Boston 2007 Maura and Ali's Excellent Adventure tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-06-25:/blog/?domain=mopo1978 2007-08-03T23:20:36Z mopo1978 img/travel-blog-feed.png Kennedy Kulture tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-03:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=19&entryid=74289 2007-08-03T23:14:13Z 2007-08-03T23:14:13Z The plan for the day revolved around exploring Cape Cod...we really didn't have a plan or an itinerary, but we knew it would involve a lighthouse, somewhere, someplace along the cape. We decided to make Hyannis the first stop on our trek. Hyannis was actually quite nice (despite the rain & fog) and it seemed to be a vacation spot without the throngs of tourists. We made the JFK museum the first stop. It was a nice little museum, which focused on ... The plan for the day revolved around exploring Cape Cod...we really
didn't have a plan or an itinerary, but we knew it would involve a
lighthouse, somewhere, someplace along the cape. We decided to make
Hyannis the first stop on our trek. Hyannis was actually quite nice
(despite the rain & fog) and it seemed to be a vacation spot without the
throngs of tourists. We made the JFK museum the first stop. It was a
nice little museum, which focused on the Kennedy family and their times
in Hyannisport, without being political or focusing on the assassination
or other tragedies in the family. Afterward, we found a little French
cafe for lunch, where I experienced cranberry-flavored mayonnaise, which
is not bad at all. Our next stop was to be a lighthouse in Chatham.
This is in the elbow of the cape (if you picture the shape of the cape
as a guy flexing his arm) and to get there, we had to go through several
vacation towns. Traffic was horrible (no thanks to the two-lane main
street). I have never seen so many miniature golf places or places to
purchase large, inflatable water toys. But we did make it, and the
lighthouse was unfortunately underwhelming. It just wasn't very big or
impressive. But then we decided to start back toward "home" and stop in
Sandy Neck. We made it there quickly (the cape is not very big and when
traffic's moving, you can make it from one end to the other quickly),
and found a very nice little beach on Sandy Neck. I dipped my feet in
the Atlantic and it was COLD. I can't imagine swimming in there without
a wetsuit. The beach was also blessedly quiet and serene, unlike the
previous towns we had driven through. On the way "home", we stopped at
a nice little local craft shop, Ali was successful in her quest for a
piece of locally-made jewelry, and I also found an adorable bracelet.
The drive to the hotel was much less eventful than yesterday, and we
found our way back relatively quickly, and without getting turned around
or running into any reservations. Tomorrow we head home, and the fight
to get everything in the suitcase begins!

Kennedy Kulture remains copyright of the author mopo1978, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Massachusetts can take their rotaries and shove 'em! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-08-03:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=18&entryid=74287 2007-08-03T23:12:46Z 2007-08-03T23:12:46Z Well, where to start. We got a very early start this morning, picking up a rental car and making our way down to Woods Hole for the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. After my learning the difference between east and west, we made it to the remote parking lot, only to find it full. Luckily, we found our way to the second remote lot, caught the shuttle bus to Woods Hole, and by some miracle, made it just before a ferry was about to depart ... Well, where to start.

We got a very early start this morning, picking up a rental car and
making our way down to Woods Hole for the ferry to Martha's Vineyard.
After my learning the difference between east and west, we made it to
the remote parking lot, only to find it full. Luckily, we found our way
to the second remote lot, caught the shuttle bus to Woods Hole, and by
some miracle, made it just before a ferry was about to depart (and for
Vineyard Haven, like we wanted!) It was a fairly quick ride on the
ferry, and we were on the island by 10:45. We spent some time checking
out VH, before taking the bus to Edgartown, and finally to Oak Bluffs to
catch the ferry home. There were a lot of little shops to see, but
there were some of the same shops in different towns, which was
annoying-we'd walk into a place and say, "oh, we saw this already!" We
also saw the old, 19th century carousel (Yes, I rode a carousel and am
not ashamed!) and checked out the beach.

Coming home was a bit of an adventure, as you may be able to tell from
the title of this post. It took a while to get off the ferry and back
to the lot where the car was, then it took forever to get *out* of the
lot (but we did see Tom Cruise's twin while we were there!) We seemed
to be on our way back to Braintree, but due to a poorly labeled rotary,
we missed the route we needed. So, we found a place to fuel up and have
dinner, then found our way back to the route we needed. Then the real
fun began. We drove past our hotel no fewer than three times on the
interstate. Each time, we missed the exit. I'm going to let Ali talk
about the run-in with the Indian Reservation in her post. Needless to
say, it was frustrating, but we kept laughing about it (really, how
could you not? I mean, come on? Three times? We're both intelligent,
educated women and we can't find our hotel!) and eventually found our
way back.

Tomorrow's the last full day here, and we're planning on checking out
Cape Cod some more...but I think we're going to need a better map, and
make sure we leave plenty of time to get home...after all, our flights
are Tuesday afternoon and we don't want to miss them :)

Massachusetts can take their rotaries and shove 'em! remains copyright of the author mopo1978, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Recap! alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-29:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=15&entryid=73442 2007-07-29T22:18:04Z 2007-07-29T22:09:18Z 1. No vehicular incidents. Complete! There were a couple of "exciting incidents" with the rental, especially in relation to the rotaries, but we made it out completely unscathed - fantastic. 2. Tea shall be thrown into the harbor. Sadness - we were down there a whole bunch of times, but we kept forgetting to throw in the tea bag that we had snatched from the room. I still have it - maybe I'll put it in the scrapbook or something. 3. Consumption ... 1. No vehicular incidents.
Complete! There were a couple of "exciting incidents" with the rental, especially in relation to the rotaries, but we made it out completely unscathed - fantastic.

