Adventures in Paradise

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Alaska - Day 3, At Sea

Tuesday, September 23

Weather: High 50's to low 60'sF

Drizzle, whitecaps, and waves

The ship makes waves.

So, I know you're wondering, was it a rough ride last night? No, it was not. That's the good part. The bad part is that, indeed, the ship couldn't make up the time lost in San Francisco. They just cannot speed along safely in higher seas. Safety first! The captain announced that we will have to switch our itinerary to Tracy Arm or else lose our stop in Juneau altogether. There's no point docking at 7 p.m. and leaving at 10 p.m. There wouldn't be time (or daylight) ashore, the tours would be canceled (no daylight), etc.

Please pardon me, dear readers, for being excruciatingly disappointed. No Golden Gate Bridge at sunset. No Glacier Bay. Bah! It's a good thing we're having a great time on the ship, or I might be complaining severely and getting myself in trouble with the Longshoremen. But I'm not. I'm keeping you informed that, sometimes, things happen. You just have to roll with it. You're on vacation; enjoy yourself, no matter what.

My goodness! These delightful treats
are available 24x7. Yikes.
(Meringues, lower right...)

We got kind of a late breakfast start today (don't judge us for sleeping in on our vacation...), so we opted for a light lunch at the International Cafe in the Piazza. Wow! What a pleasant discovery that place is! The shrimp-fennel salad was outstanding, and the strawberry crème meringues? To die for. They are unbelievable. The lightest meringue (next to yours, Karene). The creamiest, strawberriest filling. My mouth is watering at the thought! I'll have to have more tomorrow. And this is why they have a gym on board.

As usual, we met some wonderful people today. If you don't want to meet other people, you don't have to. But one of the things we really enjoy on a cruise is meeting new people from other places.

Hanging out by the Piazza.

My husband made it all the way to this afternoon before complaining that we haven't been anywhere yet. Why, yes, we have! We've sailed up the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. Tomorrow, we'll be in Ketchikan, Alaska. How is that not going anywhere?

Hanging out on the
Promenade Deck.

We sat outside on the Promenade Deck for a while and watched the waves after lunch. I love the sea air. It reminds me of my mother. She loved to sit on the Promenade Deck, wrapped in a blanket, reading a good book or napping. That was on the USS Homeric, a ship I last saw on Caribbean duty in the 70's. Personally, I could sit out on deck or on our balcony, reading or writing or napping, all day long.

There was a “Friends at Sea” meeting for veterans of the armed forces today, which we attended. There are a lot of people from California, especially the Bay Area, on the ship. It's almost like leaving home and taking your whole town with you. And we went to see “X-Men: Days of Future Past” in the theater. There's two hours I'll never get back, as they say, but Harry had a nice nap. Not exactly a rousing recommendation for the film, eh? But no offense meant if you thought it was fantastic. No need to send me a nastygram.

Entertainment pretty much
always available in the Piazza,
the lounges, on deck, at the
theater. If you are not
entertained, it's really your
own fault.

“Afternoon Trivia” was fun, and then it was time to get ready for dinner, where we enjoyed some good conversation as we got to know Phil and Nona better. Here's what we ate: We both had the Alaska King Crab legs as an appetizer. I had seafood-potato chowder, and Harry had Granny Smith/apple cider cream soup. It was cold and frothy, served in a cone-shaped glass, and it was delicious! We both had the same entrée, Surf & Turf! It was my favorite main dish so far, with huge shrimp, a perfectly prepared filet, asparagus, and potato wedges. For dessert, we both had crème brulée. Surprise! Our waiter, Joel, is making sure our preferred beverages are served to us automatically. This means that when we sit down, our drinks instantly appear. We like that. It's a nice touch that you can expect with a reserved dining time, where you will be at the same table with the same people and the same wait staff every evening.

Showtime was Rollin' Jay Moore again, the full set this time. Jay was hilarious. He knows how to broach dicey subjects without being gross or vulgar. Good job! I almost didn't make it to the restroom in time, I was laughing so hard. Laughter is good medicine, and I'm not laughing as much as I used to (in case you don't already know why, here a link to The Alzheimer's Diaries).

50's Night fun with the high-energy staff. They're awesome.

