How to Boston in the Winter with a Little One

With its rich history, vibrant population, thriving industries, and adequate public transportation system, Boston is a great place to live. Junior is now almost four, and in that time I’ve discovered several places that offer space or activities ideal for expending a youngster’s boundless energy. This is especially crucial in the depths of our miserable gray winters. Below is a brief list of Boston landmarks that Junior and I visit on rotation during my days off with him. All these places are easily accessible via the T.

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/masstravel/7115836379

Boston Children’s Museum—Junior’s favorite. We became members since we go at least once a month. His favorite area is the Construction Zone, with the grocery and barbershop of “Boston Black” as close seconds. There’s currently a dinosaur exhibit that has him literally screaming in terror whenever I go near the life-size dinosaur model. I’m sure the museum will become even more exciting for him once he starts getting into the climbing structure that spans all three floors.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Boston Public Library—The main branch at Copley Square is a stately structure that seamlessly mixes classical and modern aesthetics. Our usual destination is the dedicated Children’s Library with all sorts of kid-friendly events every day, like Toddler Time and Baby Dance.

By NewtonCourt - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42402964

Boston Public Market—This newly-completed drain on my wallet (because I have weak resistance to food, you see) has a sizable Kids Corner hidden in the back, where Junior spends his time organizing the cash register and food stall, cooking a meal, or playing with trucks. Bonus: the Greenway Carousel and North End Playground are across the street!

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ekilby/10683053983

Boston Common—The Boston Common Carousel is a big draw for kids when it’s warm. The nearby Frog Pond is a wading pool during the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter. The Common also has a playground, which I must say requires a lot of vigilance if you have a younger kid—it’s more of an “ages 5+” setup. Close to that is a great big fountain and some food trucks, and it’s nice to eat at the tables in that spot, weather permitting. Bonus: sometimes park rangers on horses go on patrol and say hi!

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/matty1378/6896707768

Prudential Center—Fancy shopping! Fancy restaurants! The Skywalk Observatory! But, really, Junior’s favorite here is Barnes & Noble. No, not because he can read already (don’t judge me, my family already does that), but because it sells toys, too! Speaking of toys—the Magic Beans at the Pru is tiny, innit?

By Tim Pierce (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Boston Fire Museum—Speaking of tiny, this little building a couple of blocks from the Children’s Museum is a cute 10-minute stop for the interested. It’s mostly great for kid birthday parties. I know I had fun! Also: they have an actual Dalmatian to greet visitors! Note: this is not one of our regular places, since it’s so small. I just thought I’d mention it.

TL;DR: Nearby local parks and playgrounds are your best bet for getting little ones ready to nap. But if you’re inclined to make the trip, I recommend the places above! 

Go Pats! (obligatory)

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This post brought to you by ube halaya!

Trapeze!

If you're looking for a challenging indoor activity, Trapeze School New York offers classes in launching oneself into the air whilst holding on to a bar for dear life. The staff members are most excellent and the safety equipment perfectly fine, so you can release your fears and SOAR!

Activity: Trapeze class
Length: 2 hours
Instructors: 3

The class accommodates various levels of experience. First-time fliers get:

1. A safety harness strapped so tight you can barely breathe 
2. A safety lecture ("Obey the instructor" and "Land on your back or butt, not your feet")
3. Instructions on how to swing your legs up over the bar, how to let go, and the proper form for "catch hands" -- four fingers together, thumbs apart

And you're up the ladder and off the ledge! Because doing is learning!

On the ledge, you get clicked into lines that are connected to a bar that the "lines" staff will move back and forth over the net, helping you swing. That person will yell commands at you, like:

"LEGS UP!" = swing your legs up and hook your knees over the bar 

"LET GO!" = swing from your knees, arch your back, and do "catch hands"

"HANDS ON!" = grab the bar again while looking at your knees

"LEGS DOWN!" = prep for falling

"HUP!!!" = release the bar and try to fall on your butt!

We got to practice these moves three times before we got to the good part: being caught by our very lean instructor, a bearded pocket acrobat. Behold, my final swings:

Some observations:

• Climbing up the ladder is a workout on its own. One instructor told me that the minimum age you can do trapeze is whenever you can climb that 30-foot ladder.  
• The bar is heavy!!!!
• The "zero area" is when you're at the apex of your swing and have a moment of weightlessness. To conserve energy, this is the moment to move, e.g. to swing your legs. 
• Flying on a trapeze takes no time at all but seems endless when you're up there. 

My buddy Special K provided much entertainment during her first run by grunting loudly with every effort. After we pointed it out to her, she vowed to be more elegant and went up the ladder muttering, "Don't grunt, don't grunt, don't grunt..."

Another member of our group was an equestrian so she was pretty athletic and nailed every move. Our final adventurer was on her fourth trapeze class and was hanging off her ankles instead of her knees, which requires perfect timing for letting go and being caught by the instructor.

At the end of class, we all compared our callouses, which weren't too bad since we powdered up for the final two runs. 

The next day, all our armpits hurt.

It took three days for my lats and abs to recover from the sore muscles wrought by this very exciting and taxing activity. I am very interested in doing this again, but alas, they close up shop in April. So if you're in Boston and feel acrobatic, try it out now!

TL;DR: I slayed at trapeze, see video above.

This post brought to you by spring showers!