2. Tea shall be thrown into the harbor.
Sadness - we were down there a whole bunch of times, but we kept forgetting to throw in the tea bag that we had snatched from the room. I still have it - maybe I'll put it in the scrapbook or something.

3. Consumption of a lobster roll.
Done. Had it at the Espresso Love Cafe on Martha's Vineyard. It was quite enjoyable and seems ridiculously easy to make.

4. At least one bout of uncontrollable laughter.
Ok, it's called circling the hotel area forever while trying not to end up running over American Indians, or whatever it is that they're keeping on Chickatawbut Road.

5. One lighthouse. It doesn't even have to be functional.
Chatham Light - did it on Cape day. It was functional, too, though not open for tours when we were there.

6. One amazing dessert.
Finale desserts. You just can't go to Boston without going to this place. And honestly, that mousse that Maura had at the Legal Sea Foods was pretty to-die-for, too.

7. The learning of at least one new thing that I didn't know before that is really cool.
I consider learning that there are places in the world where waffle cones are being made with globs of rice krispie good on them, and palces where cupcakes are being injected with ice cream and covered with chocolate really cool. There was other interesting historical stuff, the fact that I had no idea that there would be three different kinds of whales off the cost of Boston, and a bunch of others.

8. One really good picture of my like, totally, BFF and me.
There are a bunch. I think Maura has copies of them.

9. Personal discovery. Is that too deep?
I don't know. I'll have to think about it.

10. Fun!
Tons. Loved it.

Recap! remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> The way home. alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-29:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=14&entryid=73439 2007-08-03T23:16:03Z 2007-07-29T21:58:51Z I dropped off the rental car key early in the morning so that we wouldn't get charged for another day and then fell back asleep. I finally woke up pretty late; thankfully, there wasn't much to do since we had packed 95% of our stuff the night before. We checked out and the shuttle guy was nice enough to make a special trip to take us to the mall. We thought we would grab a quick, good ... I dropped off the rental car key early in the morning so that we wouldn't get charged for another day and then fell back asleep. I finally woke up pretty late; thankfully, there wasn't much to do since we had packed 95% of our stuff the night before. We checked out and the shuttle guy was nice enough to make a special trip to take us to the mall. We thought we would grab a quick, good lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, but there was nothing quick about it. We ordered, and after a while the waiter came over and told us that our order would be out shortly (we had only ordered a pizza and parmesan chicken, it wasn't like it was something super-special), but then 20 minutes later we still didn't have food. I joked that they had probably burned it the first three times that they made it and then the manager came over and told us that they had indeed burned it twice. It must have been at least another 20 minutes and we were getting to the point of being in danger of missing the shuttle to the T when the food finally rolled out. It really seemed like they should have offered us some sort of compensation for sitting there for almost an hour while we saw people constantly coming in, getting their food, and then leaving. We ended up snarfing down what we could and then running to catch the shuttle back to the hotel. We got our stuff, and as was the case throughout the trip, our Charlie card didn't let us down. We were at the airport in plenty of time. Which was good because we got off at my terminal, terminal B, but were told that we needed to go to the terminal B across the street (shouldn't it really be named something else if it's across the street?) and when I checked in, the woman tagging my luggage nearly threw my drivers license into oblivion when she slid it across the counter and it fell between the self-check in stand and the counter. Luckily it was retrieved and the rest of the journey home was uneventful. I can't believe the week went by so quickly. There were still several things that we didn't get to do (JFK Presidential Library/Museum, some of the cute restaurants in the North End) that I would like to do someday if I make it back. All in all, I really enjoyed the city and would highly recommend as a fun place to go in the US.