After the show, we went to “Rock 'n Roll Trivia,” then “50's Night” music and dancing. “Karaoke Power Hour” followed. Happily, most of the singers were really very good. But there was one truly awful one, and we all encouraged him. Or maybe we were all egging him on. In either case, he had fun, so did we, and what a blast his soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend will have posting his performance on YouTube!

It's 12:30 a.m., and we're supposed to set our clocks back an hour tonight. Tomorrow will be a half-day stop in Ketchikan. It's supposed to rain. I hope it doesn't, but I'm prepared if it does.

Friday, January 2, 2015

Alaska - Day 2, At Sea

Monday, September 22

Weather: Mid 60'sF

Partly cloudy with some mist in the afternoon

"No Coat" weather (no jacket or sweatshirt, either)

A smooth day at sea!

Unusually for us, we woke up about 7:30, so we got up, dressed, and attempted breakfast in the dining room. This is something we are hardly up in time to do on the ship, preferring to sleep in a bit and go to the buffet. We were the last ones through the door...whew! A very nice couple from Brazil shared our table, and it was their first cruise to Alaska, too. Most of the people we've been chatting with have been several times already, solidifying the perception that Alaska is a place you want to visit again and again. I hope so!

After breakfast, we went to a trivia game, which was a lot of fun. If we'd had a group of six like most of the others (instead of just the two of us), I think we might have won the game, because it was so close! Six heads are better than two, yes?

On the schedule today, I noticed a lot of activities designed to encourage passengers to go to the spa or the gym or both (“How to Look 10 Years Younger” and “Secrets to a Flatter Stomach”). I know! How about serving fewer sweets and closing the buffet for a couple of hours during the night? Nah.

After a very relaxed and enjoyable lunch in the dining room with some nice folks from the Bay Area, we went to the theater to watch a movie, “Chef,” starring Jon Favreau and Sofia Vergara. There should be a law against looking like that girl. She is gorgeous!

Napping on the deck chairs...ahhhh.

Or napping on the bed?
You decide.

And then we decided to hang out on our balcony and take a nap. I love days at sea. Nothing is rushed. If you want to sleep, you can sleep. If you want to eat, you can eat. If you want to read, you can read. If you want to get a massage and hang out in the hot tub or the gym, you can do that. If you want to go from class to class to class and activity to activity to activity, you can do that, too. But, to me, days at sea are synonymous with relaxation.

Table mates Judy & Mark

Before we knew it, it was time to get ready for formal night. If you don't want to dress up for formal night, you don't have to. But please honor others by being dressed at least “smart casual” in the public areas. Exercise clothing, torn jeans, t-shirts, and sweats seem disrespectful when others have gotten into the spirit of the event. That being said, there were a number of lovely evening gowns to be seen, as well as men in tuxes. Very nice indeed! I heard that the Alaska cruise is generally more casual than some. So, a ballgown is probably a bit much. But a cocktail dress would be just fine. Guys, you'll look great in the pictures with a suit and tie, or at least a sports coat, slacks, and tie. Yes, please wear a shirt. What a question!

Table mates Nona & Phil

Table mates Lorene & Jeff

We stopped on our way to the dining room to have our picture taken. We hardly ever get all dressed up, so it's a good opportunity to look decent in a photo. There were photography stations all over the ship, and people still had to stand in line. Note to self: Get the photo taken after dinner, when the photographers are standing around with nothing to do. And speaking of dinner, here's what we ate: My appetizer was Stilton mousse, creamy and bursting with flavor. Harry had the duck breast. We both had cream of asparagus soup. For a main course, I tried the barramundi on a bed of creamed leek. The creamed leek reminded me of my mom's. So good! Harry had lamb with mint sauce, and it was prepared perfectly pink. I was stuffed, so I just had mango ice cream for dessert. Harry surprised me by ordering the fresh fruit cream pie, which was delicious. This was a surprise because, as we all know by now, Harry always orders crème brulée if it's on the menu.

