Boston!

This was my first trip since my accident that has left me using a wheelchair so I was not sure what to expect. My first impression was that the city is full of history and very accessible to wheelchairs. The curbs were nice and low and smooth pavements made it easier to get around. There was loads to see and do here but we were only staying for a weekend before jumping the train to New York, so we had to decide what we wanted to see.

The sightseeing trolleys have lifts fitted so no problems boarding these beautiful old vehicles. The tour guides are so friendly and helpful we couldn’t of asked for more. We got to see a lot of the city from these trolleys and the guides were very informative.

The great thing about these were you could jump on and off wherever you wanted. Our first stop was the church where the lanterns were lit.

The only problem I had here was the Copps Hill burial ground was not accessible with my wheelchair. It had three steps to get into from the Main Street but I’m not sure if there was a way in from one of the other streets it lines.

We next jumped off at the USS Constitution and Museum. At the time the ship was having restoration work but you could still go onboard. It was great to see the copper bottom that lined the ship. I didn’t go as I thought it might be a struggle with the chair, but there was a lot of other things to see at the museum and in the area around. At the time they had recreated the earliest establishment of the U.S marine core which was very interesting to see. You got to see how they lived in the tents and how they learned how to navigate with a sextant.

View of Boston from the Wharf

We found the restaurants on the wharf were fantastic for chair access and very helpful when it came to seating you where you wanted. We had a meal in the provisions restaurant which was great value for money, their lobster bisque was fantastic.

Unfortunately we couldn’t go on the whale watching trip because of weather but the boats looked very accommodating for chair users. Maybe next time.

Colourful Bridge

I have always enjoyed photography and thought I wouldn’t be able to still get shots like I use to and I was right. But what I have found was, I get just as good photos but just from another perspective. If I wasn’t in the chair I don’t think I would of found such an interesting angle for this bridge.

We used the ferry to take a trip to Salem which was beautiful, and we got to see some great coastline from the comfort of the inside cabin of the ferry. The ferry takes about an hour to get to Salem. We found this great as we got to see all the coastline between Boston and Salem.

The Coastline Between Boston and Salem

When we docked in Salem there was a trolly tour waiting to take you into town.

We found the price very reasonable and we got to see lots of interesting parts of the town. Again, there was no problem with getting my wheelchair onboard.

This monument was commissioned by the 'Bewitched' TV company.

We enjoyed our visit to Salem but it was too short, so we will be visiting again.

Overall we found Boston to be very accommodating for wheelchair access even with all the historic buildings within the city.

The hotel we stayed in was great for access, the rooms were very spacious and easy to manoeuvre round.