The way home. remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> On the Cape alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-29:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=13&entryid=73436 2007-08-03T23:16:41Z 2007-07-29T21:44:28Z So the drive to the Cod was easy because we pretty much did it yesterday. We headed toward Hyannis and once we got there, we checked out the JFK Hyannis Museum (since we weren’t able to get to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, we had to get at least a little Kennedy in). It was inexpensive, but it was way too small. I feel like I could have stood there for hours looking at the pictures ... So the drive to the Cod was easy because we pretty much did it yesterday. We headed toward Hyannis and once we got there, we checked out the JFK Hyannis Museum (since we weren’t able to get to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, we had to get at least a little Kennedy in). It was inexpensive, but it was way too small. I feel like I could have stood there for hours looking at the pictures – I know it was just supposed to capture his time in the Cod, but surely there is more stuff they could have packed in. Still, it was really interesting. Afterward, we walked down Main St. and found La Petite France Cafe and had lunch. We drove on and it got really crowded through Yarmouth – both with traffic and with stores selling inflatable pool everything in every neon color imaginable. There was also a lot of mini golf, shops, and even a big structure that was pretty much a giant trampoline. It took forever, but we eventually made it to Chatham Light and the ocean at which there was almost no visibility. We then took a different route back west with the intention of checking out Sandy Neck light house, but we didn’t realize that it was privately owned and not open to the public...and you couldn’t even see it from the spot where you can actually drive. But the views were nice and it was fun searching for rocks – and omg, the cape was freeeeeeezing! We kept driving on through Sandwich; the good thing about Martha’s Vineyard was that all the shops and stuff were really close together, but all over the Cape, everything is really spread out making it pretty much impossible to walk everywhere, so if you wanted to stop at a bunch of places, you would have to drive from one to the other. We only stopped at one place, and it was after Maura had seen it and we turned around, but it was a great find. It was an artist co-op where they were all selling their collective works and they had some really nice stuff – jewelry and pottery and photography. After getting some excellent soft-serve at “Ice Cream Sandwich” (in Sandwich, ha ha) we tried to find a gas station, of which there were many, but every single one was full serve and I’m just to cheap to pay for some dorkus to pump my gas for me. When we got back to Braintree, we checked out the South Shore Mall. After shopping, we went to the 99 Restaurant and Pub – the food wasn’t that great, but we had an excellent “Green Monster” cocktail – very location appropriate.

On the Cape remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> The Vinyahd alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-29:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=12&entryid=73434 2007-08-03T23:15:13Z 2007-07-29T21:43:15Z Sunday = Martha’s Vineyard day. We decided to get a really early start because we knew that there would be a bunch of travel time going to and from the ferry to the Island, taking the ferry, etc., so we were ready to go by the time the gift shop opened (7 a.m.) so we could get the car right away. The woman running the desk was surprisingly competent and expedient with the process of filling out the ... Sunday = Martha’s Vineyard day. We decided to get a really early start because we knew that there would be a bunch of travel time going to and from the ferry to the Island, taking the ferry, etc., so we were ready to go by the time the gift shop opened (7 a.m.) so we could get the car right away. The woman running the desk was surprisingly competent and expedient with the process of filling out the forms and we were on our way in about 15 minutes. We took a little “accidental detour” to Sandwich, but we were only off track for about 10 minutes or so, and then we were on the way again to Woods Hole to catch the ferry. And so began my new relationship with the Massachusetts rotary. Otherwise known as the circle of death in Chicago. Except that people here drive them way crazier than people at home, at least from what I’ve been able to tell. During what I believe to be the first or second rotary on the way to catch the ferry, I got in an incident with a vehicle in the inside lane of the rotary that decided they had the right to cross right in front of me to take a road that I was not turning onto. I was apparently called a b!tch and who knows what else, but no vehicle was damaged and we carried on our merry way. On the same road, we saw an incident with two drivers and a whole lot of the state bird. Good to know we’re all friends in Massachusetts.

We finally reached a parking lot for the ferry, and because we had heard on AM 1610 (the ferry station) that the Woods Hole lot was full, we decided to just park there because it was the first one that we had found. We pulled into the lot and had to take a ticket and eventually saw a guy at the back of the lot that was flagging us his way. Unfortunately, all he did was mumble that the lot was full and give us a piece of paper with a shoddy map that basically went back the way we came. Thanks for that up-to-date information, AM 1610. So, we had to drive approximately 10 miles back the way we came to go to the Cataumet ferry lot, which we finally did. We boarded the bus and were on our way to the ferry, which was quite a bit further south than the first lot we went to. I have a hard time believing that it’s the best solution to have all of these lots spaced so far apart, and so far away from the place where you actually board the ferry, but I guess to some extent you just have to live with it. We got to the ferry (an unscheduled trip which allowed us to not have to wait for the next ferry which would have been quite a bit later) with just moments to spare – we bought our tickets and the boat left about 5 minutes later. The ride was about 45 minutes and let us out in Vineyard Haven (Tisbury).