After dinner, we went to see the evening's production, “Stardust,” with the Princess singers and dancers. They are so talented! It was a great show of “standards,” sung expertly, with complicated and well-executed choreography. Then it was off to the Vista Lounge for the “Marriage Match” game. When people are put on the spot and have been poured generous helpings of champagne, it's amazing what they will reveal about each other. Remind me to never, ever, volunteer for that one! But it's highly entertaining to watch. And after that, also at the Vista Lounge, it was time for the first round of the “Princess Pop Star” karaoke competition. Half the singers were surprisingly good. The other half? Well, they were sincere and tried hard. We had a wonderful time cheering everyone on.

We weren't ready to turn in yet, so we went up to the buffet in search of a cup of tea. There, we ran into Brian and Sylvia from our car club back home again. They'd been sitting behind us at the movie this afternoon, but we didn't know until the lights came on. It's a small world! They are traveling with a very large group, and it looks as though they are the organizers. Good luck herding everyone, you guys!

The captain made an announcement today that the seas, which have been very smooth so far, will be much roughter tonight. This is because we won't be able to outrun a low pressure system due to our delay leaving San Francisco. He confirmed that the delay was caused by work stoppages and slow-downs by the Longshoremen, and we will be very late arriving in Juneau (our scheduled first stop). I don't know what that will mean for our excursion to Mendenhall Glacier. Sigh.

Note: Harry misplaced his good, bi-focal glasses today. It's a good thing we had his reading glasses with us. Pack a spare pair of glasses!

Cautionary tale: Did I tell you about the couple from Sacramento who drove themselves to San Francisco a couple of trips ago (we met them at embarkation)? They were stuck in traffic and arrived just in time to see the ship sail away. Imagine the sinking feeling when you realize your vacation is over before it begins. ACK! This time, they arrived the day before and spent the night at a hotel in the city. Good plan!

Monday, November 17, 2014

Alaska - Day 1, All Aboard the Star Princess

Sunday, September 21
Our first trip to Alaska!

The view from Pier 23 Cafe
Photo by Chris.
All rights reserved.

Our son and grandson gave us a ride to the brand-new cruise terminal, Pier 27, on the Embarcadero in San Francisco this morning. It's always hard to gauge the amount of time needed to get from our place to the City in case of traffic and so on, and we wanted to be among the first on board. Boarding day counts as "Day 1" of a cruise, so we figured we might as well get on board, unpack, find out way around, hang out on the ship, and start eating (not necessarily in that order). We allowed an hour and a half for the trip from our house to the dock.

The weather was overcast, as it has a tendency to do in San Francisco. Unless there's a storm brewing, that doesn't mean it will rain. It's just the fog layer, keeping things air conditioned. The temperature was in the mid-60's F, and a light windbreaker was plenty to keep us very comfortable.

We arrived at the terminal in less than an hour, at 11 a.m. That was not great, as boarding was set to begin at 1 p.m. And, as I discovered, 1 o'clock means 1 o'clock. Or 12:30. Ours was the first departure from this beautiful terminal. I yearned to be inside the doors rather than outside. On the plus side, we were allowed to drop off our suitcases with the porters outside, which we did (while fervently praying that they would be safely delivered). But, naturally, we kept our hand-carry luggage with us, since there were things in there that we needed to keep our eye on. And so our foray in the vicinity was limited due to our bulky state of affairs. We went to Pier 23 Cafe and sat in the beer garden, where we had a spectacular view of the ship. Conveniently, Fog City Diner is right across the street from the terminal.

The pool in the back with the skyline.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

At 12:30 sharp, the doors to the terminal opened. Hooray! In spite of the "bugs" to be worked out in the boarding process, the computer systems, the information screens, the waiting areas – well, there were some "bugs" to work out – we were soon (more or less) and with minimal aggravation (more or less) on board. Whew!

A balcony big enough for 2 loungers!
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

We decided to find our room before doing anything else. We were on Caribe Deck, which is Deck 10. The cabin was larger than we expected, probably because of what looked like two drop-down "bunk" berth rectangle shapes in the ceiling. It also had an extra-large balcony. Surprise! It's nice to know that the "cabin for four" is actually big enough for four people, so long as they aren't all trying to squeeze into the bathroom.

Zzzzzzz....
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

After a quick trip up several flights of stairs to the abundant buffet on Deck 14 for some lunch, we returned to our cabin to find that our bags had arrived! What?! Already?! Harry took a nap while I unpacked, and there were extra hangers. Again, what?! But you know what they say about things that are too good to be true.

