This One's for the Birds at #Inbound14

 Swan Boats

Lagoon Bridge, Boston, MA 021116

Distance from Convention Center: 9 minute cab ride, 2.1 miles away

 

A little Zen never hurt anyone.  If you're looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of a long week at Inbound, head over to the Boston Public Gardens and snag a ride on a Boston tradition: the Swan Boats.

Operational until fall offically begins on September 21, these fine feathered floaters have been a staple of the Boston Garden lagoon since Robert Paget was granted a boat for hire license by the City of Boston in 1877.  Inspired by the opera Lohengrin, where knight Lohengrin crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan to defend his love, Paget used the swans to cover the paddle wheels of his boats.

Tragicaly, Paget died only a year after he launched his new business.  After his death, his widow Julia ran the business to take care of their four young children.  If you're feeling like supporting a little early feminism, ride the boats if only to herald Julia Paget, who had to secure signatures for many yesars from Back Bay business owners attesting to her ability to run the business.  Considering the Paget famiy still runs the Swan Boats, I'd have to say she managed just fine.

 

 

For just $3, less than the cost of a large cappuccino, you can sit back and relax for your fifteen minute cruise around the Lagoon.  And, don't worry, riding the Swan Boats is cool.  Lucille Ball, Christie Brinkley, Matt Damon, Cyndi Lauper, John F. Kennedy, Colonel Sanders, Admiral Richard Byrd and tons of other notables and celebrities have all cruised on the Swans.  You'll be in fine company.  Tell 'em we sent you.

Phone: 617-522-1966

Hours: 12pm to 4pm weekdays, weather permitting

 

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