We walked to the Black Dog Bakery/Cafe, which was touted as being an excellent place to go by the Fodors and other things that I read and got a pastry and a drink for breakfast. After eating, we found about 27 additional Black Dog gift shops in the general vicinity of the Bakery/Cafe that we went to. I have a hard time believing that anyone could possibly need that much Black Dog stuff, though I suppose we did see a lot of people on the island that were walking around with it on. We perused the shops, cute little places with jewelry and clothing and gifts; Maura bought a Christmas ornament, and then we caught the bus to Edgartown. There were a handful of repeat stores (same as in Vineyard Haven). We got lunch at a little coffee house (I got my lobster roll! It was great and I think it would not be a problem to make at home, given I didn’t completely overcook the lobster), walked around some more, and then hopped the bus to Oak Bluffs. Oak Bluffs had a nice little park in front of the gingerbread houses. We looked for shells on the beach, and then rode the Flying Horses carousel and started seeing A LOT of repeat shops; we walked around a bit more and by that time it was a little before 6. We had reservations for dinner at a nice restaurant, but we had eaten lunch late and neither of us was hungry, so we just skipped it and caught the 6:15p.m. ferry back to Oak Bluffs. It was fine getting on the boat, but there were no directions on how to get off (not the same way we got on) and we got stuck behind these two people with two giant strollers (and a lobster baby) and had to wait for them to haul their strollers up and down flights of stairs (nicely planned exit strategy for the boat – hope they never have an emergency!) Then, once we had gotten off, we had to wait for a bus – there were a lot of busses in a row, but it took a while to load them and because of how long it took us to get off the ferry, we were quite a way back in the line. The bus driver got us back to the Cataumet lot (there was a guy on the bus that looked just like Tom Cruise), and then a whole new delay began – getting out of the lot. Parking was $10/day and they only had one cash register to ring out cars, so there was a huge line to pay and leave. I finally stopped being nice and letting people in front of me because we were waiting FOREVER and just wouldn’t let anyone else in front. We finally got on the road north to Braintree; when we got to the place where we needed to catch the freeway, we got mixed up and went the wrong way. We found a Friendly’s for dinner (mmmm, Fribble), got some gas, and got back on the way. Everything was fine until we got back to the Braintree area (though there was a ton of traffic all the way back from the cape and a lot of drastic speeding up and slowing down.) At the point where we were really close to the hotel, it all just went to hell. The map that the hotel had given us told us one thing, the road signs didn’t tell us that, and we just went in circles over and over again. We tried to use the highway, we tried to take the side streets, we tried to ask for directions, and we kept going the wrong way no matter what we did. It was ridiculously hysterical. There was one time when we were not even a mile down from our hotel, but we didn’t realize it until it was too late and we were back on our way to not getting back to the hotel. Finally, we found the right person to give us directions and mercifully got back to the hotel about FOUR HOURS after starting back. Luckily, we didn’t get in any accidents, and the whole thing was just plain funny.

The Vinyahd remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Harvard Gardens, Swan Boats, and Whales alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-29:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=11&entryid=73431 2007-08-03T23:17:40Z 2007-07-29T21:38:29Z I hate to harp on the food aspect of this trip, but I had the most amazing brunch I think that I will ever have today. We got a little bit later of a start because we got in late the night before and were trying to beat the Travellerspoint website into submission. In any case, we took the T to the Charles/MGH stop and right near the stop is the Harvard Gardens restaurant. I had made ... I hate to harp on the food aspect of this trip, but I had the most amazing brunch I think that I will ever have today. We got a little bit later of a start because we got in late the night before and were trying to beat the Travellerspoint website into submission. In any case, we took the T to the Charles/MGH stop and right near the stop is the Harvard Gardens restaurant. I had made a reservation there because I had no idea how busy they would be and it was recommended by the Fodors. Little did I know that there would pretty much be no one there, before we got there or after we left. Oh well. What can I say, I was trying to be prepared. In any case, there were a number of things on the menu that looked good, but I ordered the omelet-of-the-day, which I thought was just an omelet, but it ended up being an omelet with pico de gallo, sour cream, and this crumbly salty cheese (almost like feta), there were these fried potato chunks with parmesan and herbs and caramelized onions on top, fruit, strips of bacon, and the biggest English muffin I’ve ever seen. I mean just amazing. The only reason I didn’t clean the plate was because there was so much and my stomach has a limit. In any case, after brunch, we went to the flagship Filene’s, which is closing (for remodeling – it will reopen) – we found some good deals. Maura even tried on a $9,999 dress, which fit, but really did make her look like Tinkerbell on crack. It would have been $20. Maybe we should have gotten it and sold it on eBay.

We were really near the Public Garden and Common, so we went through the Granary Burying Grounds where we saw some extremely old gravestones (1600s & 1700s), as well as the gravesites of Franklin and Revere. We then made our way to the Swan Boats. The line was pretty long, but was moving really quickly due to many boats running at the same time. It was a fun, short ride. We headed toward the Paul Revere house/Freedom Trail historical area. On the way, there were many cute little Italian restaurants and dessert shops. We stopped into Trani, which makes “n-jectables”: cupcakes, donuts, brownies, eclairs, and other baked goods that they pump full of ice cream and cover with a layer of chocolate. I had no idea such a thing was being made in the world. I think they’ve got serious franchise opportunities. We made it to the Old North Church just in time for a short presentation that was being given about it, then continued down the Freedom Trail toward Long Wharf. Along the way, all of our maps said that we would come upon the Paul Revere house, but we looked and looked and looked and we completely couldn’t find it. Given that it was referred to elsewhere on the web as a “dump,” I’m not too heartbroken about it. We walked through a park and saw the Rose Kennedy Rose Garden, then looked for somewhere to grab a bite before whale watching.

We got our tickets for the whale watching cruise really early so that we could get a good seat on the boat and waited on the wharf. When they let us on, we hauled up to the top level and got a bench near the railing. The ride out was long (1 hour) and extremely windy (we have pictures to prove it, and I lost a bunch of hair later while brushing due to it) and by the time we got to our destination, the Boston skyline was pretty much just a tiny blot on the horizon. We spent about an hour moving around through the marine wildlife preserve that they had brought us to, and did have quite a few whale sightings. I didn’t see any “breeches,” (whales coming completely up out of the water) because I was always either on the wrong side of the boat or not looking when it happened (usually happened fairly far in the distance), but we did see a number of fins and some tails and quite a bit of spraying. It was definitely worth the money.