We were supposed to sail at 4 p.m., but there was a problem loading the baggage, apparently, so there was an announcement that we would be delayed three hours. What?! Disappointed, we headed up top to the sail-away party for a little while, then got ready for dinner.

A lovely day on the Bay.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

We chose early (5:30 p.m.) dining this time. That's a lot earlier than we eat at home, but we wanted maximum time for checking out the music and the shows! Also, late seating was at 8, and we didn't want to be leaving the dining room at 9:30. We arrived at dinner promptly, were seated at a table for eight, and looked forward to meeting our table mates, who all got there eventually. First came Nona and Phil. Then came Mark and Judy. We were eating our entree when Jeff and Lorene arrived at the table. Everyone was friendly and contributed to the conversation, which was an excellent start.

What we ate: We both started with the "Red Snapper Mojito" (ceviche) appetizer. I had the chicken broth with tortellini, and Harry had the cream of porcini mushroom soup. For our entree, I had seared basa (yes, basa...not bass) with mango-papaya salsa, and Harry had crawfish etouffee. We both had creme brulee for dessert. Another excellent start!

Night lights -- Bay Bridge
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

We admired the San Francisco skyline and the Bay Bridge from our balcony at dusk, then at night. If we didn't live here, we'd think it was incredibly gorgeous, which it is. And now we were four hours late. And it turned out it was the longshoremen's union flexing its muscles, holding us hostage due to some dispute or other with the City. We were not pleased.

I had so been looking forward to sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, which we eventually did – five hours late – but we were at the show when that happened, so we missed it. Boooooo! Hisssssss! The "Welcome Aboard" show, however, was terrific. The Star Princess Singers and Dancers were very good, and comedian "Rollin'Jay Moore" was hilarious.

Music in the Piazza.
Photo by Chris.
All rights reserved.

After that, we went to the Wheelhouse Bar, where a band called "Phoenix Rising" was playing all kinds of music “except rap and girl songs.” They knew "Since I Fell for You," so I give them bonus points. Also, Harry danced with me. So make those bonus points five stars instead.

When "Phoenix Rising" took a break, we wandered over to the Explorers Lounge, where a party band called "Xcite" was playing dance music. And we danced some more...awesome! We were having a great time already.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Boston - Day 8, Newport, Rhode Island

This is the last post from our trip to the Boston area in 2002. I hope you enjoy this retrospective from my relatively unedited travel diary:

Saturday, August 3

We had a nice breakfast, and then we headed south to Newport, Rhode Island. If we'd stayed on the freeway instead of taking the “shorter” route, we would have saved ourselves at least an hour in transit. But we didn't. Traffic was horrendous, and both of us were on edge. Happily, the day improved after this sour beginning.

Overlooking the lawn, overlooking
the sea. Some lemonade, please, James.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

In Newport, we visited two of the magnificent “summer cottages” that line the rugged coastline. I was really looking forward to this, because I love to visit historic homes and see how the other half lives. Or at least how they used to live.

There are quite a number of these fabulous homes that are open to the public for tours, wedding venues, and so on. The astonishing thing, at least to me, is how many of them are still privately occupied for the “season.” Absolutely stupefying homes with caretaker's cottages that we would be quite comfortable in. What garden parties we could have on those expansive lawns, which are as large or larger than most city parks. The weather was gorgeous, if a bit sticky. Surprise. But that wouldn't have stopped me from enjoying a nice cup of tea, a cucumber sandwich, and some strawberry shortcake.

The two “cottages” we decided to visit were “The Breakers” (70-room summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II) and “Rosecliff” (modeled after the Grand Trianon at Versailles). You can read about the history of these homes by clicking on the links.

The Breakers, Newport, RI
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

The outside of The Breakers was being renovated, which was a shame. The scaffolding kind of took away from the grand impression of the place, but the inside was absolutely breathtaking. Beyond opulent. Photos can't do justice to it, so it's just as well that photography isn't allowed inside.

The play house at
The Breakers. Seriously.
My husband took the
photo of me on the steps
for size perspective.

The children's playhouse is a two-room cottage complete with fireplace, a wood-burning range in the kitchen (keeping in mind that this isn't modern construction), etc. It would be a great mother-in-law unit, actually. Except that the mother-in-law here probably had a wing of the big house to herself.

