The original building (minus the tower) was constructed in the mid-nineteenth century when water used to lap its doorstep and the trade schooners that sailed from Europe with precious cargo would poke their prows into the large and gracious windows of the Counting Room. This is where guests of the hotel now enjoy breakfast beneath a high gallery where guards once patrolled, protecting the treasure and currency that passed through the doors.

Cars now park where ships once docked, and in the early twentieth century the federal government decided it needed more space and built the tower complete with the famous clock faces, notorious for many years for showing four different times, all of them incorrect. It was used for offices until the 1980s when it was virtually abandoned by both the federal and local government and fell into a state of total decay before being rescued by Marriott.

The rotunda from the original building is still visible from the lobby and the first floor, wearing the Great Seal of the United States, the only building outside of Washington, DC to do so. Marriott spared no expense or care in its restoration and the seal, the rotunda, and the main entrance to the building, have all been returned to full glory:

Our suite on the 17^th floor was spacious and beautifully furnished. We had a full living area with a nicely appointed kitchen and a fold-out sleeper sofa for the boys and a bedroom with a king-sized bed for me and Matt.

Although frankly, it’s amazing that we noticed anything about the room given that these were our views:

And that’s not the only place to get a good view. The 26^th floor offers the city’s only outdoor observation deck. And here’s an insider tip: The public is welcome to visit from Monday to Thursday. Stop by the front desk, pay 3 dollars a person, and you’ll be escorted up. Although if you stay at the hotel, it’s yours for the visiting any time.

A few floors below, the game room offers a place to play some air hockey and check out the clock mechanism, now a single one for all four faces guaranteeing a much more accurate time. One thing I really loved there was the chance to see a small portion of one clock face from the inside.

What other good things do I have to say about the Custom House? There are plenty. Everyone who worked there was friendly and helpful. It was clear that the staff feel a real sense of pride and ownership of “their” historic building. I watched the concierge spend a good twenty minutes helping guests plan their entire day from sightseeing to meals.

In terms of other family-friendly amenities, a pay-per-item breakfast is served in the Counting Room, with decent complimentary coffee. But I’d recommend economizing by bringing your own breakfast food (the kitchen comes equipped with a microwave, blender, toaster, coffee maker, and refrigerator as well as all the dishes and cutlery you’ll need ) or stepping over to Quincy Market across the street to buy something from one of the vendors there. You’ll also find laundry facilities and free wi-fi.

Even if they were a bit old for it, the boys loved the Activity Center on the 20^th floor, which comes complete with a small jungle gym and many other toys (I know that had we stayed here when either of them was little, one of us would have been hanging out there with a toddler very early in the morning). In this area you’ll also find a private movie theatre complete with leather seats and surround sound. The hotel shows movies there for guests, but if you bring your DVDs you can also schedule a family movie night (check with the front desk staff to make sure it’s not in use). When you check in, you’ll also receive a full schedule of activities that includes everything from tours of the hotel (which I highly recommend) to a free wine and cheese reception on Fridays to puzzle and game time for the kids.

And last but far from least, there’s the fact that the iconic building is visible from so many spots in the city. My boys loved looking for it and it clearly made Boston feel more like it belonged to them. Teddy in particular would cry out “there’s the Custom House!” whenever he spotted it as if it were a long-lost friend. We saw it from the deck of the USS Constitution,

from the water taxi that took us from Charlestown to Long Wharf,

And from the New England Aquarium.

It’s a rare thing for a hotel to capture my children’s imaginations so completely. It is now a part of their experience of Boston – frankly I can’t imagine staying anywhere else on repeat visits.

We were given a significant discount on our suite and free parking at the Custom House. Rates are definitely high during the summer (approaching $500 plus $40 a day for valet parking) but get lower once the high season is over – I found a suite over a weekend in mid-September for $379 a night on their website.

I’ll admit right away that I know very little about baseball and am not a devotee of the game. But my oldest child is passionate about playing it and with his first year in Little League, I’ve discovered the myriad pleasures of wiling away a warm evening on the bleachers.