We got back in pretty late from the boat ride (9:45p.m.) and when we got back to our hotel it was even later. And for the second time, our room keys didn’t work. Maura went down to the front desk and when she got there, they gave her some story about thinking that we were checking out that day...or maybe someone just typed in the room numbers wrong when they were checking out some other room...or maybe a roving band of gnomes that live in the walls changed the key code. So, the guy from the desk had to come up with us to the room and we had to dig up the hotel confirmations to prove to him that we should be let into the room (that we have already paid for in full, months ago). He said he would bring us up new keys so we didn’t have to continue to go back and forth from the front desk, but Maura had to call two more times to get them to bring them up. The hotel itself is just fine, and the shuttle experience has been great and free, but I don’t know what is up with their computer system. They need to work on that.

Harvard Gardens, Swan Boats, and Whales remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Shopping, etc. alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-29:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=10&entryid=73430 2007-08-03T23:18:55Z 2007-07-29T21:35:57Z May I continue to reiterate how comfortable the hotel beds are? We went to the Globe Bar & Cafe for a light lunch and walked up and down Boylston and Newbury checking out the shopping. For the most part it was really expensive (Hermes, Burberry, etc.), but Maura got a super-cute dress at Filene’s and it was fun digging through the racks trying to find the bargains. I found one shirt that I liked, but I’m a cheapass, so ... May I continue to reiterate how comfortable the hotel beds are?

We went to the Globe Bar & Cafe for a light lunch and walked up and down Boylston and Newbury checking out the shopping. For the most part it was really expensive (Hermes, Burberry, etc.), but Maura got a super-cute dress at Filene’s and it was fun digging through the racks trying to find the bargains. I found one shirt that I liked, but I’m a cheapass, so I didn’t get it. Maybe if we hit the flagship store, we’ll find more good stuff. We got a smoothie at Emack & Bolio’s – I can’t speak for Maura, but I chose the smoothie because it seemed like blended-up fruit and orange juice was a healthier option than gobs of ice cream, but omg, they had waffle cones where the top was dipped/rolled in THICK rice krispie goo. They also had ones with fruity pebbles, cocoa krispies, coconut, and sprinkles, but the krispies were the most tempting. We hit a few more stores and then took the T to Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market and roamed through the shops. I was trying to find a Coach purse that I saw someone had at the airport, but I think it’s an older “model”, so I think I’m SOL. There was some cute new stuff, though, so maybe I’ll investigate when I get home. I wasn’t feeling so great, so we sat a little bit and then changed into dresses and went to the harbor to see what was out on the water and to go to Legal Sea Foods for dinner. I’m glad we made reservations because it was busy at 7 when we showed up and it seemed even busier when we left – whatever time that was. The meal was really good – I would have had the lobster if I was independently wealthy because we saw a bunch of them coming out and they were rather large and tasty-looking, but at the recommendation of the waiter, I chose the swordfish. I also had a flight of wines (my first flight and I drank ‘em all, baby!), a cup of lobster bisque, and for dessert I got a bon bon (chocolate covered ice cream) and a profiterole. I think it was the most items that I’ve ever ordered at a restaurant for a single meal, but it ended up not being that expensive because I didn’t order the giant size of everything. While waiting for the meal, we decided that when we were done, we would seek out the Mike’s Pastry; we had seen quite a few people at Quincy Market with Mike’s boxes and we figured that if there were that many people that had gone, it couldn’t be that far. We took the T to the stop that was closest to Mike’s and the Holocaust memorial was right there, so we read the quotes and information and took some pictures. Then, we walked down a long, restaurant-lined street (really cute, lots of open fronts, Italian places (mmmm,pasta)) and finally came upon it - the line of course was out the door. I was hopeful that they would have something like a danish that we could get for breakfast tomorrow (you know, instead of the $8 bagel they’re pushing in the cafe downstairs), but they really only had dessert items, so we got some cannoli and cookies and went back to the hotel. Maura expertly arranged the cannoli in the ice bucket for preservation purposes – hopefully they will still taste ok tomorrow – they look pretty good. I think my blog for today may qualify us for iliketalkingaboutfood.com. I LOVE NOT BEING AT WORK.

Shopping, etc. remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Rundown. alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-29:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=9&entryid=73409 2007-08-03T23:20:36Z 2007-07-29T19:01:59Z Alright. Let’s do this: Finagle a Bagel: I am smitten with your salt bagel. I would like one delivered to me each morning, piping hot, with melty light cream cheese. Can we work this out somehow? Hah-vahd: Yeah. So, I didn’t go there, and I can’t even get into the buildings now because I don’t have a student ID. So, why did we come up here?! Finale: While I did grab my chest in shock when you told ... Alright. Let’s do this:

Finagle a Bagel: I am smitten with your salt bagel. I would like one delivered to me each morning, piping hot, with melty light cream cheese. Can we work this out somehow?

Hah-vahd: Yeah. So, I didn’t go there, and I can’t even get into the buildings now because I don’t have a student ID. So, why did we come up here?!