Rosecliff, Newport, RI
I think I see Robert Redford driving up...
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

At Rosecliff, lavish parties are still thrown in the tradition of the original hostess. In fact, they were setting up for a wedding that very evening. The wedding ceremony was to be on the lawn overlooking the ocean, with the reception to be held in the ballroom. The same ballroom where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis did the tango in the movie “True Lies.” The mansion Robert Redford drove up to in “The Great Gatsby.” Romance is in the air at this place. For a price.

The back lawn, taken from the house.
If you look carefully, you'll see the
water line way, way back there.
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

I tried to imagine what it must have been like to be a guest at one of these cottages back in the day: The stylish clothes that would have been worn, the trendy music that would have been played, the delicious food and drink that would have been served. Elegance. Sophistication. Drama. Lots of drama. Perhaps too much drama.

I couldn't bring myself to leave yet, so we decided to take the Cliff Walk, which afforded lovely ocean views and back lawn glimpses. We even saw a wedding (yes, another one). The walk itself seemed to have fallen into a bit of disrepair, with much of it being rather broken down, forcing us to climb up and down rocks. But we managed it, and without incident, too.

We got back to the hotel in half the time it had taken to get to Newport, and then we went out for lobster. All in all, not a bad day. And not a bad vacation, either. In fact, it was a marvelous one. New England is completely enchanting. I'd like to see more of it!

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Boston - Day 7, Battle Road

In 2002, my husband was called to the Boston area on business. Lucky me! I was able to tag along to this beautiful city, so full of history and atmosphere. I hope you enjoy my relatively unedited travel diary:

Friday, August 2

The weather this morning was the usual sunny, hot, humid stuff, but the forecast called for thunderstorms. I decided it might not be the best idea to take the train anywhere for a walking day.

Site of Thoreau's Cabin, Walden Pond
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

I regretted not having put my toe in the water at Walden Pond, so I got in the car and went back there to do that. The water was warm, so now I regretted that my swimsuit was back at the hotel. Not a very well prepared girl scout, am I? I had entertained the notion of getting a “simplify” shirt for myself, but the gift shop simplified things for me by not having my size available.

The Concord River, Old North Bridge
Photo by Chris. All rightds reserved.

The weather was still very nice as I made my way back to Old North Bridge in Concord. I wasn't sure why I was going there again. I just was. And I was starting to think the weather forecast was wrong. Again.

Unfortunately, I arrived just in time to miss the park ranger's interpretive program, which was evidently quite good, based on the comments from those who were still assembled. Everyone was standing around talking, and I was feeling sorry for myself. It would have been terrific to hear the presentation. But the visitor center was interesting and the people were friendly and visiting from all over the country (and other countries). All was not lost. A good conversation is a great thing.

The Wayside, Concord
Photo by Chris. All rights reserved.

By now it was starting to sprinkle, so we all parted ways and headed to our cars for shelter. I made my way to The Wayside "Author's Home" on Battle Road. The tour was very interesting and informative, and I learned that Louisa May Alcott (Little Women) grew up there, and Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter) later lived there. But the main thing I loved about the place was the atmosphere. I wanted to sit down right there and write an entry in my diary!

There was lightning and thunder and heavy rain. On the way back to the car, I got soaked. Because, naturally, my umbrella was in the back seat. The temperature had dropped by about 20 degrees, too, so it was a good thing I had remembered to bring my little cotton sweater. Which was, naturally, in the car.

I proceeded to Hartwell Tavern on Battle Road that the British passed on their way to Concord on April 19, 1775. It's a living history museum that's part of Minute Man National Historic Park now, with the park rangers outfitted in period dress. I love that kind of thing, and the rangers were very well informed and enthusiastic. Because of the weather, I was the only “civilian” present, so I was able to monopolize the time of a park ranger whose best friend lives about ten miles from me. What are the odds?

Turns out my husband had been frantically trying to reach me on the cell phone so we could go out to dinner with some colleagues. The reception out there was pretty spotty; happily, I got his message in time to meet them at BugabooCreek, even though I was in a traffic jam on 495 on the way back. I was incredibly hungry. Hungry enough to eat a big steak. So I did.

