Steamers Lobster Company

You Must Stop Here!
My husband and I recently took a trip to St John, New Brunswick on Canada's east coast.  This was a wonderful, beautiful city.  Our favorite restaurant there was Steamers Lobster Company.  It was right along the waterfront in a brightly decorated building.  Their claim to fame was that they were the only restaurant in St John that served locally-brewed Moosehead Beer.  The decor was that of a typical seafood place and the staff were extremely friendly.  As a non-seafood eater I had some garlic toast while my husband dined on lobster bisque.  Since we wanted to find out for ourselves, we each had a Moosehead Beer.  The beer was delicious and the restaurant was wonderful!  I definitely recommend checking it out when in St John.

Samuel Adams Brewery

Out of the Way, but Worth It!

While in Boston, you should set aside a couple hours to tour the Samuel Adams Brewery.  It was a 20 minute train ride from downtown Boston.  The Brewery is only a couple block walk from the train station, so it will only take an addition few minutes to get there.  You'll find that you will be carded at the door, however, the tour is free so just have your ID ready.  While a bit touristy and cheesy, there is a postcard station as you enter where you can mail a free postcard to anyone in the USA.  Because I didn't know any one's address I mailed the postcard to my husband and I.  It was a fun reminder of our trip after we got home and received it.  You will go through the history of the Brewery as well as a quick lesson on the ingredients that they use.  From there you will see how the beer is fermented and brewed to reach it's desired taste.  The tour itself is quick and you only walk maybe 25 feet total.  The finale' includes sitting down and enjoying a taste test.  You will receive a souvenir glass to try up to four different varieties.  Definitely worth the trip!

Hampton Inn - Eau Claire

Very Impressed!

I have to admit that I really only booked this hotel because I had enough Hilton HHonors points to do so for two nights.  Seeing as how I would be spending most of my weekend out and about I really didn't want to waste a bunch of points or money on a hotel room that I would rarely be in.  I was immediately impressed with this hotel.  The Front Desk staff greeted me and my daughter very warmly.  Upon entering our room for the weekend, I was left an "Almond Joy" candy bar with a letter saying that it was a "joy" to have me stay with them this weekend.  Wondering what the big deal was?  I had only booked the room two hours prior.  They were able to make me feel very welcomed.  On top of that, there was a rubber duck waiting on the bath tub for my daughter.  It's the little things like that that make the stay worth while.  As far as amenities go, thier pool was nice and warm, the breakfast was wonderful and the free wifi was awesome.

The Hampton Inn Eau Claire is located at 2622 Craig Road, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 54701.  they can be reached at 1-715-833-0003 or via thier website: http://hamptoninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/wisconsin/hampton-inn-eau-claire-EAUCRHX/index.html

Boston

Boston, Massacussets I was blown away and a bit unprepared for the amount of history that Boston holds. It felt as though everywhere we turned there was a major event that took place there...and by major, I mean like "and over here is where the Declaration of Independence was first read". We walked along the Freedom Trail our first day in Boston and I feel as though that was the best way to start off. This was a genious idea to guide tourist through the city. You follow along a red line that is painted and paved into the road and sidewalks. You will walk past and through the highlights of the city. The transportation system in Boston was amazing! The metro was very easy to use and to make our way around. The Charlie Card "C Card" was quite affordable and good for bus or metro use. The metro and the stations were very clean as well.