Boston, Mass – In honor of their world landmarks project, V’s class took a field trip to the Boston Public Garden. (Not exactly a world landmark, but certainly a local one! One of the classic recommendations for Boston for Children.)
The following are excerpts from the Boston City Guide by Lonely Planet.
Swan Boats
The story of the swan boats goes back to 1877, when Robert Paget developed a catamaran with a pedal-powered paddlewheel. Inspired by the opera Lohengrin, in which a heroic knight rides across a river in a swan-drawn boat, Paget designed a graceful swan to hide the boat captain. While today’s swan boats are larger than the 1877 original, they still utilize the same technology and they are still managed by Paget’s descendants.
The two resident live swans in the lagoon are Romeo & Juliet (both female, despite their names).
Make Way for Ducklings
The most endearing sculpture in the Boston Public Garden is Make Way for Ducklings, always a favorite with tiny tots who can climb and sit on the bronze ducks. The sculpture depicts Mrs Mallard and her eight ducklings, the main characters in the beloved eponymous book by Robert McCloskey. As the story goes, Mrs Mallard and her ducklings are stuck at a busy street until a friendly Boston policeman helps them across.