Now that we're close to heading home, I'm finally feeling comfortable with my driving and surroundings here. I didn't get lost; I didn't need the map. Progress is being made!

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Boston - Day 6, Charlestown

Thursday, August 1

It's Thursday already. Amazing. How does time go by so quickly? I took the train in to Boston, intending to head straight for Bunker Hill, but I couldn't resist a saunter through the North End again. Once is not enough. I love that neighborhood. It's earthy and real, and its rich heritage permeates the considerable atmosphere.

I wanted to stop at the Green Dragon for an ale, but it was early yet. Plus, I had a lot to do. The walk from South Station to the North End is very quick, if you don't stop all over the place and take a bunch of detours – which, I believe I just mentioned, I did. How could I help it? I might never be here again, and I wanted my senses to be saturated with the sights and sounds and smells. Is that so bad? No, it is not. It's the reason we travel, right? To be saturated in the wonderfulness of the places we go. [For the previous day's North End sightseeing, see “Boston –Day 5, The Freedom Trail.”]

After my meanderings, I headed across the Charlestown Bridge on my way to Bunker Hill ("Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes") without having lost my bearings. I considered this to be quite an accomplishment, given the jigsaw puzzle layout of the streets. Just on the other side of the bridge is City Square Park (formerly Market Square), which is where Paul Revere started his famous midnight ride. In the old days, before lots of construction obstructed the views, you could see Old North Church from the square. One if by land, two if by sea...

I started up the hill, and there was another lovely neighborhood! So many lovely neighborhoods, so little time. Twenty-some years ago, we drove through Boston quickly while on a one-week driving vacation from Chicagoland (so, clearly, we weren't able to spend a lot of time). This neighborhood was very run-down then, with trash everywhere. But not now. Wow! There's lots of construction and renovation going on, and the whole ambiance of the area has changed for the better. It's been reborn and renewed.

It being another hot, muggy day, I had my doubts about actually climbing up inside the monument, some 275 steps or so. But, hey, there I was, and the park ranger assured me that a rescue squad would come for me if I needed help. So...up I went! I did great for the first 75 steps, but then I had to stop to breathe every 25 steps or so. I caught up with some other people, though, so we all encouraged each other. Happily, the climb part of the tower was cooler than outside; but, when we reached the top, it was a virtual steam bath that smelled like a locker room. A men's locker room. Don't ask me how I know that, okay? Perspiration was streaming down my face. But the view! The view was worth the climb. And going back down was a breeze.

I had made up my mind to head back over to Cambridge to find some souvenirs for the kids, so, again, I wasn't going to tour the USS Constitution. But then there was this nice couple from Missouri resting at City Square, and they asked me if I knew which direction the ship was as I walked by. I gave them the information they needed, and they were so excited about seeing "Old Ironsides." And I knew I would regret not having gone, too, so I went. The ship is still commissioned and staffed by Navy personnel, all of whom seemed delighted to be assigned to such great duty. There was major maintenance going on, so we were only able to see the top two decks. It was well worth practically having to disrobe at the security checkpoint. The buckle on my belt set off the alarm, so I was worried about the metal zipper on my shorts setting it off on the second go-through, but it was fine. Whew.

I took a ride on the “T” (subway, metro, underground). The Orange Line from North Station to the Red Line transfer station to Harvard Station. No problems, no confusion, easy as pie! They use tokens, which are $1 (at least, they were then). A person takes your dollar at the window and hands you a token, which you put in the gate coin slot. So, why not just have the gate take dollar bills? Or why not have machines dispense the tokens? Must be a union town or something.

Harvard University is huge, with tons more buildings than we saw the other day. And that's just for the law school. I should probably have felt intimidated by all that combined brain power. How amazing it would be to study there.

Oops! A quick check of my watch revealed that I had just half an hour to catch my train back to the suburbs. I jumped on the Red Line to South Station, making it there with time to spare. Turns out it only takes fifteen minutes to get to South Station from Harvard Station. You never know when you'll need that information.

I forgot to mention that first thing this morning, when I got off the train, I went to the “official” Boston Tea Party site, but it was closed. So, I walked by the “actual” site, but it was part of the Big Dig. It wasn't a promising start to the day, but all's well that ends well. And it did end well!