Finale: While I did grab my chest in shock when you told me that two cookies and a lump of chocolate were $10.25, there is actually no way I could complain. The sandwich that I had for lunch (cheese, caramelized onions, apple, mango chutney, walnuts and multi-grain bread) was ridiculously good and cheap, and the “chocolate decadence” was beyond anything rich that you could possibly imagine. We couldn’t even finish! It seems like a fantastic place to go after an event – classy decor, intimate setting, etc. Definite recommend.

Prudential Skywalk: It’s too bad it was so foggy otherwise we could have seen more, but at least we checked it out before the rain started. Nice views of the city and decent but not overwhelming audio tour.

Mapparium: Wait, so, why was this made? Wait, so it shows the world in 1935? Wait, weren’t there some states that became states after 1935? Why did it show all of the states as being states then? Wait, why was I not told these things on the 20 minute “tour”? I think that this needs to serve a purpose more than just being a whisper chamber; we can get that at home at the MSI.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Alright. I completely understand that it stated in her will that things should not be changed after her death and that there is some sort of foundation or group or just a giant bunch of rent-a-cops that have dedicated themselves to carrying out her wishes. I get it. But I think that the rule is being applied extremely selectively, at the convenience of their making money (someone needs to explain to me why you can’t take a picture in the courtyard – if the sun shines down on the “art” that is housed there every day through the glass ceiling, I have a hard time believing that the camera flashes would do the “art” more damage than that), and that they would benefit by making a certain degree of changes that would not change the essence of the museum’s content, but would give people a reason to want to go there. There are modern smoke detectors on the ceilings, and I mean, despite the giant theft a few years back, I would imagine there is probably some amount of after-hours security since there is a person in a uniform in every room. Was that exactly how it was when she left it? Does the concept of “leave it as it is” mean that it shouldn’t grow and change with the times? If there is no information on each of the works, the rooms are so dark you feel like you’re in a cave, and furniture is just thrown haphazardly throughout the rooms, what incentive do I (or anyone else for that matter) have to want to learn about the woman or why she was such a patron of the arts?

BiPpLe: Nice genealogy program. I wonder if they have those anywhere at home.

BoSox: Rain delay=9:00 start to the game. Laaaaaaaate. Cramped seats, but enthusiastic fans. We had to leave early, but I think I got the general idea. The hot dog was the epitome of soft, wonder-bready, melt-in-your-mouth ballpark goodness.

Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed: How I love you so!

Rundown. remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> VACAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-29:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=8&entryid=73402 2007-08-03T23:19:47Z 2007-07-29T19:01:27Z Arrival time at Lambert St. Louis: Approximately 7:30am Wednesday 18-Jul-07. It was probably a good thing that I got there that early considering the security lines were ridiculous. I went through the line instead of doing e-ticket check in because we thought there might be a possibility of my getting an earlier flight, but the attendant said that I would have to go through Chicago, or somewhere else, and I pretty much considered that a risk of actually ... Arrival time at Lambert St. Louis: Approximately 7:30am Wednesday 18-Jul-07. It was probably a good thing that I got there that early considering the security lines were ridiculous. I went through the line instead of doing e-ticket check in because we thought there might be a possibility of my getting an earlier flight, but the attendant said that I would have to go through Chicago, or somewhere else, and I pretty much considered that a risk of actually taking longer so I decided to stick it out until 12:20p.m. I tried to go to security, but they sent me and everyone that was a couple of seconds in front of me and everyone in general behind me to the security for the “B” gate (I was leaving out of “C”) – they even sent the poor handicapped man behind me without any sympathy whatsoever. The woman pretty much just screamed (literally) that he should get himself a wheelchair and get over to the “B” security. That’s some good old St. Louis sympathy for you.

So anyway, the 5-or-so hours that I had to sit and wait for the flight to board was actually productive - it gave me a lot of good time to sit and read the Fodors for Boston, which I am going on record as saying was infinitely more helpful than my “comparable” Eyewitness book. Maybe I am easily distracted by all of the pretty pictures and just need to be forced to read the text in the Fodors.

While Maura was having challenging flight issues (see Maura’s entry for 18-Jul-07), I was waiting to board while watching the planes taxiing around, when all of a sudden I heard “oh <expletive deleted>” behind me and all of a sudden my back felt warm. I turned around and a guy had spilled his Starbucks beverage (sucked to be him because it was probably a $7.00 investment), and of course, he managed to spill it on my back and an entire row of Lambert’s classy black leather seating. He just looked at me and said in a somewhat annoyed tone (not sure why, considering he spilled it on me)“It’s just chamomile tea, it won’t stain!” and then he ran off. Woah. In any case, I found out when we landed that Maura’s plane was right behind mine, so her delays ended up working out perfectly for our timing.

After deboarding (basically into a Starbucks – gee, do you figure that’s strategically placed?), it was pretty uneventful getting to baggage and waiting. Maura met up with me at the “B” gate, we asked the nice lady with the heavy Bah-stin accent where to go, and the public transportation was fantastically self-explanatory. We got ourselves a week-long CHARLIE card (Charrrrrrrrlieeeeeee) and we were on our way. The only snag that we hit was that we took the train to the end of the line (Braintree) and the shuttle, being apparently “too big” only picks up from the second to last stop (Quincy Adams), so we took a cab and a nice English-speaking man took us to the hotel.

