A few days ago, my girlfriend and I returned from vacation in Newport, Rhode Island and Boston and Salem, Massachusetts. I mentioned earlier I was dreading opening up Quicken and analyzing my receipts. The other night, I held my breath and took the plunge. Here are some of the results.
Two audio-tour tickets to the Marble House mansion in Newport: $22
Dinner for two with drinks outside a fancy restaurant on Newbury Street, called 29 Newbury: $78 (That’s the most I’ve spent on dinner in a long time!)
Two fourth-row tickets to see Blue Man Group: $143
Boston Duck Tours, two tickets: $57
Two tickets for the New England Aquarium, to see penguins, seals, and other aquatic animals: $38
Two tickets to tour the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which was as nice as everyone was saying: $24
Two expensive emergency umbrellas: $19
Lunch for two at the Cheers Faneuil Hall, the replica of the television set with less-than-mediocre food: $36
Drinks — just two drinks — at Top of the Hub, the 52nd floor of the Prudential Tower with a wonderful view of the city: $27
An unofficial tour of Harvard University: free
A ghost tour on the Freedom Trail at night, for my girlfriend and me: $36
Two tickets to a slightly disappointing tour of Fenway Park (I would have liked to see press rooms, production booths, etc.): $24
An interesting tour of Salem’s House of the Seven Gables, a Colonial mansion that inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne, for two: $24
Two tickets to a pathetic but somewhat informational tour of Salem Witch Village: $12
Hotel stay outside of Boston: $113 a night after a AAA discount
Public transportation for two for the week: $30
Other dinners and lunches (breakfasts were free at the hotel): $lots
Don’t get me wrong. I had a great time and I’m glad I chose to participate in almost all of these different events. While I know this makes me nothing more than a typical tourist, I do want to make the most of any place I visit. Before leaving for vacation, I knew I would be spending quite a bit of money. To pay for these expenses, I will use savings set aside for vacations and still have some left over for my next trip or some other future vacation. I’ll expect a cash back rebate for using my credit card to pay for almost all of the expenses, but that’s not very material.
It was very nice to get away for a week, but I returned to new projects and new responsibilities at my day job, and not much time to catch up on blogging. I’m all ready looking forward to getting away again. Isn’t that always the way?
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