I picked my husband up at work, and we ate dinner at “Mango,” a Thai place in Milford. The food was excellent. Our waitress asked if I'd been to Thailand, since I ordered my soup in Thai instead of English. I took that to mean she was able to understand my pronunciation. That made me feel good. But she probably says that to all the tourists. And no, I haven't been to Thailand. Yet.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Boston - Day 5, The Freedom Trail

The Freedom Trail in Boston is a crash course in American Revolution history. You can feel it. You can smell it. You can touch it. You can see it. You can hear it. If you're going to Boston and you're physically able, walking the Freedom Trail is a must-do activity. This is my relatively unedited travel diary, sketchy in spots, detailed in others. I hope you enjoy this retrospective journey from 2002 with me!

Wednesday, July 31

We just enjoyed a downright tasty meal at Caffé Sorrento in Milford! As a rule, I stay away from Italian food at restaurants. It's just never as good as my mom's cooking. But I had excellent Veal Piccata, and my husband had superb Seafood Gorgonzola. If there's Gorgonzola to be had, he will order it. So would my mom, if she was on this trip with us. But wait. I'm getting ahead of myself again.

It was another hot and muggy day today. When you leave the air conditioned hotel and step outside, you feel as though you should go right back in and take another shower. But why? You'd just have to do it all over again. If you're having to go to work and are dressed for business, as my husband has to be, it's not great. But I didn't have that problem and was almost comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt.

With my camera bag in tow, I took the train to Boston to walk the Freedom Trail [Here's a map of it]. It wasn't strenuous (except for the heat and humidity) or excessively long, and it was totally worth the effort. Starting at Boston Common and ending in Charlestown, it included the State House, the seat of government. The Trail also took me past a bunch of churches (including Old North Church... “one if by land, two if by sea” ...and New North Church, now St. Stephen's), and a slew of meeting halls and taverns where revolutionary types liked to expound and/or hang out, as the case may be. The actual house of Paul Revere is also on the Trail, and I found it very impressive for the day. A silversmith by trade, I guess he could afford more than the average person.

Revere's house is located in what's called the “North End,” which is now a picturesque Italian neighborhood, full of wonderful atmosphere and presence. Restaurants everywhere, narrow cobbled streets, laundry hanging from windows, old ladies sitting out on the sidewalk on chairs from their kitchens, gossiping with their neighbors in Italian. Oh, it was wonderful! My people! It's funny how you can feel out of place and at home at the same time.

The Trail takes you right past the famous Green Dragon Tavern, where the Sons of Liberty met, the Boston Tea Party was planned, and Paul Revere was sent off on his historic ride to Lexington. There are also some wonderful old “stone gardens” (cemeteries), and Bunker Hill, and Old Ironsides (the USS Constitution, still a commissioned naval vessel and beautiful to behold). And, and, and!

You have to go through a security check to get on board the Constitution, but I had run out of time. Unbelievable. I had to start back across the Charlestown Bridge in a big hurry so I wouldn't miss the train back to Milford. Which just goes to show, just ignore what it says in the guidebook about how long something will take. If it says, “Allow 2 hours,” allow four. If it says, “Allow ½ day,” plan on a whole day. You can always fill the extra time with a visit to a pub if you have time left over, but you can't see the sights you didn't have time for. By the way, there are plenty of pubs to be visited.

Naturally, this means I also didn't make it to Bunker Hill at all, not that I would have been able to climb the stairs (inside the monument) after all that walking in the heat. Oh, well.

I did find out some interesting factoids today. Apparently, people commute to Boston all the way from Providence, Rhode Island. This must be okay in the summer, but I wonder what that's like in the winter? It isn't that far (50 or 60 miles, I think), but it must take forever on icy roads in traffic.

I had asked someone at the train station about that commute, and I hadn't realized it wasn't that far, so I told him I hadn't figured out eastern distances yet. Everything here was closer than I expected, whereas things “out West” were always farther than expected. So he said, “Yes, once you get past Worcester [MA], distances are greater.” Worchester?! I meant “out WEST” – the West Coast, California! Funny how what you say can so easily be misinterpreted.

I had a spectacularly good time today. Maybe I'll take another train ride downtown tomorrow. Boston is fantastic!