My experience with going to professional games is very limited and specific. For me, the only baseball stadium is Fenway Park. Of course, one could do much worse than to have this hallowed spot as the sole point of baseball reference. It is a place so weighted with history, so full of the ghosts of long-unfulfilled hopes, that one need bring much knowledge or history of one’s own to get excited watching a game there. And with the exception of one trip to Yankee Stadium that I don’t really count because we left halfway through the game, Fenway is the only place I’ve ever seen a game, always in the company of relatives who are loyal citizens of the Red Sox Nation. I know they’ve added more seating since the last time I was there, but from what I can tell, going to a game there is still an intimate experience, full of tradition and strange-sounding landmarks like Pesky’s Pole and The Ladder.

And although his loyalty lies elsewhere (he’s a rabid Phillies fan) today I’m dreaming of sitting in Fenway Park with my boy. We’re sitting in the infield grandstand with a view of the manual scoreboard and of course the Green Monster that fabled high wall that has cowed so many great batters. All around us fans grumble about the slightest error, comparing what’s happening on the field to a play from a game 40 years ago. We skip the clam chowder and other recently-added fancy food choices and stick to Fenway Franks, sold to us by a vendor shouting “haht dahgs” in a thick Boston accent. Since this is a dreaming post, the Sox squeak out a win in the ninth inning, causing just enough angst to rouse the crowd, but joy and satisfaction as everyone’s secret optimism is realized.

For the less dreamily inclined, here’s a something practical: If you don’t want to go to a game, but want to check out Fenway Park you can take a 50-minute guided walking tour of the stadium. Since the stadium is right in the middle of Boston and is easily accessible by subway, getting there could easily be part of any family trip. For more tips, you might also want to check out my Monday Dreaming post about Boston. And if you can’t get to Boston but have a young baseball fan in your life, recommended reading is The Prince of Fenway Park by Julianna Baggott, which tells the fictional story of a boy who broke the famous Red Sox curse. Tommy and I are reading it together right now and it’s a lot of fun.

If you’re interested in sharing a Monday Dreaming post of your own, I’ve included a place to do so below using Mr. Linky (perhaps you might like to share a post about your own favorite baseball stadium!). If you’ve got questions about how this works, please see About Monday Dreaming.

Photo of Fenway used courtesy of Stephen Gilmer.

Of course I’m dreaming of Boston, having just passed such a lovely weekend there. I had a wonderful time and feel like the bad juju from that horrible month we spent there with Tommy in 2003 (see here and here for specifics) is finally gone and that I’m ready to go back with the kids. And as I contemplate a list of all the things I’d do, it just continues to get longer and longer. Boston truly is one of the best cities to visit with children of any age, and I don’t think that there’s a bad time of year to go unless you hate snow. Our visit would be sure to include:

• A stroll around the Public Gardens where we would feed the ducks and, at the right time of year, ride the swan boats. I bought Teddy a Make Way for Ducklings snow globe today and we had to read that book twice when I came home. I’d be sure to bring a copy with us.
• A morning at the Children’s Museum where kids can build with real tools, climb the walls, find their way through a giant maze, make art, pretend to be a little chick onstage….

• Gaping at lots of marine life at the New England Aquarium and then sampling the less live variety at the Daily Catch on Hanover Street in the North End (stopping at Mike’s Pastries for cannolis on our way back downtown).

• As much of the Freedom Trail as the kids wanted to cover, especially Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House, and the USS Constitution.

And then there would be watching the street musicians and students in Harvard Square (which has free public wi-fi), enjoying dim sum in Chinatown, getting up close and personal with the Green Monster at Fenway (even if Tommy has decided, much to my father’s chagrin, that he is a Phillies fan), and maybe even going underwater on one of those Duck Tours in an amphibious landing vehicle that drives around the city and into the Charles River. And I haven’t even gotten to the Museum of Science or a cruise around the harbor. Oh, and since ice cream is requisite on our family trips, we’d also have to visit Herrell’s for a Smoosh In.

OK, I think I need to start planning this trip right now. It’s a very good sign when you’ve been someplace and all you want to do upon arriving at home is turn right back around and go back with your children in tow.

Please feel free to share your thoughts about Boston or anywhere else for that matter. And for more Monday dreaming, please visit WanderMom who talks about losing her camera in Venice, truly the saddest of travel stories ever. Makes me want to raise money so that her family can go back there and take new photos!