of a building that depicted distances from Nantucket to various cities around the world and we could not help but notice "Moscow" was shown!
While we did not have enjoy any major dining experiences during the short time we visited the island, we have no doubt that there are many fine seafood restaurants from which to choose.
During our guided tour around the island, we got to see this Coast Guard lighthouse that is located were many of the historic nearby multi-million dollar homes have been (or are being) lost to the extreme erosion of these seaside cliffs over a period of many years. The lighthouse may also be lost if it is not soon relocated further inland from the ocean.
This functioning windmill (with an artificially blue sky!) was a very impressive local landmark.
Our return flight to Cape Cod came all too soon and we departed Nantucket hoping to return again to see more of this beautiful island.
On the day we were flying back to San Diego, we had a nice sunny day to take a "Duck Tour" of the Boston area before we turned in our rental car at Logan airport. These "Ducks" are authentic reconditioned WWII amphibious landing vehicles...
...and the tour had been highly recommended by George & Mei-Ling as well as Jon & Susan. We got to cruise by all the places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of firsts...
...from the golden-domed State House to Bunker Hill and the Fleet Center, Boston Common and Copley Square to the Big Dig, Government Center to fashionable Newbury Street, Quincy Market to the Prudential Tower, and more.
We first toured the downtown area of Boston and learned a great deal about the history of the city itself.
Then, we plunged into the Charles River for a breath-taking view of the Boston and Cambridge skylines...
...as our "Ducks" made their way across the water.
This closing image of the Prudential Tower (as seen from our Duck on the Charles River) wrapped up a very memorable and enjoyable 10-day visit to see our friends in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. We are very grateful for—and appreciative of—George & Mei-Ling's as well as Jon & Susan's wonderful hospitality!