After taking some time figuring out what to do on Thursday, we took the T into the city and after a few “misses” on restaurants, we ended up atCheers. We walked part of the Freedom Trail through Boston Public Garden and when we saw throngs of people heading toward us with bright yellow Cheers bags, we knew we were on the right track. There was no wait AND they were still open, so pretty much all of our criteria were fulfilled. Maura was in the process of taking a picture of me with the Cheers mug, when the guy next to me leaned into the shot. It was pretty funny and made for a good picture. We paid and on our way out, I suggested to Maura that we get a shot of her with the tobacco shop Indian in the corner – I took the shot, and then the guy ran over again (he informed us his name was Yaser) and wanted to get another picture. We got a picture and the people he was with got a picture – pretty funny.

Tomorrow: Bosox!

VACAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Technical Difficulties... tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-20:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=7&entryid=72284 2007-07-21T05:19:31Z 2007-07-21T05:19:31Z For some reason, Travellerspoint isn't letting Ali upload her blog entries...we're hoping this is just a one-time error that will resolve itself overnight. We hope to have her entries up and running tomorrow :) Thanks for reading! ... For some reason, Travellerspoint isn't letting Ali upload her blog entries...we're hoping this is just a one-time error that will resolve itself overnight. We hope to have her entries up and running tomorrow :)

Thanks for reading!

Technical Difficulties... remains copyright of the author mopo1978, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Visiting Filene and her magical basement tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-20:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=6&entryid=72276 2007-07-21T05:07:39Z 2007-07-21T05:07:39Z We had a later start today after a late night last night. Leaving at the crack of noon, we decided to have lunch and go check out shopping in the Back Bay. Our first stop was Filene’s basement, where we gawked at $10,000 dresses and $3,000 coats that were on sale, and wondered how they could have cost that much in the first place. We checked out some of the little shops and things in the area ... We had a later start today after a late night last night. Leaving at the crack of noon, we decided to have lunch and go check out shopping in the Back Bay. Our first stop was Filene’s basement, where we gawked at $10,000 dresses and $3,000 coats that were on sale, and wondered how they could have cost that much in the first place. We checked out some of the little shops and things in the area before heading over to Government Center. We looked at the marketplaces around Quincy Hall and Fanueil Hall before changing for dinner. We had reservations at Legal Seafood (which, according to Amy, was excellent!) and spent a nice evening there. True to form, I did not have seafood, but I had a filet mignon. After seeing all the happy little lobsters naively waiting their fate in the tank, I couldn’t do it. I was able to convince Ali to order some wine, and we each had a “flight” of wine to taste; she had white and I had red. They were actually really good wines, and I was proud that she was being adventurous :) I ended the meal with a to-die-for chocolate mousse. We found our way to the North End after dinner, and found Mike’s Pastry, which is a well-known bakery that always has a line out the door. We got some cookies for tomorrow, as tonight we are just too full.

And, on a bright note, literally, there was no rain today! :)

Visiting Filene and her magical basement remains copyright of the author mopo1978, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Desserterie, University, Geneaology, Meteorology! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-20:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=5&entryid=72275 2007-07-21T05:06:00Z 2007-07-21T05:06:00Z We got an easy early start this morning, after a good night’s sleep in the “Sweet Sleeper” beds. The day looked to be sunny but muggy, and it started out as so. We went to Harvard first, and I was somewhat underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, it was impressive in its size, but I think it would have been more impressive if some of the main buildings (ie—library, chapel) were open for the public, which they weren’t. ... We got an easy early start this morning, after a good night’s sleep in the “Sweet Sleeper” beds. The day looked to be sunny but muggy, and it started out as so. We went to Harvard first, and I was somewhat underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, it was impressive in its size, but I think it would have been more impressive if some of the main buildings (ie—library, chapel) were open for the public, which they weren’t. All the same, it was a nice walk. We got our first taste of getting turned around in Cambridge. Streets on a grid system are beautiful thing, and well, they don’t really have those in Cambridge. We eventually found our way, and went to Finale, which is a “desserterie”. We got two desserts to try, and they were honestly some of the best I’ve ever tasted. So if you’re ever in Cambridge, check out Finale :)

The afternoon was spent doing tourist-y things. We went to the Prudential skywalk, and saw some great views of the Boston area. Next it was on to the Mapparium at the Mary Baker Eddy library. The Mapparium itself was pretty—you basically walk inside a 30 ft. stained glass globe. However, it was a quick trip. We hopped back on the T and went to the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum. What this museum essentially is is a giant mansion that she filled with different antique furniture, artwork, and trinkets. Upon her death, her will said something along the lines of “don’t touch a thing” and so the mansion is open to the public and people come in and marvel at the antique furniture, artwork and trinkets. Both Ali and I agreed that it would have been nice if they had more signage on the different items, as it was hard to tell what everything is or when it was from. When we left the museum, it was raining, and we had some time to kill before the Sox-Sox game, so we went to the Boston Public Library. I had wanted to check out the genealogy section anyway, to see if they had any passenger lists from ships in the 1920’s, when my grandpa had come to America. I had figured that this would be an arduous process, but we were able to find what I was looking for in five minutes! It was exciting to see this piece of the past.

Ali wrote about the Sox game already, so I won’t bore anyone with game details. I did, however, have the misfortune of being seated next to a jerky group of couples who were antagonizing a dad and son sitting in front of us. On the way out, I complained to security and they said they’d have them thrown out. So, I may have gotten people kicked out of Fenway last night. I’m not sorry about it if it did happen though, because they were being total a-holes.

Desserterie, University, Geneaology, Meteorology! remains copyright of the author mopo1978, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> It's a travel miracle! tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-20:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=4&entryid=72274 2007-07-21T05:01:59Z 2007-07-21T05:01:59Z We were all pushed back from the gate this morning, and had almost made it to a runway. But then, we encountered a technical problem and had to go back to the gate. After nearly an hour of waiting for a mechanical diagnosis, they officially declared our aircraft « out of service ». This was not looking good. They told us that they were going to find us a new aircraft and we would be ... We were all pushed back from the gate this morning, and had almost made it to a runway. But then, we encountered a technical problem and had to go back to the gate. After nearly an hour of waiting for a mechanical diagnosis, they officially declared our aircraft « out of service ». This was not looking good. They told us that they were going to find us a new aircraft and we would be on our way. By some miracle, I don’t know where, I don’t know how, they found us a new plane within twenty minutes. I was amazed. Anyway, we actually only ended up being two hours late, which worked out fine for me, because it meant that Ali’s flight and my flight got into Boston around the same time. We were very very fortunate, as our purser Nick pointed out, to find an empty aircraft a) at O’Hare, b) on a weekday, and c) during the middle of the day! Luckily, it seems, the travel gods are smiling on us.

We were pleased to find that the Boston transit system is extremely easy to navigate. And, it appears to be far more efficient than the CTA. After we settled into our hotel, we checked out Cheers near Boston Common for a late dinner. Really the only thing there that reminded me of Cheers was the logo and the pictures of Norm and Cliff on the wall, but it was still a nice place to spend the evening. We were also amused by a gentleman named Yaser, who opted his way into several of our photos.

We haven’t gotten lost yet, and because of this, I’m considering the trip a success so far!

It's a travel miracle! remains copyright of the author mopo1978, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> My Boston Vacation Goals alisandra tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-17:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=3&entryid=71717 2007-07-29T22:21:53Z 2007-07-18T03:59:11Z 1. No vehicular incidents. This includes any form of crashing, wrecking, smashing, towing, windshield cracking, inappropriate veering, tire popping, key-stuck-in-ignition-ing, any lack of engine turnover, ruined transmissions, snapping belts, ripping-off of rearview mirrors, break-ins, keyings, loss of antennae, cracking-off of hood ornaments (do cars have hood ornaments anymore? Am I that old?), breaking of automatic-anything, ripping of upholstery, spillage with the intent to stain, and NO CHAPPAQUIDDICKS. 2. Tea shall be thrown into the harbor. ... 1. No vehicular incidents. This includes any form of crashing, wrecking, smashing, towing, windshield cracking, inappropriate veering, tire popping, key-stuck-in-ignition-ing, any lack of engine turnover, ruined transmissions, snapping belts, ripping-off of rearview mirrors, break-ins, keyings, loss of antennae, cracking-off of hood ornaments (do cars have hood ornaments anymore? Am I that old?), breaking of automatic-anything, ripping of upholstery, spillage with the intent to stain, and NO CHAPPAQUIDDICKS.

2. Tea shall be thrown into the harbor. I don't care if it's a single bag of Tetley English Breakfast. It is vital to recreate history. Unless it's going to kill fish. Do fish like tea?

3. Consumption of a lobster roll. I want to know if it's that good. And I want Ina Garten to stop seeming so smug.

4. At least one bout of uncontrollable laughter.

5. One lighthouse. It doesn't even have to be functional.

6. One amazing dessert.

7. The learning of at least one new thing that I didn't know before that is really cool.

8. One really good picture of my like, totally, BFF and me.

9. Personal discovery. Is that too deep?

10. Fun!

My Boston Vacation Goals remains copyright of the author alisandra, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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]]> Can I bring my spear gun and transplant liver on board? tag:travellerspoint.com,2007-07-16:/blog/?domain=mopo1978&thisblog_entryid=2&entryid=71505 2007-07-17T03:44:00Z 2007-07-17T03:44:00Z Yes, those really are items that are on the TSA list! Apparently, transplant organs on-board are OK! But, the spear guns need to stay in the checked baggage. It's Monday, and with less than 48 hours to go, we're busy making last-minute preparations. Ali got a car reservation squared away so that we can take a day to go to Martha's Vineyard and a day to check out Cape Cod. But it looks like we're ... Yes, those really are items that are on the TSA list! Apparently, transplant organs on-board are OK! But, the spear guns need to stay in the checked baggage.

It's Monday, and with less than 48 hours to go, we're busy making last-minute preparations. Ali got a car reservation squared away so that we can take a day to go to Martha's Vineyard and a day to check out Cape Cod. But it looks like we're not going to make it to Nantucket...which is unfortunate, because I bet we could come up with some damn good limericks. It looks like we might be looking at rain while we are there, but not 100-degree weather, which would be a worse alternative, in my opinion.

Can I bring my spear gun and transplant liver on board? remains copyright of the author mopo1978, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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